Abbeville press. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1860-1869, 1866-04-27
THE TERM"RE

1''"e"' W thc Nohicueralo States, by
| Northern men and the Federal authorities
is thus treated t:y the Hon. Charles Cav.
ARE:
will avail myself Of this opportunity to
say that Il wo are called rebels, we ouuht
not TO subscribe to tho appciaion. hone
that 1t is not inconsistent wit, the new nj
:cgiance 10 which we have consented. 10
| remark that the late war WAS not a rebel
lion, IN the ordinary sense Of tho word
The world had heard before a.! the rebellion
OF subjects against tl.rr Governments, OF
provinces against the empire Of which
they were a part, OF colonies against their
metropolis, of Il vanGn;sIicl against the
coniuerer, but never OF the rel c,l;on Of SOW
ercI@n and independent States against the
Confeteracy which they had created. This
Is something new under the sun, to which
our minds cannot easily be reconcicL.
Besides rs republicans Of the old, if not
the black school, as democrat We may be
permitted to have some icpugnancc for the
use of word whicl, we shall prove 10 be
Of monarchical origin.
L't lis go back to The first republics Of
which we have any histofy--to the rcpul-
lies of Greece. They had also their l.rs-
tine discussions. One party would seize
power and drive its opponents into exile, or
put them 10 death and conIi,ca,o their pro
perty. We find them applying to each
other the words, traitor, enemy, parrici.lr.
ETC., but rebel, never. Between. Gre, L
and Greek there could he treason nn,l cnm
ty but no rebellion. Rebellion implies in
tcriority on one side, aud superiority on the
other; allegiance OH one side, and sovereign
ty OH the othcr-wlich could not he an,ono
the Greeks, as they were all equals and
soveregns. It was the same with Rome
In tho whole history Of tho Roman Re
publics, tie word rebel is not applied to a
Roman citizen. When the first scccs sion
Of which we have any knowledge, took
place among them, when the peoplc-the
pIehians- fiom the patric ans, and
retired to Mount Avcntine, they were not
called rebels. When Coriolanus put him
self at the head Of The Voisci and marched
against Rome, he was not outlawe,l rs Il re-
bel by the Roman Senate. They drnoun-
ccd him merely as ali enemy.
When he appeared Lciore tho walls OF
his native city, which he had doomed TO
destruction, when he had scorn(nlly reie:-
ted the suprlicntion Of his patrician friends
and the submission Of the repcntant plebc-
inns who had offended him, when he had
treated III the same contcmptuous manner
the majesty of the gods represented by the
priests and by the vcstnls, there came his
mother. We have no record Of the spcccl,
which she addressed to him. She calls
him hosAs-encmy she calls him parri-
eide, but rebel, never; and the Roman
ma,r"ns. when he died, went into mourn
ing for a whole year. III the protroctcd
struggles between Marius and Sylla, 80
celebrated E'r their tables Of reciprocal
prescription, the parry who happened 10
represent the government for the time be.
ing, never dreamed thai their opponents
were rebels, Cicero exl,ansts against Ca.i-
line the vocabulary Of cpithets, but omts
the word rebel, which is not even found in
any Of his many works.
When C;r ,sar. crossed the Rubicon the
Roman Senate declared that there was, not
rebellion, but tanultuS IN urbene -tumult.
The fact is that according TO Roman IDEAS
Roman coull not be n rebel. lie could
be guilty of Se,litio inmulius insu,yeclio,
but no 1cbettio. Romans were all equals
They did not owe allegiance to each other
| There was no rebellion between Cassius
and Brutns on the one side, and Mark An.
thony and O:tavius on. The other, nor sub
sequcnuy. hctween O.tasius and Anthony.
and when 0c'avius had become AuYut,is
the conspiracy of CHINA against the unlis-
puted master OF the world, If il has ripcnc,l i
into IN open conflict Of arms would no:
have been deemed rebel ion, ecause re-
spect for old republican ideas and forms
was not yet entirely oLlifcrated. "I1ebek-
TO- among the Romans, was where those
who had been overcome in battle aud
yielded to their snhjection, male second
J. resistance lSee Encyclopaedia Britain
niea.) The cGauIs, the Spnniards the Brit
ons and other conqured nations could be
'rebellious: against Rome, but not the Ilo:
:. Inans. = >. - -, - Pa.
\ Az Romans thought that they were com,
: ponent parts oil their goverument. Tha,
! government could be divided into hostile
D fragments, but itswasnot understood inthose
4 days hew;a fraction of.tsoyerejgntys could
Ge :rete'lious against the -otler fractions
a We hear Of re beIiious sons, bceause of the
ratural h'legianco claiIued by father, bul
but We never hear of rel,ellious brothers
Tho, Italian republics of ..fhe Medieval age;
were as sparng Of tie. word label ,als;a atiseil
,tl.lstrtous Predecessors. 4WelbIs : When
d the s5reeEs could :4nota he's raleIs asaias,
II GreeksiiE EtQnasus % gaiDatt Romans. aIiaiispi
a5aMt lianss sssal have ypreoelsnts foi
fsagapg thas spAriieFii pistsa Rgainst Amer
n jcsns saiutsI bot sbaaoS lpnd Of <stia,natiz;
Ling lbeif bsss Of. .uopfse.. j
Z -Iaa nnt =. Il n.