New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1866-08-21
SHALL WE HAVE ANOTHER BHBEL-
LlONt

How much has the Philadelphia Convention, with
all the brains" which its President declared 1t to
possess. done to make treason odousl b. the law OF
tho land it is fclonious crime-Dooltle and his fol-
lowing have worked their best to reduce it to msde.
meanor, and Mr.. Raymond deliberately treats it as
peccadIlo. We ask every man of eandor to read all
the proceedings of the Convention and then honestly
10 determine whether it was not chiefly assembled for
the comfort and consolation Of the Confederate mourn
era. There seemed TO be but idea prevalent upon
the seats and the platform and in the atmosphere oil
the wigwam--the idea of bringing the loyal
States by whccdng, aud persuasion, and
bullying TO the discharge of what Mr. Webster used
TO call their disagreeable duties The tone OF The
proceedings takes Us back ten years. We to be
living again in a rainy season Of compromises. Our
minds are excited to disagreeabe Renaissance, and
our ears are filed with the old familiar drawl Of The
professional peacemakcrs We are to forget the tre-
mcndous events of yesterday the slaughter the waste
aud the panic ofhe war; and only to remember that the
assassins of the Republic lamentaby failed in their
murderous purposes, and are very much to be COM
niscrated for their disappointment The bafied Con-
federates to DO treated, upon the whole rather
moro beneyolently and chartably than the
Prodigal Son. They are not only to have
excellent veal for dinner and new coats TO their
backs and fine rings for their fingers, but they are to
be tenderly assured that their little escapado was
quite pardonable and is not only forgiven but for
gotten. We deny it. The memory OF the loyal land
ia not quite so short as Dix and Doolittle imagine.
The soldiers of the Republic, although dead, yet
speak to US. Fine words pay no taxes. Dix and
Dootle move and mako motions in a sphere of ideal
clemency and poetic graciousness but the people Of
this country are confronting hard practical realities,
and have neither taste nor time for indulging in the
Philadelphia sentmentalities. We may forgive the
sinner but no dictate of religion requires us to for.
give the sin. Dix, Doolittle aud Raymond condOne
and condole in breath; and, lost the sinner should
have quami:h doubts Of the penary remittance Of hs
crime they assure him that he has been, all along an
extremely yirtuous character The force of fondneSs
can no further co.
We do not like to speak Unexpectedly, but really
seems to us that the whole tendency of this Conyen'
ton was to ncite another Rebellion. OF course we
do not mean to deny that there was modcum OF pa.
trotic words and of loyal professions Some of those
members who uttered them were, perhaps, sincerej
while Others used thep q ssrtai9 pers6shS some.
times cites the Holy Scriptures. But all these loyal
phrases were but the trimmings of the banquet-the
solid pabulum was sympathy with The hard fate q !as
insurrectionists Think how much they must have
suffered" says Mr.. Raymond With tbs teags standing
in his eyes. Pray has Mr. Raymond just found Sat
that the way Of transgressQys Is hardl Did not bis
grandmother teach him that in bis callow and inno-
cent days The Rebels have had fine dance, and
Mr.. Raymond thinks 1t hard to oblige them to pay
the piper. lie may be assured that iii they can dance
for nothing they will be at 1t again before he is much
wiser, or even much older. Indeed, We do not see
why they should not pluck up courage and try once
more, when the Philadelphia Convention, scovl-
ing at the North and threatening tho loyal
population, tells tho discouraged Confederacy
under what circumstances 1t may again prop.
eriy resort to criminal violence. Mr.. Raymond
declares that the Americans who live in the South"
would he unworthy citizens Of a free country de.
generate sons Of heroic ancestry" should they "ac
cept those laws which Congress has seen ct, in the
exercise OF its constitutional prerogatye to enact
Waen tie passage containing this opinion was read
great and emphatic was the cheering and the appro-
baton. The honorable and distinguished member
for Maryland cried " Read that again. and all the
little squad Of delegates from nnreconstructedor half
reconstructed States felt in their fiery souls chat the
rod which they were accustomed to wave in srOrem