Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1867-06-20

NV NAN~N N
Il revolution in other countries ant
many civil wars; but other nations have
not regarded the unsuccessful party as
murdersrs. II they had. the horrors o.
war never would have been diminished
| such a creed iustihes al imaginable
atrocities. We do not believe that there
IS q worse man living than WILLIAM H
| SEWARD and we have reason enough
or that belief in bis late offieial com
msndsHon Of Admiral DAHIGREN fol
regarding Confederate officers as unYor.
Thy to be deemed honorable mea OF
recognized as gentlemen. War is nc
longer the conflict OF savages. The
Royalists Of la Vendee killed vast nun
bers Of Republicans in battle; bat when
they were conquered, Republican France
did not pretend that they had B1atr.
dered its soldiers. What would the
world have said, what would the PEG
pie Of the United States have said, il
Austria had attempted so to treat the
revolutionists OF Hungary? Do We re
gard the Fenian invaders Of Canada, the
Fenian revelutionists lately put down in
Ireland, as the murderers Of the men
whom they killed in action? Did We 90
regard those OF III own people who in
vaded Cuba, Lower California, and Mic
aragua? Treat 2 people that puts two
hundred thousand men in the field, and
has an organized constitutional govern
ment, as belligerents for more than three
years, and then talk about hanging their
chiefs as rebels and traitors! BAIL the
proposition is mOnstr0us. GEBRIT
SMITH has lately said, on this point, al
that need besaid to prove that to propose
such an assassination is q hideous vii
lainy. He says:
From the time the south laid down
her arms 1 aad been writing and speak
Ing to prove that she ought not to be
charged with treason. IL must be borne
in mind that Mr.. Davis was detained in
prison under an indictment for treason,
and for nothing else. This clamor
against Mr.. Greeley for battling a man
charged with the assassination Of the
president and the starvation Of the prisO-
ners is entirely unfair. For neither Of
these ofienses has Mr.. Davis been in
dicted; and, instead Of hsrping upon
them in order to prejudice the public
mind against the bailing of him, there
should not have been the slightest refer
ence to them in any OF the structures
upon that bailing. Had Mr.. Davis
detention in prison been under an indict-
ment for either OF these o~fenses, instead
of for treason, Mr.. Greeley would, per-
baps, have declined going bail for him.
Though, even in that case, and prejudi-
cial and revolving a would have been
such an Indictment, Mr.. Greeleyis
characteristic humanity would have
strongly sympathiZed with the pris-
euer. who had for two long
and weary years been pleading in
vain for his trial. Moreover, Mr.. Gree
lev, like every just man, does not allow
himself TO feel sure that the accused Is
guilty until he is found to be guilty. Aud
he thinks that they Who are sure that
Mr.. Davis il guilty OF one or both 0f
these horrible O~ffeuses, and yet are taking
a steps 70 bring him into court and to
prove his guilt, have no right 70 insist
hat Others shall, ike themselves, be-
neWG hlLLANuL tANAA AaA kNAANAaa a
ant trial. But to return t. LV reference
10 certain of my Writings and speeches
In these writings and speeches ] admit
ted that had the north carried on the
var under thp constitution she would
have hsd the right b bold the south
guilty OF treason. But 1 agfee3 that, as
She elected 20 carry It On under the law
OF war under international instead OF
muRicipaI law-sbe iOstthts right. BY
the way, it is easy to prove that, had
she elected otherwise, q nation would
in all probability have been permanently
divided. if not, indeed, brought from M
end 70 the other, under southern rule
and the presence st southern Instl-
tations. The masses Of the south
were in that low state OF civil
lizatiou which welcomes 5 4" no
quarter war IA "blsck flag war land
which makes rs subjects very efficient
for carrying on such 3 war. Oh b
other hand. the more cultured MISSES OF
the north would have said: let these
barbarians 60! Let these devils gOi
Rather than have such a war upon our
hands let the nation BE divided! ~ Bat,
as | have already inumeted, the end
might not have been the division 81 the
nation, but the southern ruling and the
southernizing Of the whole nation. The
simple truth is, that we made a bargain
with the south, however We may now
be tempted 20 deny it or % break It.
Our generals, ih the terms Of the sur
render Of the southern armies, recognized
this bargsin-this bargain that we should
treat each other not as traitors under
constitutional law, but a. beHigerents
under the law Of war. The supreme
court Of the United States unanimously
held that this was the bargain. Alas,
the iueffable meanness, the revolving
infamy, Of our breaking this bargain,
now, when we have it in our power 10
break It! Alas, what 3 poor use IS this
to which TO put the power OF VIC
tory! How il dims the glory and
the vatue Of the victory
The shame Of defeat is a. nothing com
pared with the shame OF abusing the
OF success. The hOldinEO OF JuareZ
or some other Mexican chief for treason,
in case we should conquer Mexico, would
be a no more gross a no more immoral
breach Of faith than is our holding AF.
Jefferson Davis for il. No wonder that
the enlightened and sensitive meB Of the
south are stuDg to the quick by our per-
fidy. We may not recover 20 fsr from
passion and prejudics Is 20 be
ashamed Of It. Who doubts, for even
moment, that the north, had she
been conquered In this war, would have
claimed at the hand OF her conqusror the
.umanities Of the law Of war-of that
which knows no treason? Are we
doing IS we would be done By ] said
law Of war knows no treason. / add
treason cesses Just when and where
the Acknowledgements Of b~eiligerent rights
Reason teaches this. Humanity
this. The political Hberalists Of
Europe beseech US to believe this. They
tell US that they mean to undertake,
from time 10 time, 10 overturn their des
potic and oppressive governments, and
nothing could be worse for them
than when, now and then, they shall
be conquered, % have il in the power Of
the conqueror to plead the example Of
liberal America for charging them with
treason.