Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1867-04-13

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JOHN s. c. HOGAN & 60.
SOLDIERS ASD CIVILIANS.
Either One's obstinacy or the cOnvie
tons Of his reason must be very strong
TO induce him TO maintain his Own Opin
ions in respect to reconstruction, agains
those Of men who led the armies Of tn
Confederacy in the field, and made th
new flag dreaded on the ocean. Noon
is unaware Of the potency Of great AM
Ulustrious names, nor Of the fact that b
is likely to be accused, If he does not &C
cuse himself, Of presumption, when h
ventures to disagree, in discussing wha
a conquered people ewes to itself, an,
what is wisest for il to do, with a BEAU
REGARD, a LONGsTREET or q SESIMEs.
It is very true that many great Soldier
have proven themselves equally great a
Statesmen and in civil administration
OF this, NAPOLEON and WELLINGTON il
Portugal are striking examples. A cor
respondent Of the AUGldHcHe has giver
Us TIC "AAlAE Al7L " L4EA WIZ Id e DEEL
90 distinguished, including in it severa
OF whom it can only be said that perhaps
they would have been as great in peact
Us In war, or in war as in peace, if tn,
double opportunity had been afforded
them. Such were CALHOUN, CHATHAM
PITT, RICHELTEU and GREGORY VII
To kHOU that 3 man has been dOubly
great, is much more satisfactory N such
an argument, than to guess hat be
WOtdd have been so if be had had the
opportunity. 1t is notorious that tn,
greatest lawyers have made very indif
ferent Legislators and Statesmen. ERs
kline made no reputation in the Hous,
Of Commons. Of all our American
Legislators, CLAY was the one who would
most probably have made a great Gen.
ersl. It il quite certain that WEBSTER
as a General, would have been a failure
and we venture to dissent from the opis,
ion Of the correspondent Of the AUdLdHcht
as 10 CALHOUN. Nor do we agree with
him that MARLBOROUGH, Monk and
TURENNE were great civil Statesmen.
The great soldiers Of the world have
rarely been greati ia civil life. That has
been the case with only a few. OF all
NAPOLBON's Marshsls, none were SC
distinguished, and the greatest Of them,
MAssEEA and NEY, were the least so Of
all. If any n was so, it was SOULr,
Duke Of Dalmatia. CANrBACEREs, TAI.
LEYRAED and METTERNICH, were the
three great Statesmen Of that age; and
neither Of them had the qualities Of a
great General. As little had NAPIER
the qualities Of 9 statesman.
OF all our soldiers, we deem Gen. LEE
to be best fitted for a Statesman for he
Is patient, prudent and ssgacious, and
yet bold and v~entuTous enough when the
moment comes to s-rike. The wlsest Of
on. Statesmen, we think, would make
Indifferent Captains.
The question presented to the people Of
the South for their decision is one Of so
great difficulty, and as to which there
may well be opinions 50 diametrically
opposite, that no one ought to under
value the craftsmanship Of those whose
opinion is adverse to his own, or still
less impUgn their honesty and patriot
ism. Unfortunately, it is in respect to
questions Of the greatest doubt, and
where one should most distrust the
soundness Of bis own convictions on
either side, that men are most intoIeraut.
Its quite sure that a good defensive
war ought TO partake Of the offensive.
but 1t is also sure that to take the often
sive with any prospect Of success, y
must possess the means Of aggression,
that his movement may not end in dis
sster. During the war, those Editors
who had mistaken their vocation. and
sheuld have welded the sword instead
Of the quill, were continuously urging an
offensive system Of warfare, which was
adopted by movements into Kentucky.
Pennsylvania and Maryland, that ruined
the Confederate cause.
We fsil to see the possibility of any
offensive strategy on our part. LEE
might as well have been told Of the vaIue
Of it, when his mean even Of defense
were exhausted, and be wa surrounded
by immensely superior forces, that left
him no option but to surrender. The
only choice left 10 us, il, whether we
shall submit to whatever government
power chooses to impose Oh Us. refusing
to admit that our State Constitutions
have been ~annulled, refusing to agree 70
negro suffrage, refusing to admit that
the Government is not a Compact be-
the States, refusing to d~isfranebisa
our leaders, refusing 70 brand ourselves
as rebels aud traitors, and reservipg the
right hereafter TO undo all that the dae
potlsm of numbers may do to enslava
snd degrade Us, and to substitute the
anarchy for the orderly and bar-
monious workings Of a republican gov.
eminent guaranteed by the sovereigntv
the States and the intelligence ana
OF the Electors or whether 20
shall become parties TO all this, and make
t our own work. The question is not
Fhether we shah adopt the defensive
1~assive' or the defensive-actfve.' but
\ hether we shall surrender at discretion
md ourselves give the corp de grace to
he cause we fought for, or simply sub
without unavailing resistance and
mpotent struggles. The former seems
o Us not to be the defensive-active. but
7ery active submission.
We know the force upon the popular
nlnd Of the drguDleatlfB GdhOmhlem and
Il cdptaRduD, that none can be more &
ompetent 10 judge whether a particular :
is consistent with individual self }
and the honour Of the State. than 5
be leaders Of the armies Of The CoDfad- !
racy. As all must have the utmost can :
denee in their patriotism and integrity a
D those holding opposite opinions ought Y
, listen to their arguments with sincere q
eference, and carefully review the nro- d
Of reasoning by which thew had
themselves attained their conclusion
We have done so; and upon the whole sf
and with unfeigned respect for t,
he opinions of those from whom we dis e
mt, we must adhere to u OWE convje- :
ons. The history Of the world. and Il
,pecially Of cur own country, shows that p
has been by the authority Of prsat b
ames that Nations have been Lad int
- most fatal Of their mistake tn
exclamation Of General JAcKso., 80
q most deadly blow ever aimed =, Go n
vereignty Of the States and the nsr. Ii
OF our constitutional svstsp Of
Inc object to be attained bv reais pc
.,;on and voting, on the part OF y. 20
-amsn Of the South, is to prevent The ar
of Constitutions by the Con. tn
of'ans. or their ratification by the IN.
Ma Inst would be indeed the de at