The south-western. [volume] (Shreveport, La.) 1852-1870, 1867-03-06
Release Of the Rome Prisoners.

| OFFICE ASST. AhJETAHf GENERAL,
Louisville, KY, February 8, 1857.
Charles II. Smith, Mayor Of the city of Rome Ga, Ja
c. Pemberton, member Of the city council, Rome
9 and others:
Commemorative Major General cornEzs nd;ng til
depaI tmcut directs to acknowledge the receipt
your communication of the 10Th ult., addressed t
Brevet Major General Davis Til7on commanding snb
districts OF Georgia. giving statements OF facts and CIR
which caused the arrest of certain citizen
OF Rome, Georgia, for being concerned IN the disPIa
OF the flag OF the late Southern Contederaey III tina
city, and asking that justice may be done, and PRISON
ers released.
In your letter YOU state that no isre.pect was in
tended to the United States Government by the e1h
titOn Of the Confederate flg and thas the itrtie
who Displayed it " have accepted in good faith ths
present status OF aftr2, and do acknowledge the ju
rSdiction Of the United States Govefnaent ete.
ftbat is the it can only be supposed, prssutn
ing that they possess ordinary intelligence that the,
misunderstood the present status OF affairs, when Is
that the rebellion has been described TO be huge
crime enh0dying all the crimes of the decaiogue, and
that it has been conquered and Isarnled aud that Its
very and embltsns hateful ~ the people OF
the United States ard he Mast indeed be obtus', VINO
expects without ofteuse, to parade before tEs eyes OF
loyal people shat which they eXecIAte, and tne!r ao-
horrence OF -hich they hars expressed III the inoat
emphatic language in which it Is possIo@ sioS great
nation to utter lts 4entlmeHts
1t pretended by certain eTsplpeTS, that because
10 order had been issued from these headquarters
that the II e of the ConteieFacy' to lie
light the cig:1ens not warned that it would be
treasOn1b,e THIS is too pTerile answer
asd unworthy Of a -choo-boy even. The Young men
arrested, we'll ~ other citizens Of tie South know
well enough hat IS right and what i. rrong in such
mater' without waiting 10 5e guided by orders spe-
caIIE warning AID prohibiting dis. heHariEs t++s-
son, AMI &! course cOndcnnDg Loyalty. Were they
SO stupid a. not to possess such innate sense of pro
prlcty, the oider from these headquarters f)rtidIng
rebel Stor~aon over the remains Of the rebel Brga-
dcr General Hanson, should have been sufficient warn
ing that sich performances would not be tolerated.
The sole cause of this and similar ofenses lies in the
fact that certtI" citizens of Rome and portion Of the
people OF the States lately in rebellion DO not, and
nave not accepted the situstion and that Is that the
late civil rebellion, and History will 50 re-
corI 1t. Those engaged in it and will lie pro-
nouncrd rebels Rebellion. implies treason aud trea
son IS CRIME, and henOus one too and deserving
OF punishment; and that traitors have been pun
isAed Is owing to the lnaSnanimity Of the coDqneror5
" n TOO many Of the people OF the South the late war
is called revoIutou. Rebels are called 'Confed.-
rates, !oyNiiss 10 the whole country are called id
I ankees aud traitors" and over the whole great |
crime, With ts acvurse0 record Of slaughtered heroes
parrots, murdered because CT their true-heared love
OF country, widowed wives and orphaned children and !
PRISONERS ot war sItn, and such horrors fin! no par
iiie in tie history Of the world, you are irving to
Dtro" the gloss OF r"specabiiity and tIlrusting with
20ntuMel2 and dS'!,On from your society the men and
women VINO wculJ not join hands WITH You 10 the
work OF running yuUr country. Everywhere in the
States lately III rebellion treason is respectable -nd
oysN: od.ous THIS The people Of the Unit ed states
*ho ended tie rebellion and saved the country, will
lot permit and all attempts to maintain this uunatu-
al order OF things will Re met with decided disapprc-
,al.
As, however, i: ia pretended by the friends Of the
tIcEs arrest that they 50 innocent as no: to
NOW that it was *rong tor paroed rsi,oners and IN
)LIIsleu TRAITORS md, |