The Evansville journal. [volume] (Evansville, Ind.) 1866-1870, 1867-01-07
The Issues and Lessons Of our Civil
War.

by Hon. Horace Greeley, OF the New
York Tribune, his subject being the
Issues and Lessons of our Civil
War
He commenced by saying that a
thousand volumes have doubtless al
ready been written respecting the
great civil war which has deluged our
country, and thousand more will be
written, and, if we'll written, read.
The American war is destined to
exert larger and more beneficial in
fuence on the world than any other
that has ever occurred and the
speaker thought that it ought to be
studied calmly and candidly, and he
hoped that while he should not try to
make it theme for the entertainment
of his audience, they would give him
the credit of taking broad and fair
view, free from party prejudIces. War
is Gods schoolmaster, whereby ma
tons are taught lessons which they
are too willful or stolid to learn for
themselves. While it is not certain
that God is on the side of the strong
est battalions, yet the results of war
do generally indicate the strongest
numbers, and so the will of the ma
jority.
Anarchy, the unchecked power of
the strongest, is the only thing utterly
tolerable. We must have law and
order. If one man cannot settle
controversy, we must turn it over to
$4,000 or ID, 900.
As to the grave and difficult pro-
blem of reconstruction, two princl-
Piles must be kept in mind:
First, that the States which have
defended and preserved the Union,
have clear national right to reason
able guarantees against the renewal of
the dangers through which they have
just pass ed.
Secondly, they have no right o per-
.petuate the anomalous and dependent
condition of the States lately in re-
bellion, if rival In their purposes. 1t
were absurd, if the intention of the
Northern States was simply to protect
themselves against the renewal of the
dangers they have just escaped. They
must determine the question of the re-
bellion and the proper men to pun
ish. If they should protect the Deepen
ence and wardship of the States lately
in rebellion as a punishment for their.
offense under the idea of revenge, and
urged by mercenary calculation, they
would necessarily cause evils greater
than those they seek to avert. This is
a republic. A true republic can have
no provinces or territories, no con-
quered dependencies. Those who are
members of a republic must all be
fellow citizens, and none aliens A
true republic can no more have SUBJ
jects than genuine republic can have
slaves. We can hold States in the
Union. Years may be required to
produce a mutual good will between
the Northern and the Southern States.
We must be able and demonstrate
that the States which are out of the
Union are kept out by their own
faults, and that it is not. our resent
meat and fault that keeps them out.
Is it for us to determine the right of the
Southern States to come back? How
.shallit be decided that they have this
right to come back into the Union2
Whenever a man may wear a blue
overcoat on a black skin, and may
travel through State as safe as a
man with white skin, then I deem
that State fit for reconstruction.
do not say that the white man in the
blue overcoat or the negro shall be
entirely safe from harm in such a
State. That they are not in the
Northern States. Idemand that the
public sentiment shall be such in
such State, as shall secure compare
tive freedom from harm. Now, then,
if it be true, as the recent reports of
Sheridan, Sickies and others affirm,
that murders of Federal soldiers and
colored men mot soldiers, which
have occurred in Southern
States, have not been punished,
and that, the Cd public sentiment
in such States percludes such punish
ment, then claim that it is their
fault, the fault of such States where
they have occurred, and not our fault.
| do not argue that the Southern
States shall be represented by loyal
men only. What does that phraze,
loyal, mean? Does it mean they never
entered the late rebellion, or will for
ever after remain loyal? We can not
ueHne lOyaIty. NO one proposes to
take security against the election of
disloyal Representatives from Yer
mont or Iowa. A people fit to send
members to Congress do not need to
be gagged or hamstrung. Let us have
such reconstruction as will secure
loyal Representatives and loyal citi-
zens. As to the punishment of the
defeated, Frustrated rebels, though it is
justifable by the laws of nations, mag
nanimity and Christianity cry that only
a few should be punished, and that that
blow should be dealt summarily. We
should have done as Russia, united
with Austria, did when Hungary re-
belled, namely: to have summarily
executed a few of the ringleaders, as
tLa1r did thirtnnrl- nf. th g. In N nn =; ~,