The Charleston daily news. [volume] (Charleston, S.C.) 1865-1873, 1867-09-19
GEN. sICKLEs AND THE NEW YORK
TIMES.

We give below an extract from an editorial pub
lished in the New York Times Of Monday, reflect.
ing severely on General S1cKLEs, speech made at
the Brevoort House. General SIcKLEs, in making
that speech, was guilty Of many errors. He SIAN
dered brave and certainly truthful people, who,
when the fight which had been openly made,
was over, returned to their allegiance. He
stated what he knew to be incorrect from legal
point Of view when he spoke of paroles. He
knew that paroles are given to enemies, and
that when man ceases to be an enemy, and be-
comes citizen, he may commit treason, but he
cannot violate parole. He committed breach
of good taste, when he, by implication, slurred at
the man who had given him his position, and had
rewarded his former services; and lastly, he re-
canted from the political faith Of his life, when
he advocated obedience to the blind will Of q ma
jority, in defiance OF that Constitution, the great
object of which is to protect minorities.
The Times says:
The occasion for speech-making, however
sound and sensible, has to be carefully chosen.
The country, at the present moment iS in no great
humor for military serenades either by the Ma
tional Guard or the Grand Army of The Republic
We all willing and anxious to see every tribute
of honor and respect paid to those who have faith
fully done service for the Union in times Of peril.
But the country seems to long for the time when
we can dispense with military display as an adjunct
Of civil reconstruction. General Sckles tells his
old associates that the enemies who surrendered
to Grant, and Sherman, and Sheridan, are
now ON their parole OF honor to obey the
laws of the land But it may be doubted whether
it is well ior In officer in Gen. Sickles position
to express, even indirectly, doubt that their
parole would be broken under any condition,
whether the President aims to give effect to the
wishes and intents Of Congress or not. There has
not thus far been any indication that the officers
of the late Confederacy-those of them at least
who have any influence over political opinion at
the South-desire to thwart the purposes Of Con-
gress, or to revive the sectional disagreement Of
the past in any shape. There is evidence strong
and lncontroyertible- think in the other direc-
tion The mischief-makers to-day are not the lieu
tenants of Lee and Of Johnston, but the scum
and refuse of Southern political conventions OF
seven years ago, who took to secession as means
Of living, and who would revive it tomorrow,
were there any force left in them, for the same
end.
Words uttered by loyal public servant-and
one especially in the position OF Gen. Sickles- =
ought to be scrupulousy weighed. No careful
student who looks at the situation dispsssonately
can safely commit himself to the opinion that the
integrity OF the countryis in any. way imperilled
by the league Of military Confederates now under
parole. The peril s here, first by reason OF the
conflict which the President has provoked with
Congress-; at the South by reason Of the vicious
activity Of non-combatant politicians who vainly
struggle to revive the sectionalism OF bygone
times.