The weekly loyal Georgian., 1867-08-24
From the Elberton (Ga.) Gazette.
The Style of the Times.

Inc style OF the Times.
From the style of some of our
writers and speakers we should imag-
inc ourselves living in the latter half ot
the year 1861, when the Confederacy
seemed to be an established govern
ment, and the only great political prob
lens before the people of the South
were whether peace would come III two
months or six, and what right we should
deign to allow to the defeated North.
Northern dictation, Northern influence,
Northern politics, Northern emissaries
and Northern fanaticism are phrases
that garniSh the compositions of our
hotspurs now as freely as when the stars
and bars were waving in sight Of the
capitol at Washington when Unionism
was exiled from Tennessee, and prison
and halter were the fate to which we
doomed Brownlow and Andrew John
son If we could catch them when we
were gravcly discussing whether Yam.
kee or European should ever be allowed
to live in the South, and whether We
should ever permit the States north ot
the Ohio to en- Joy the inestimable bene.
fits of an alliance with our wealthy,
our inyincible, our proud Confederacy.
Those were pleasant daysin Southern
camps, when n triumphal march home
ward, and the plaudits of grateful
people were expected soon to reward
the soldiers tolls and suferings. South
ern homes, too, were happy in the anti
cipation of q speedy greeting to the
victorious boys in gray. The high
spirit of the country, mantling into a
naughty ambitionM the breasts Of our
Southern statesmen, elated them with
the assurance that they would command
the South, and that the South would soon
command the continent.
History, yes, and our own sad memo
ries, tell US that these bright visions
were "the stuff that dreams are made
of" that each succeeding year dark
ened the prospect, aud finally our good
ly Confederacy was blotted out from
among the nations, and its gallant sur
viving champions came home, not in
triumphal procession, but i'll struggling
squads and with sorrowful mien, from
The field of defeat.
Political depression is the inevitable
result of military defeat in such o war
and accordingly we have been, and still
are, deeply depressed. Our conqucror,
offer us relief, bitter, indeed, i'll some
particulars, but cloggcd with fewer hare
conditions than are usually imposed OF
conquered men. Yet, with an audacitl
to which the world hardly affords ;
parallel, some of our people arc crying
out, ''do nothing that our conqueror'
desire. Resist them in peace as hercell
as you fought them in war. Act, anC
demand that they should act, on tht
rule that we have always been right
and they have always been wrorg
Reject all their propositions because
they arc theirs. Spite them if yoI
cannot fight them. Keep up with th'
ballot the quarrel that we lost in arms
And if this quarrel goes far enough t
kindlc war again, SO much the better.
Such language is agreeable to pride
AAt1t y ttftt sJ<e3Aftt
| our surrender sincere? When we CAV,
up our swords, did we also give up ou
cause? Are we in the same position
as if we had conquered Is ou
| adherence 10 the Union a hollow pre-
| tence? DO we mean to draw on
swords again in the same cause, a,
soon as we gain strength enough to dc
so under favorable auspices ? Are We
preparing again 10 send forth oul
young men to battle and to death
Do we wish to gather another harvest
of cripples, widows, and orphans, from
the fertile field OF war
These are questions that We ought
seriously to ask ourselves, and oul
language and conduct should conform
to the answer that honest hearts give.