The home journal. (Winchester, Tenn.) 1858-188?, 1868-03-05

Louis Napoleon was writing his orders
of arrest for every opposition member
of the Legislature; and while his artil
cry and carbinecrs were getting thei'
weapons ready for tho slaughterOf the
French Republic, which took place
as by order, next morning. "The South
rebel, indeed! The South array itself
in violent attempt to disrupt our I'm.
ion! Why you must be crazy to be.
lieve such nonsenser' So cried oul
American wiscacres about seven years
ago. Nor could they be convinced to
they contrary, until Confederate Gov
crnment, with all the modern improve
ments, held session at Montgomery,
in Alabama and the flags of Confed
crate army, threatening Washington,
could be seen from the roof of our
Capitol. What one generation of
Americans have done--what one gen
Grafton of American politicians have
plotted and attenpted--may not yet
other American conspirators Of the
same generation and with larger expo
rienOc, now attempt to repeat?
THE COUNTRY RIPE FOR REVOLUTION.
The attempted revolution of the
South was improbable, because we had
enjoyed seventy years of peace: were
more prosperous, more law-respect-
ing, more free from passion; had few
er material causes to excite q revolt
and were probably less organized for
war than any civilized nation on the
face Of the earth. But now all this is
changed. We are burdoned with mon
strous taxes, and our public debts
taking State and National together
must exceed five thousand millions.
More than q million Of our present Cit
izens have been educated, more or less,
in the trade Of fratcynsl bloodshed
and the passions ofall have been in.
famed for years to the very highest
pitch. The old-time reverence for
law established usage has been shaken
to its centre on every side. Ono whole
section of our country is in condi.
ton bordering on starvation; while in
the other more favored section, there
has never heretofore been felt such
pinching dearth of employment, and Of
fthe steady habits and Wholesale CON-
forts which employment brings with
it, We have. also, a war Of races 60
ing on--peaccfully, for the most part,
as yet; but with maddening frenzies in
the development of its continual cxas,
perations. Thousands upon thousands
of veteran officers and soldiers--their
habits of the camp unabandoned and
making them feel the restraints of civ
ii life irksome-are to-day roaming
through our States and large cities,
without work to do or will to do it;
too many Of tlem, we fear, still long
ing for the license of their late military
life, and willing at this very hour to
hire out their swords wherever "pay
and booty" can be most freely offered
Probably not less than one hundred
thousand ex rebel soldiers arc to-day
quartered in our great Northern and
Western cities fierce, desperate and
starving exiles. Bankruptcy over
hangs large bodies Of our commercial
classes. Already vehement efforts are
being made to secure the reputation
ofour National debt Capital, in the
National Banks, is arrayed against the
tax-paying millions-or at least, vast
number Of the tax-paying millions
seem to think so; and finally, Con-
gress which has placed itself above the
law and outside the pale of law, holds
a usurp control OF all the machinery of
our Government civil, military and
financial a Congress resolved to per-
petuate its power, and with no posi-
bility Of doing so except by further
usurpation.and furthenviolencc! Why,
then, is it not possible for revOlu-
ton to be attempted here9 Why,
then, is it not possible for that attempt
to be successful? five refer to his
tory, it will be seen that no great civil
wars have ever fought themselves thor
oughly out in generation--that is,
the generation of able.bodied fighting
men by whom they we're commenced
or, let US say, in less than fifteen to
twenty years. We have all the nm
bustiblcs now piled together in mad
confusion and profnsion, so that it on
ly needs a spark to kindle the cxplo-
sive elements. From the people, whom
they have outraged, the present lead
ers of Congress can have no hope; 80
that only by some revolutionary, coup
detat can their power be continued.
Under the precedent established in the
case of Senator Thomas, can they not
refuse, forevermore, to receive any new
members Of either House Of Congress
who are not of their own way Of think
ing2 who are not in the present great
conspiracy against American freedom,
for that is the plain English of it. Or,
to 60 step yet further: If at any
time between now and next November
they shall see no hope for carrying the
Presidency and re-clecting themselves
by fraud, force, and bribery conjoincd
what could be easier for them, with
such desperate agencies as they have
under control, than to excite riots, in
bloodshed, rapine and arson
all the Southern States and in
half our chief Northern cities ?--thus
the monetary and CONNER
cial interests siding with them for the
sake Of "peace at any prices" and thus
to themselves that convent
ent excuse Of "Supreme necessity"
with which the revolutiopists of every
coup Tetot have, never failed at first to
cloak, or strive to cloak, their seizure
Of permanent and irresponsible pow,
err 4