The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1868-08-25
General Rosecrans and the Southern
| Generals the Virginia Springs.

General ROsecrans and the Southern
Generals at the Virginia Springs.
Our news from Virginia indicates that tho
congregation of so many Southern generals at
the White Sulphur Springs and their meeting
General ROsecrans at that place was not .
mere accident of the season. At the first
glance it seemed hardly probable that this
event could be more than mere freak Of
chance, and people were slow to accord diplo-
matte character to meeting that might have
other explanations, especially between men
whose authority was not visible. But closely
regarded the improbabilities are less than they
seem. There is no doubt that rightly toned
address from General Lee and men of the same
class who served the confederacy in its armies
would have great effect upon the minds of tho
Southern people, and there is quite as little
doubt that it is in the minds of the Southern
people that the greatest obstacle to recon-
structiOn now exists Therefore Lee and his
former associates are perhaps the men who
can do most to set aside the difficulties that
stand in the way of real peace. No man who
has intelligently considered the recent history
of the country doubts that the way to harmony
and quiet was open and easy at the time of the
close of the war; But the radicals married all.
If they attempted to make peace at all they at
tempted it in an offensive spirit-indicating
more of mean readiness to degrade the con-
quered than anxiety to secure the best results
of the conquest. This gave root to new hates,
new bitterness Of resentment, so that presently
peace making was brought to a standstil.
Radical meanness awakened Southern per-
versity. The one could not and the other
would not, and there was a deadlock.
| The difficulty, therefore, is not a physical
| one, and it will readily occur that if we could
for little return to the intellectual status that
Immediately followed the war we might, in
the light Of recent experience, take better
start from that point. Some well weighed
words to the Southern people, given on the
authority of men they know and respect, al
| they do Lee and Longstreet would do much
to put the people in the right frame again-tO
soothe the irritation the radicals have excited
| and to drive from self assumed leadership such
men as are now giving the South dangerous
counsel. Nay, inasmuch as the Southern
armies were during the war the Southern
people, and as the commanders of those armies
were the real leaders of the people, the COM
manders are the powers with whom prac-
tically we ought to treat on topics originating
| in the war; and if the Southern soldiers
parOled prisoners-indicate evil tendencies
| their commanders are the proper persons to
remind them of the terms of the parole. We
see no reason why the administration might
not discuss all this with the Southern generals
through General Rosecrans, and we can per-
ceive the probability that by happy stroke in
this direction the President might do more for
reconstruction than has been done by all the
laws of Congress All this may be carried ON
before General Rosecrans departs from the
country, and may have no necessary connec-
ton with his mission; but it is evident that it
would not weaken our case with the Southern
leaders if we accepted with due respect their
views in regard to Mexico. They have views
on that subject. States carved out of Mexico
would be their neighbors and their friends In
the Union; and certainly, in view of the bal
ances of the future, they could but be gratified
at seeing the southern part of the country
keeping pace with the northern part in ito
growth towards the Pacific.