Brownlow's Knoxville Whig. [volume] (Knoxville, Tenn.) 1866-1869, 1868-05-20

We heard great deal during the war from the
pseudo-cbiyslry-th imitation, pinchbeck, lath-
putty-and-vsrnish sristocracy of the
rebels-abOut dying in the last ditch, and good
deal Of bombsstic, blood and-thunder twaddlo of
that sort
They would fight to the last extremity, and
when they could no longer keep army in the
field, they would burn their homes aud their cot
ton, and free their niggers and plant their stand
ard in the mountain businesses, and there they
would teach their children 20 hate their oppres
and maintain a guerilla war through all coming
generations. They would die in battle or in exile
and in no event would they live nnder the Lincoln
Government No never-r-r-r
This same aristocrscy had vapored and fumed,
and sweled and pulled, IN the face Of civili-
cation, till mankind, looking at the vast imitation
FROM affair." half believed that there must be some
thing in it. And when their terrible aud desperate
threats were Numbered and reiterated over the
land, people we're almost afraid that they might be
carried into execution, that the 'last ditch WAS
actually TO be Allied with corpses Of heroes who
should thereto have retrested in the last extremity
and there have committed 'haTi-ksri, and cum
bered the earth with their aristccratic bowels care
blindIy on in her orbit without the light of their
countonance Alas for the evanescence OF all good
resolu hons Some one has said that oHell is paved
with good intentions" It is to be hoped that the
/ virtuout purposes Of these truculent gentry may
have contributed TO the Improvement Of their resi-
dence In the next world, for certainly very little
has come Of them in this.
This war pricked many bubbles but the biggest
bubble that was ever prioked was this same rebel
aristocracy Il is Of use 10 praise stage diamonds
20 who has been behind the scenes and
some Of the crowd that has so long stood afar of
and wondered took occasion during the late war to
90 behind the curtain, and they know lust what
material the show was made Of. The imposture is
played out with all ita stage rant and cant of ohiv.
airy end astonishes the world no longer.
It is needless 10 say that the cbiTalry did not
keep up guerrilla war in the mountains. that
they did not burn their homes or their cotton did
not free their negroes, did not die in exile or in The
last ditch, or, in fact in any othor place and did
nothing else that they promised to do On the con-
trary, they have done but little since the war
closed snd their chief fed in petticoats bat 70 pes
ter Uncle Sam for pardons and Offices put in claims
for property destroyed. howl and rave about the
country for their forfeited franchises and draw rs
tons from the Freedmens Bureau. Most of those
who aed from the Judgment 20 come when our ex-
asperated mountsineers came in with Burnside
are back here again in our midst purring with the
meek and sanctimonious look Of cat that has lust
eaten The canary, when they sre not oursing Gov
ernor Brownlow, abusing Congress d--g the Mig
ger or suing loyal in the United States Courts
for their forfeited and abandoned property It must
have been after terrible struggle in the minds Of
these heightened and ehivalrous gentlemen that
they could consent 10 employ the machinery of the
Federal courts for their purpose but they take 70 il
very kindly nevertheless and we cannot sufficiently
admire the high and noble moral principle that en-
ables them 70 do IT,
We do not complain OF all this. On the whole,
their course Of conduct displays more sense on the
part Of the chivalry than they gave themselves
credit for, or We supposed they had bat future
rhodomontade from the same source win 20 with
the world for what It is worth.