The Charleston daily news. [volume] (Charleston, S.C.) 1865-1873, 1869-12-24
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS.


hr. Horace Greeley has written ia second
''letter to General Butler" through the col
umns OF the New York Tribune, and mauls
the hero Of New Orleans and Bermuda Hun
drcds, because he is still unwilling to enfran-
chisc any but the man "who has fully repen-
'tcd or the part he took in the rebellion.
General Butler, it must be said, did not
mince matters in replying to the first letter
OF the philosopher of the Tribune. He said
81 think now that had an example been made
''of some half-dozen, more or less, of the
leading traitors Of tho South" Mt this day
call matters in the rebel States which now
"disturb public peace" would have been
settled. Again, cit Is not the ex-rebel to
"Whom am opposed, but the present rebel,
"who is only restrained by the strong arm
"of the government from showing the inten-
'sty ct his hate and the bitterness OF his
''maii:;nity toward the Union" And, with
a,l '' dral of truth, "It is but Justice to
S,."s aaL nave foam but few such in the
'fSHic''":s'- .rn'v Il hes been among the
n.aD-prcois wnp found safe and soft
''places at hcme the Confederacy and
especially the newspaper editors OF the
South, in whom find such hatred of oil
"that is loyal and patriotic-men who seem
"to feel themselves obliged to make up for
"their want Of activity during the war by
"the exhibition OF their malignity since the
"war-precisely as in the North some of the
"same class seem in like manner endeayor-
''ing to atone for the bitterness with which
''they required the war to be prosecuted by
"urging universal amnesty, since"
This homo thrust brings US back to Mr..
Greeley and his eloquent denunciation of vi
carious punishments. He says:
81 shall differ from you then as differ from
you now. believe the killing OF many, or
few, or one, OF the Confederate chiefs ut apy
time after the complete overthrow and COL
lapse of their revolt would have been fearful.
ghastty blunder, sowing seeds of bitterness
and wrath that must have borne evil fruit
throughout future ages. dislike vlcarious
pnnishmcnts altogether; and realize TINT in
this case they would convey to the spared
rcocls this moniLion: You, too, deserve hang
ing; but then you are insignificant, and hcmp
Is dear 1t would have been patent of no.
oility for generations at the South to be abc to
claim kinship with one who was tried. con-
ylcted and executed as one of the Confederate
leaders Their death would have opened
deep abyss between those who fought for and
those who fought against the Union One life
thus taken 1oould haue ranked more and longer
than O hundred thousand sacrificed In fair,
manly collision on the field of battle."
This is oil that we care to quote; for it IS
evident that Mr. Greeley does not dream that
there are punishments more terrible than
the cord or the bullet, which are still sfear-
''ful, ghastly blunders," which have ranked
and do rankle more than O hundred thou
sand lives sacrificed In battle To Mr.. Gree
ley it may seem that all is gained when the
right to exist is won. This feeling suits not
this Southern cline. In South Carolina
there Is such thing as personal dishonor
apart from physical suffering; and what is
felt in the Carolinas is felt In Virginia and
in every State OF the South. The hemp
weisch was "too dear" to be used would have
been no shame, no disgrace They who had
faced the glinting steel md singing bullet
while Mr.. Greeley wrote leaders in safety in
Gotham, could meet and overcome the GAL
lows. II they failed; II they could bear tho
steel and not the rope; II death for the
South wns glory or shame rs 1t came on
tented field or In prison yard; these men
wero not soldiers. not Southern men-and
Mr. Greeley is heartily welcome to them.
The votes Of mon who betrayed their own
people may be gain to Radicaism, but are
no loss to us.
And for what have we 10 thank even tho
Greeley fac'ion Of the Radical party9 They
did not hnns our leaders, they did not con-
iiscate MI our property, they did not thrust
every man who wore the gray into loath-
some dungeons. This they dared not do
They contonted themselves with camping
outside OF the constitution, with ruling SOW
erelgn States as military satrapies, with
manipulating the States to tho greater profit
and advantage OF the grand Radical party.
ibis was what they imposed upon US as
people, They went further. They tore the