The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1869-11-24
Truth is Migh ty.

they not equally as conscientious i'll their
support of the southern cause rs we oil
=" the North were in our advocacy OF the
"Union:" The lapse of time and the re-
Elections consequent upon bcholdng such
results of the late war rs the destruction OF
all the State governments and the central
izing tendency of all the measures OF Con-
"rcSs, have no doubt produced marked
change in the opinions not only Of Mr..
CHASE, but Of all other thoughtful, intclli-
gent men in the North. Mr.. CHASE was
no doubt honest in his advocacy of the
policy of maintaining the Union by force !:
and we have no quarrel with him on that
account. But we suspect that he hilnseh
has many doubts now as to whether II was
the wisest policy which could have been
pursued. The cost otthe war was immense in
money and in men, but much greater in the
low state of morals to which it reduced so
many thousands of the people. 1t was
doubtless this last consideration which
opened the eyes of HENRY WARD BEEcHER.
who, in his Thanksgiving sermon Of last
week, is reported to have spoken suhStan-
TALLY rs follows. We quote from the New
! ork Commercial. Republican paper:
'EOur free institutions are beyond doubt
The best for mankind if they are best served;
il not. they are worse than institutions pre-
served by primitive force. The great extent
of our country is liable to involve conflict
ing interests that break out in open antago-
nism. The fact that our late rebellion has
been crushed ought not to bcguile liz in
perfect security. We should bear in mind
that nation cannot be permanently kept
together except by making it for the intc-
rest Of all TO keep il together. Rhode Island
or New jersey might not be able to break
away, but the great Pacific slope CT the
great Southwest move on a different scale.
It was as if by accident that military power
was successful in the late conflict. But here
after moral power will rule. For his own
part, Mr.. Beccier said he should not regard
separation of our country into three or
four republics, if it should in the future
he desirable, with that dctestation with
which he looked upon the late rebellion in
behalf OF human slavery, provided those
different republics moved together in har-
mony, each bent on achieving the higher
ends Of liberty and good government. The
perpetuity Of our Union must be main-
tanned if at all, by the common consent Of
the people, founded on common interest,"
ago held to the doctrine here laid down as
the true one-namely, that the perpetu-
ity Of our Union must he maintained, if
"at all, by the common consent of the peo-
''ple. founded on common interest" there
would have been no such disastrous war rs
the one through which this country had to
pass because the contrary was the received
doctrine among the northern people. Mr..
EEECHER, doubtless, like Mr.. CHASE, is not
quite certain that he was right in advocating
the late war. He has been counting the
cost. He finds that We have Union, but
not the Union established 10y our fathers.
We have. too. 4 powerful 4 magnificent CO.
vcrnment but not the free Government We
once had.
in striking contrast with the wise,
Thoughtful remarks Of Mr.. CHASE and Mr..
HEEcnER. are the bgotcd, spteiul, narrow
views Of the New York Times. In its issue
o: Monday, in speaking of Mr.. DAVIS, it
says:
''Our treatment has been pure grace,
perfect moderation, supreme magnanlmlty.
We're anything wanting TO its impressive
force. it would be supplied 10y the fact that
lis subject has never once shown single
irprk Of penitence or of gratitude. This
adds rs much to our glory a. it does to the
shame OF the culprit.''
II would be as unbccomine i'll Mr.. DAVIS
to profess penitcnce for his perfectly con-
scentious support Of what he believed, and
no doubt still believes, to he the true prin-
ciples Of free government, as it would be in
General GRANT to profess penitenee for the
part he took in suppressing the rebellion.
There is nothing to be forgiven on either
side-nothing TO be repented of-nothing to
be ashamed of-nothng in which the chief
actors are not likely to glory. Both sides
fought for what they supposed to be the true
principles of our Government: and it is not
reasonable to ask us to contestant we were
wrong or criminals, for no better reason
than that we were defeated by superior
numbers.
We are among the most advanced of those
% the southern people who are known as
The intensely practical" We advocated
the "new movement" in this State from
the beginning. We were i'll favor of reco@-
nizng the negro Us voter. and Of securing
70 him all the rights guaranteed 10 him by
The fifteenth amendment. We are disposed
to forget the past, and aid in marking out
new career for Virginia. We have no SYM
lathy with impracticableS, and nothing but
contempt for those "war men in peace"
who We're "peace men in war; We are.
in a word, ready to accept the United States
Government as our Government, and anX-
iouS to preserve its good reputation unfair
niShed and to increase its prosperity and
fame. But when we are asked to show
"narks of penitence or gratitude" we beg
to he excused. We have done nothing that
needs to be repente1 of. We did our duty
honestly and conscientiously in attempting
to set up Government of our own choice
We failed in the effort, and acknowledge
the failure. We have just as much right to
Ask northern men to repent; and we be-
lieve that many Of them have repented
There are to-day more penitents in the
North than in the South. "Truth is
mighty" and we are willing to perform the
duty before us, and await the verdict of
rosterity.
--------- -.-----
NORTH CARoLINA.--In the Legislature of
North Carolina on Saturday last a bill was
introduced to provide for a new convention