The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1869-08-12
Mtlmond 1ispatth,
THU RSDAY. AUGUST IL, 1869

Mr.. CARPENTER. Of Wisconsin, went into
the Senate Of the United States with come
reputation as n statesman. How well he
deserved 1t is sufficiently indicated by the
fact that he proposes that our Government
shall hold in allegiance all causes OF quar-
rel which it has with England, and finally,
if necessary, 90 to war to promote the cause
of the British Liberals. The stupidity OF
such man is amazing. War is the great
enemy Of liberal institutions. The maj ori-
t. of people are so much like sheep, so cast
" driven hithcr and thithcr by force, and
would so greatly prefer peace and quietudc
to a dangerous contest for any sort Of civil
rights, that the military soon learn that no
such right is too highly priced to be yielded
readily to balls and bayoncts. Before the late
war in this country had taught our rulers
the power of organized men and the weak
ness of even great masses of unorg&nizeG
ones, there were such things az rights Sc
cured by the constitution. But there arc no
such rights now left to us. War demoraiizes
people in variety of ways. The killing OF
innocent persons is regarded as the highest
of crimes in state of peace; and there
fore when in war they are killed by hun
drcds mems consccnccs become more or
less blunted. The widespread corruption
in Office which is so marked feature Of the
present day in this country is one Of the re-
suits Of the war. The saying that call Is
fair in war; is easily made to suit state
OF peace. The people Of no State III the
Union would now resist by force the destruc-
ton of their State Government. Congress
could as easily lcgislate Massachusetts out
of her own Government rs it lcgislatcd Nr-
ginia out of hers. The people Of that State
would feel no more outraged by such an act
than did the people Of this. a regiment or
two of soldiers would do the work as effect
ually there as they did it here. There is
no limit to the power of the National Go
vcrnmcnt. 1t may do its pleasure in any
State, and there will he found nobody to re-
sist its worst acts. To rely upon war to
promote the cause Of popular rights Is to
rely upon wolves to protect Il flock OF
sheep. The negroes were set free from
their owners as a consequence OF the re-
cent war; but blacks and whites are now
alike slaves. There is not one single right
among all those which constitutions and
bills of rights profess to guarantee TO the
eoplc which is not mere sham. The peo-
pie feel free, and act as if they we're free
in many respects; but it is only because
the National Government does not choose to
have them arrested, tried by court martial.
and punished for their words and acts.
There is no public opinion which would
serve as Il shield for the most innocent man
in the country if it should be the pleasure
Of the powers that be to punish him even
for words spoken to a friend. Mr.. CAR
PEWTER ought to know that al this is true
and that il is natural result Of state OF
war. But he does not and so nc writes
himself down as an inattentivc observer of
facts and as no statesman. For any
man in this country to pretend to SYM
pathizc with the people Of England be-
cause they have not all the rights OF
person or property which they arc en-
titled to is the acme of either impudcnce
or ignorance and when in addition he
seriously contcmplates war as the means OF
comforting those rights upon them, and
gravcly proposes that the power of this
country shall be brought TO bear in favor
Of their cause, he proves himself to be so
totally unfit to s;t in the councils of the
nation that we cannot but wonder how he
ever procured this high honor, and what
sort of worshippers such a god must have.
Of course, if our theory be true, war pro-
duccB similar results in every country. We
do not know that we should have had any
better officials or any more rights in sue
ccssful southern confcdcracy than we have
now. We arc not denouncing any particu-
lar war, but only speaking of the effects Of
state Of war in any country and at any
time.