Edgefield advertiser. [volume] (Edgefield, S.C.) 1836-current, 1872-07-11
s Crushing Out the Rebellion.

No di>passionate observer of tn,
proceedings of the Philadelphia Con
vention can have failed to be impress
ed by the fact that in the minds of /;
rajority of the members Of that body
Of those at least who took the mos
active part in its proceedings, the
idea which appeared TO 5e uppermost
was that the great Republican party
had yet a mission to perform which
is only half fulfilled, and that oul
soldier President t. has work to dc
which is at best but half done. That
work, that mission, is to "crush out
the vestiges of the rebellion" For
this purpose, in his congratulatory
message to Mrs. Grant, Mr.. George
H. Stuart, Of Philadelphia, piously
prays that the life of her hero hus-
band may yet be spared.
In the teeth of the formal declara-
ton contained in the preamble to the
eighteen resolutions which constitute
the Conventions political confession
of faith-that the party has "sup-
pressed q gigantic rebellion it is
practically assumed, for the pur-
pose Of the present canvass, that the
rebellion is not Suppressed; - that
despite the party''s "eleven years Of
supremacy" it stillalives and flour
ishes. While the platform approves
in the abstract Of the amnesty so
grudgingly and tardily bestowed upon
/" those lately in rebellion" it ap-
pears that there are others still IN
"rebellion" upon whom unrelenting
wal must be waged. Hence the need
Of the revival Of the war spirit"
upon which some Of our contempora-
riessplume themselves as among the
most;hopsfql and gratityipgsfs gsfsatalas
have already mentioned, found vent
after the nominations in singing Old
John Brown, and "Shermans March
Through Georgia" and other war
songs suitable to the OCCASION. 1t
was the spirit, in fact, of Il war meet
ing-the spirit which might have
been appropriately evoked at soGe
crisis OF our great struggle, alta meet
ing held in iurtaerance Of the draft
or for the encouragement of volun-
teering Like tue songs which were
sung and the speeches which were
made. it belonged to the year 1862
Considered as happening in the year
lS72-seven years alter the close OF
the war-the whole thing was q sim
pie anachronism. The country in Il
State OF profound peace, and >trug-
Cling with might and main to go oacS
o the ways Of peace, has no need ior:
/ "r, vival Of the war spirit.
As for the supposed! cxiSency Of
;hc times. which, in the judgment Of
some of the delegates to the Convcn
ion, necessa;ted the denomination Ct
1rant, upon the same principle upon
Which the renominatiup Of Lincoln
vas urged in 1864, that it was bad
policy to swap horses while crossing
stream''-the analogy in point Of
altogether fails. With
'ther arguments and considerations
which might be urged in favor Of
rem. Grants denomination we decline
o meddle. They concern the party
md not us. But the whole Ameri-
an people, without distinction of
are concerned in denying the
and unfounded allega-
ion that there is any red stream Of
var to be crossed in 1872, and crisis
{ the country's fate now pending, to
e compared to that of eight years
ince. AS for the shallow and hol-
DIV pretence that the spirit of rehell-
IN, driven from the open field, still
lrhs at the South, in the form Of Sc
ret and reasonable organizations,
very circumstance of their present
ondition controverts it. The only
vestiges of the rebellion" remaining
, be crushed are the poor, impover-
he'd, suffering Southern them
Elves, prescribed by Congressional
Tvs, despoiled by carpet bag govern.
lent, struggling with what heart and
ourage they can still command to
etter their fallen fortunes.
We are surprised that the party
aders at Philadelphia should not
lemseltes have seen the glaring in {
,nsistency between their actions. If +,
lie rebellion is suppressed and ,
nnesty to those Z" lately in rebellion |
a thing to be approved, and the t
,read and growth Of fraternal feel
g a subject of congratulation, what $
sed for evoking the "war spirit"
lew, for singing war songs, Tor '
.caching a fresh crusade to crush a
1t the vestiges of treason If at t
r eleven years of supremacy" the a
ltellion is not yet suppressed, the f
Mon not yet restored, what stronger e
could be furnished in favor a
confding the unfinished work to o
her and more competent hands p u
altimore Sun. b
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ssy- The New York Suns ,correspon- G