Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1873-04-19
THE mOnOC LRSs0N-

The massacre Of Gen. Candy, DR.. Thomas
and Lieut.. Sherwood, and the probably ia
tai wounding Of Meacham, teach lesson
that will not be wholly lost on the Ameri-
can people. A reaction may be expected
in favor of common sense, and IN oppo-
sition to a maudIn philanthropy which
first murders few white men, and then
slaughters red men by the bundled, per-
haps thousand, to balance the account Of
human butchery. Leniency to savages,
and to criminals, is always msinterpreted,
and practically increases crime, increases
the loss and suffering of the innocent, and
increases the severity of the punishment
necessarily inflicted on the guilty to check
the growth of criminal hopes and purposes.
From the construction of underground
railroads between the North and the South
more than thirty years ago, down to this
hour, a fanatical propagandism, pushed
with zeal worthy of a better cause, has
poisoned the public mind and conscience
with most injurious falseboods. 1t was
these falsehoods that sssassinated Gen.
Candy and DR.. Thomas. What placed
csc men in the power of ruthless savages?
1t was the false and prevalent assumption
that they will act as civilized white men act.
No European of the white race would
have done what the American savage did
in this massacre. Hence, to judge the
character, and anticipate the conduct of
savages by our standard of civilization, is to
nisinterpret facts, and lead the red man
into temptations to commit atrocities which
he can not, and will Lot resist. Ali false
hood is essentially q misrepresentation of
facts, and in the very nature Of things,
God Furnishes the wrong doing. Man has
his choice between truth, peace and hsppi-
ness, VI falsehood, war, and unhappiness.
From 1861 to this time, the ruling party
in the United State have chosen the latter
road, which is broad, crooked and mirey.
1t has collected from the industry of the
nation over three thousand million dollars,
nominaIy to pay off large public debt, of
which only some four hundred million has
been paid, and the remainder has gone for
purposes that would have been disgraceful
in the time OF Andrew jackson and John
Quincy Adams. Now, members Of Con-
gress, and others become respectable by
stealing money from the National treasury.
Men who affirm that there is no essential
difference between white people, black peo-
pie and red people on this continent, are
doing much TO make the white SOL
der and his race, as savage as
the worst sayages of the Plains.
In place oflifting u Indians and negroes
to the white mans level, they depress the
white race to the level of these inferior
races. Neither the industry nor the morals
of the reds and blacks have been improved
by any modern legislation or propaganda
ism. This fact speaks volumes in condem-
nation of false theories Of government and
of mankind. 1t is in the nature of false
hood to breed civil war, create large expen-
ditures, onerous taxation and ultimate
bankruptcy and ruin. 1t takes 119 cents
ia legal tender notes to buy an alleged gold
dollar in Wall street. New York, eight
years after the quasi ending of the late war.
Terrible falsehoods are the foundation on
which this state of society rests, and no
conceivable amount of philanthropic taxa
ton, or Indian bloodletting, can cure the
disorder on the body polite. Our migra-
tory Administr alton may run the huge tax
ing machine four years longer, but the gov
eminent is so committed 10 false system
of legislation that no real reform need be
expected so long as Grant has the veto
power. The sovereign people in their pri-
mary organizations must study, discuss and
understand the uses and purposes of a good
government.