, 1875-03-22
SOUTHERN FOLLY.

respective newspaper Offices, hnve now locked
llorns upon question which has general
interest. The subjcct-mattcr In dispute ii
substantially as follows: The Commercial
took the grounds in the course of tho contro.
versy that the Southern people wore con.
qt1erod; that there wero people in tho South
who vore not Rebels; TINT tho, Rebel
faction hns boen dcn1t with most gen.
erously by tho National Government !:
and TINT rs tho conquorors tho Govern
ment had tho right TO prescribe certain,
conditions, among them tho constitutional
amendments, which would reduce tho chances
Of future rcbollions. Tho Courer.Journ4l
in reply incloses about n dozcn lines Of
answer In column Of irrelevant personality,
and this answer includes two statements !;
hrst' tho South was n unit during tho War,
and tho Rebels did and tho ox-ncbels 10 own
it r; and, second, tho South had q recoe-
nized constitutional right Of property in
man," This right might havo been aunullctl
with respect to the fighting Rebels, but its
abrogation rs to old men, infants, and
woulon. Is to minors and non.combatants,
"was such an net Of confiBcation ns tho
world bus not known within two centuries. !"
This is tho substance Of the qunrrel as it,aow
stan<ls. Tng Cn1oAoo TRIBUNE las no digpo~
s'tion to Interfere with others quarrels, but NJ
tho matter ut issue is Of general interest,
TuE TnrnusE, as spectator, cau mako what
comments it secs tit. The Commercial
has tho Courstr-1ott'7aal in ohancery. Tho
statanaent of tho Inter TINT the South WINS (,
INIT in tho Rebellion il simply absurd, aud
only sllows that its editor has not yet recoy
cred from the insanity which urged him into
the Rebellion and drove him to take up arms
in defonso of human slavcry, in which be had
no tlnanciM interest and in which he only
acted as m agent or tool Of tho shareholders.
Has ho forgotten how many Union mon there
wero III Kentucky, Missouri, West Virginia,
and Mnrylaud? Docs he not know Of tho
sufFcrlngs Of Union men and womon in Eaat-
orn Tennessee, in certain districts of North
Carolinn and Texas, md in tho mpuntai1l
regions Of Gcorgia and Alabama? Docs ho
not know that fully onc-third, porhaps one-
half, Of tho fighting Rebels wore not in favor
OF the disnnion cause for which they wero
fighting; that they woro driven into ro-
bellion by slaye-ownors md domaeoeues
who did not go themselves, and that
1t was less ruinous for them to go into tho
amy than It WIS to stay ont Of it? If he
does not, then 1o has not studied tho fscts of
tho War OF tho Rebellion sufficiently to aual.
ify him to discuss with tho Commercial or
my other paper upon tho real character Of
that War upon the Southern side.
The second statement of tho Courstr..7o,t7-
nat TINT, Il this right might have been an
nulled with respect to tho fighting Rebels, but
its abrogation as to infants and women, as to
minors md non.combatauts, was such an oct
OF conAscatiou as tie world Ans not
known within two conturies," IL quite |
M absurd as its first, md shows that |
this editor knows as littlo about tho condition |
Of tho fighting material Of tho Southern army |
Is he does about tho Union sentiment among
The Southern white people. Tho fighting
Rebels woro not shareholders, except small |
The vast mass OF the Southern |
army was composed OF poor whites and
goung men forced into 1t for social rcasons,
who owned no slavos and had no interest in |
hem. Tho Southern Rebellion was fought
" those who had boon coerccd into the ranks
~ those whose feelings had been inilamod /
" the shareholders and demagognes.
The planters themselves, rs rulo, Btaid at
lome, but forced to the front tho mon who
lad no slaves to fght for and 10 griefs
against tho Union. Those who lost their
imo, their labor, and their lives, and whose
antilles suffered. wero tho tools Of the stay
'khomo Secession slayeholdera. lind tho