An Imperative duty.
The Southern Government, with laudable moderation and humanity have hitherto abstained from from the laws of civilized warfare towards an enemy whom own mode of conducting the war would have justified that departure.
But the question which is now imposed upon it, and which it cannot evade is to choose between the subjects of its humanity — to decide whether it will be humans to its enemies and inhuman to its friends or the reverse.
Between friends and enemies this must at once be made.
Our privateersmen are confined in loathsome cells; the gallant
Zervona immured in a dungeon, from which even the light of Heaven is excluded peaceful private citizens arrested and thrown into bastilles, whilst others are absolutely held as hostages and threatened with death in our patriotic guerrillas kill any Yankee marauders.
Mumford dies by the halter in New Orleans simply for lowering the detested emblem of despotism from a flag staff in that city.
Pope issued orders in
Virginia which would dis the de of
St. Petersburg, and a general arming, wherever practicable, of the slaves, is resolved upon — and yet we treat, with all knightly courtesies, with chivalric generosity and graceful bows, this ravening beast, this mad dog, rushing at us for our destruction.
To permit, without retaliation such unheard of deeds, is simply to become
particeps criminie and to share with the
Lincoln despotism all the responsibility of its inhumanity, aggravated a thousand fold by the fact that that inhumanity, in our case, to exercised towards friends who are suffering and dying on our behalf.
Such things can no longer be. The Government must choose between legal and formal retaliation, or the soldiers and people will take this matter into their own hands, and hang upon every tree and impale upon every bayonet the monsters who are practicing with impunity up on our people such enormous crimes.
