Yankee Threats — retaliation
--There can be no doubt that the
Yankee Government, if it be not restrained by fear, will institute a war of total extermination against the
Confederate States, and that massacre will be added to pillage, in all its future operations.
They already threaten to hang
Messrs. Slidell and
Mason, if we hang
Corcoran and
Cogswell, and they hope by this threat to accomplish the murder of our privateersmen without the risk of retaliation.
That is a fearful mistake, and if pushed home, It may produce consequences at which the whole world will stand aghast.
The people of the
Confederate States admire
Messrs. Slidell and
Mason.
They place a high value upon them for the services they have already rendered, and for the promise their lives afford of greater usefulness hereafter.
But they will not purchase their safety by yielding one much of their just prerogative.
If the privateersmen should be executed, they will retaliate, though it cost half a million of lives.
It rests with the
Yankees, then, to inaugurate a reign of horror, such as the mind can with difficulty grasp.
The historian,
Thucydides, has devoted a chapter or two to a state of things in
Greece which resulted from the wanton massacre of the prisoners taken at
Corcyra, in the beginning of the Peloponnesian war, and which has often been repeated in other parts of the world, whenever either of the two belligerents forgets the obligations of humanity in the violence of party rage.
As we have no doubt that precisely such a state of things would occur here, upon the contingency of the resort to massacre as an instrument of war, we will insert the description.
[From the 2d book, 8d chapter of Thucydidean Dates Translation.]
‘"So savagely did this sedition proceed, while it appeared to do so all the more from its being among the carries; for, after wards, the whore of
Greece, so to speak, was con struggles being every where made by the popular leaders to that in the Athenians, by the party, the Lacedaemonian.
how they would have had no pretest for calling them in, to time of peace, nor would have thought of doing so. But, when pressed by war, and when an alliance was made by both parties for the injury of their opponents, and for their own gain therefrom, occasions of inviting them were easily applied to such as wished to effect any revolution.
And many directed things which occur, and always will occur, as long as human nature is the same, but in a more violent or miner form, and varying their
phenomend, as the general variations of circumstances may in each case present themselves.
For in peace and prosperity both communities and individuals have better feelings from not falling into urgent needs whereas war, by taking away the full supply of ally wants, is a violent matter, and assimilates most men's tempers.
to their present condition.
The States then were torn by sedition, and the later instances of it in any part, from having heard what had been done before, exhibited largely an excessive fennement of to him the eminent cunning of their plans, and the monstrous crucify of their vengeance.
The ordinary meaning of words was changed by them as they thought proper.
Reckless daring was regarded as courage that is true to its friends, prudent as spicious cowardice, as a unmandness, being intelligent in everything, as being useful for naming — frantic violence was considered as essential to the manly foreign, for not meeting the --He that plotted against another.
If successful, has clever; he that but he that forecast for escaping all such things, was regarded as one who up his party, and was afraid of his nerves ties.
In a word, a man was commended who anticipated another going to do an evil deed, or who persuaded it to one who before had no thought of it. moreover, snared became a he less close that party, because the letter was more ready for for such asstr coming to no with any benefit from established laws, but are formed in opposition to these institutions by a capacity.
Against their as of confidence they confirmed, not so much by any reference to the divine law as by relationship in some act or lawlessness.
The fair pre of their adversaries they received with a cautious eye to their actions, if they were stronger than themselves, and not then spirits of generality.
To be avenged on an enemy was esteem of greater consequences than to escape being injured.
As for oaths, if any case exchanged with a view to reconciliation, being taken by either party with regard only to their immediate necessity, they only held good so long as they had no resources from any other quarter.
But he that took the first occasion to break them, if he saw his enemy off his guard, wreaked his vengeance on him with the greater pleasure for his confidence than he would have done in an open manner taking into account both the safety of the plan and the fact that, by taking a treacherous advantage of him, he also won a prize for cleverness.
And the majority men, when dishonest; more easily obtain the name of talented than, when simple, of good; and of the one they are ashamed, while of the other they are proud.
Now, the cause of all these things was power persuade for the gratification of covetousness and ambition, and the consequent violence of parties when once engaged in contention.--For the leaders in the cities, having aspersions profession on each side, putting forward, respectively, the political equality or the people, of a moderate aristocracy; wherein word they served the common interests, in truth they made them their prizes.
And while struggling by every means to obtain advantage over each other, they dared and carried out the roost dreadful deeds; heaping on still greater vengeance, no only so far as was just and expedient for the
State, but to the measure of what was pleasing to either party in each successive case; and who her by an unjust reticence of condemnation, or on gaining the ascendency by the strong hand, they were ready to glut the animosity they felt at the moment.
Thus piety was in faction with neither party; but those who had the luck to affect some odious purpose under fair pretences were the more highly shorten of. The neutrals among the citizens were destroyed by both parties, either because they did not join them in their quarrel or for envy that they should so escape.
Thus every kind of villainy arose in
Greece.
Simplicity, which is a large ingredient in a noble nature, was laughed down, and disappeared, and mutual opposition of feeling with a general want of prevailed.
There was neither promise that could he depended on, nor oath that struck with fear, to put an end to their but all in their calculations being strongly inclined to despair of any thing having worthy, they looked forward to their own escape from suffering more readily their they placed confidence in the arrangements of others."’
Each old
Greece rapidly become, from having been the most civilized nation on the face of the earth when the passions engendered by civil strife had been lot loose, and captives in war had once begun to be butchered.
There was to and to the atrocities of the Pelopone asian war, as soon as murder was met by retaliation, and drew on other murders in their train.
It is for the
Yankees to inaugurate this fearful system here; and in fact they have already begun it. They have invaded our country for the express purpose of plunder.
They proclaim this in advance; and in doing so they proclaim a principle upon which civilized war never was conducted in modern times.
Civilized war in modern times always professed, at least, to respect private property.
The
Yankees, by placing it on a different footing, have placed themselves in the category of marauders, for whom the laws of war have no respect.
We would be justified, in the sight of God and man, in putting to death every prisoner taken in a war, the object of which is to create a servile insurrection.
Let the
Yankees then beware how they go farther.
They have already gone far enough.
