Daily Ohio statesman. [volume] (Columbus, Ohio) 1855-1870, 1863-06-10
Gbe Obio 5tatesnra,,

Letter from the Hon. Emerson Etheridg,
Present Clerk Of the Republican Hons
of Representatives, to the Citizens {
Memphis, Tennessee.
Mr.. ETHERIDGR, Clerk OF the House Of Rep
resentatves, and for several terms member {
Congress- from Tennessee, having been invite
to join In q public celebration of tho anniyersar
of the surrender Of Memphis 10 tho FederO
arms, replies In the following able aud interes
Ing letter. Its just sarcasm upon.tho Presider
for his broken vows and malsdministratio q
office is very striking. Mr.. ETHrRIDeE wa
made the Clerk Of the Republican House @
Representatives In July, 1861. He had lahore
hard to keep Tennessee in the Union, and. 4
1862, visited his State, where he WAS instru
mental in bringing hundreds into the Unio
army, and perauading thousands to take th
oath Of allegiance: &C.,
WASHINGTON, d. c., May Is, 1863.
GENTLEMEN: ] have just received your lette
Of the 7th inst, inviting me. In behalf of th
Washington Union Club, OF Memphis, to ioi,
in public celebration of the anniversary of tb
surrender of that city to the Federal arms 70,
also speak kindly Of my past efforts to induc,
the people OF West Tennessee to consent cheer
fully 10 'the restoration Of the national au-
thority throughout the South.
II believed that by meeting Won on the oc-
casion referred to-, could be of service to .
single honest, ,iaw-abiding citizen, or trnIy re-
pentant rebel, or that could contribute. To ths
least extent, in ending the war and restoring
the blessings Of peace under the Constitution,
would certainly attend. But have no sucb
faith In myself, and therefore / shall not 90.
In your letter you express the opinion that nv
"direct personal appeal" might "encourase
the loyal and reclaim the disloyal." | confess
my astonishment ut such o statement; and can
attribute this opinion of yours to nothing but a
failure on Jour part to comprehend the inaster-
ly policy Of our great and good President and
the wise statesmen who aid him in shapinp and
directing the civil policy Of the Goyerpm emf =
When you have fully studied and understood the
grand purposes Of our most God fearing and
law-abidlng President; when you are more IA.
miliar with the profound military strategy.
which, as "Commander-in-Ch Chief of the Army
and Navy of the United States" he ia now dis
playing; and when you further remember the
astonishing success we have had in retaining
our "misguided oOuntrymen, and in conqueriue
our " "Wsyward sisters," shall be amazed If Won
continue to believe 1t necessary to "enooursge
the loyal" or "reclaim the disloyal." WIN en-
courage the loyal2 Is It possible they need en-.
couragement in Memphis, whero, for nearly a
year, you have been inside the Federal lines Z
Where every night tattoo is substituted for
"Hush! my baby, don't you ory" and at repile
Hail aln nuah htab ba.S a Nt.a II
seriousness of the great security which is afford
ed to the property Of the loyal people in Mem
phis and sail the couutry round that (politioal)
Jordan" How can you or "enconraRe the
loyalY when our matchless President, the late
CongEess, his sage counselors and his peerless
military subordinatee, have already done and
promised all which wisdom can suggest, which
our sacrtd Constitution authorizes and which
the Christian religion tolerates and approves
There remains nothing for us to do, unless il Ia
10 obey our Incompatible President In all his
vice measures to conquer glorious peace Il
True, we have among us croakers and Copper
beadsr-silly, brainless men--who are 30 unwIse
and unpariotic as to question the wisdom of
our indefatigable President. II you have any
such In Memphis, you should at once denouuce
them 90 In sympathy with the rebels; you should
send them to their friends "down South" or TO
the Dry TortugAs, which is understood BY many
to be place where everybody is tortured With
lhirat for rifle whisky, and not drop can be OBJ
tained. No good Union man will complain of
the conduct of the wise men who direct our
public affairs. They should be taught to re-
member that scsndalum masnatum was former
ly high crlme-it is a most heinous offsnse
now-and nothing saves such copper. colored
Wretches but the Christian charity Of our most
pious President. .
AT your proposed meeting you should 30 ar
range matters as to secure O list of all who fail
to attend or omit to render suitable apology,
and you should adopt resolutions of the most |
''loyaI" kind. Allow me to suggest that the
committee on resolutions be selected from con
tractors and office-holders. particularly sug. |
gest one Cooper, who has been recently appoint.
ed assessor for tho large rich, and populous dis
trict OF West Tennessee. He was originally
from New York True, he was never in Wos!
Tennestee until sent from this city on his official
errand, but he no doubt knows by intuition the |
true value OF the goods and Chattels, lands and |
tenements, otc., of people he mover knew, aud |
d coun'ry in which he never lived. But he ia |
30 loyal-ao much so that doubt not no Is bet |
ter fitted for the office than any one of the pative
born sons, brothers, or fathers Of the thousands
,f soldiers which, before the 2ai Of last Septem-
Der, West Tennessee had furnished the Federal |
army. Let the committee initiate the "L,yal |
Leagues" Of Baltimore and resolve that you not |
)nly approve all the presens wise and pRtriotic |
have done, but chat you will sus |
.ain and uphold 1t in everything 1t may hereaf-
ef do. Let the committee make an elaborate
'eport, accompanied with resolutions denounc-
ng all who find fault with our most excellent |
President. Fer instance, the last Congress Tin
July, 1862, passed o Law to confscate the prop.
,rty of certain rebels. That Congress, though
very wise body, did not possess as much az.
,regate wisdom asourgseat aud good Pfesideni
In proof Of this We need but refer to the fact
bat the Congress aforefad provided that under
his law, trial shonld precede conviction and
orfeiture, and that guilt should DO proven, not
Worse still, il offered an amnesty
o repentant rebels; It mercfully gave them six.
" days in which 10 accept il, and provided fur
her that our most noble President might sus-
,end for period tho operations of this law as
)ur aim'es advanced southwafd, 80 as to afford |
III an opportunity TO accept pardon. Worse
till, this laW actually applied TO no one but the
'ebels Aud it 10 astonishing thatit applied 20
hem everywhere, North and South; In Spring
field, Illinois, as we'll az Springfield, Tennessee
But worse still; it did not wantonly effect the
lights or property OF Union men, women,
md children, or lunatlcs, 10 any section of the
,ountry. &.A
8 That Congress, strange l,s II may seem, did
lot perceive that the way 10 end the rebellion |