The Placer herald., 1863-07-25
LETTER FROM
HON, EMERSON ETHERIDGE,
Present Clerk of the Republican House of
Representative, to the Citizens of
Memphis, Tennessee.

Congress from tennessee having Deen invited 10
Join in a public celebration of the anniversary of
the surrender of Memphis to the Federal arms,
replies in an able and interesting letter. Its
just sarcasm upon the President for his broken
vows and mal-administratOn of office, is very
striking. Mr.. Etheridge was made Clerk of the
Republican House of Representatives in July,
1861. He had labored hard to keep Tennessee
in the Union. and in 1852 visited his State,
where he was instrumental in bringing hundreds
into the Union army, and pursuading thousands to
take the oath of allegiance.
WASHINGTON. D. c.. May lS, 1868.
GENTLEMEN-I have just received your letter of
the 7th inst, inviting me, in behalf of the Wash
ngton Union Club. Of Memphis. to join in
public celebration of the anniversary of the sur
render of that city to the Federal arms. You
also speak kindly of my past efforts to induce
the people of West Tennessee to consent cheer
fully to 'he restoration of the National authori
ty throughout the South.'
If l believed that, by meeting you on the occa-
sion referred to, could be of service to a single
honest, hw-abiding citizen or truly repcntant
rebel. or that | could contribute to the least
extend in ending the war and restoring the
blessings Of peace under the Constitution, l
would certainly attend; but have no such faith
in myself. and therefore shall not CO.
In your letter you express the opinion that by
'.direct personal appeal" might encourage
the loyal or reclaim the disloyal." confess my
as:onishment at such a statement; and | can
attribute this opinion of yours to nothing but
a failure on your part to comprehend the master
ly policy OF our great and good President and
the wise statesmen who aid him in shaping and
directing the civil policy Of the Government.
When you have fully studied and understood the
grand purposes of our most God-learing and law
abiding PRESIDENT when you are more familiar
with The profound military strategy which, as
Commander-in-Chef of the Army and Navy of
the United States" he is now displaying; and
when you further remember the astonishing sue
cess we have had in retaining our 'misguded
countrymen" and in conqucring our 'wayward
sisters" shall be amazed If you continue to
believe it necessary to "encOurage the loyal' or
reclaim the disoyal.'' Why encourage the loyal?
Is it possible they need encouragement in Mem
phis, when. lor nearly year, you have been
inside the Federal lines; when every night tattoo
is substituted for "Hush, my baby, don't you
cry" and at rcveille Hail Columbia" arouses
the people to consciousness Of the great securi
ty which is afforded to the property of the loyal
people in Memphis and "all the country round
that (politicaD Jorlan?" How can you or |
encourage the loyal" when our matchless Pres
dent, the late Congress, his sage counsellors and
his peerless military subordnates have already
done and promised all which vision can suggest,
which our sacred Constitution authorizes, and
which the Christian religion tolerates or approv
es? There remains nothing for us to do, unless
it be to obey our Incompatible President, in all
his wise measures to conquer a glorious peace.
True, we heve among us croakers and Copper
heads silly. branless men-who are so unwise
and unnatriotic as to question the wisdom OF our
indeiatiglble President. II you have any such
in Memphis you should at once denounce them
as 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 tortur with a
thirst for rife whiskey. and not Il drop can be
nj tai cd n len n
the conduct of the wise men who direct our
public affairs. They should be taught to remem-
Der that Scdndd/um m0gndtum was formerly a
high crime it is most heinous oifense now -
and nothing saves such copper-coorcd wretches
but the Christian charity of our most pious
President
At your proposed meeting you should so ar
range matters as to secure list of all who fail to
attend or omit to render II suitable apology,
and you should adopt resolutions of the most
"loyal' kind. Allow me to suggest that the
committee on resolutions be selected from con-
tractors and office-holders. l particularly sug-
gest one Cooper, who has recently been appoint
ed Assessor for the large, rich and populous Dis
trict Of West Tennessee. He was originally
from New York. True, he was never in West
Tennessee 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, &c, of people he never knew and a
country in which he never lived. But he is so
loyal-so much so, that doubt not he is better
fitted for the Office than any one of the native
born sons, brothers fathers of the thousands of
soldiers. whom, before the 22d OF last September,
West Tennessee had furnished to the Federal
army. Let the Committee initiate the Loyal
Lea gucs' of Baltimore, and resolve that you not
only approve all the present wise and patriotic
Administration has done, but that you will sus-
tain and uphold it in everything it may herealt er
do. For instance the last Congress Gin July,
1862 passed law to contscate the property OF
certain rebels. That Congress. though very
wise body, did not possess as much aggregate
wisdom as our great and good President. In
proof of this, we need but refer to the fact that
the Congress aforesaid provided that under this
law, trial should precede conviction and forfeit
ure. and tnat guilt should be proven, not presum
ed Worse still. it offered an amnesty to repent
ant rebels; it mercitully gave them sixty days
in which to accept it; and provid.d iurther,
that our most noble President might suspend for
a period the operation of this law as our armies
advanced southwark. so us to afford an oppOrtu-
nifty to accept pardon. Worse STILL this law
actually applied to no one but the rebels. And 1t
is astonishing that it applied to them every
where, North as well as South-in Springfield,
Illinois, as we'll as Springfield, Tennessee. But
worse still, it did not effect the rights or property
of Union men, women or children, or unatics in
any section of the country. That Congress,
strange as it may seem. did not perceive that the
way to end the rebellion ana restore aHecuOnate
relations between the sections was to place the
Union men, women, children and the insane upon
perfect footing of equality with the vilest
traitor in the land That Congress believed that
the crime Of refusing obedience TO the usurpaton
of Davis & Co. in Mississippi Arkansas, North
Carolina and elsewhere amid the terrors of a
military despotism did not merit the same or
worse punishment than that they had denounced
against titled or official traitors. That Congress
spared the women and children; it also shielded
from harm theI Union men who still adhered to
the national symbol of protection. What weak
mes! But Congress has adjourned. What was to
be done? Thank Heaven, our sagacious Presi-
dent was found equal to the occasion. You will
perceive that on the first of January last, under
this socalled Confscation Law the slaves of
every rebel in the Uni,ed States who had not
accepted the amnesty therein provided we're