Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1863-03-11
80 b AAnnaEAnca.
CoLuMBIA. s. q. - 20. Is

| MY LEhh Sir AAE IDtlA kt5litAl&yAi 9t2tia--t
ted by you on the 18th Of January, Tor the con
: sideratiou of Congress, ''iR commendation Q
certain eitizsus Of Louisiana and of-other State
within The lines of she enemy in refusing to tax
the oath Of allegsace 20 The United States
have recently passed under my eye The in
pulse esnuot be resisted Of addressing to you
some reflections which have long been maiunng
in my own mind, ard which yon are at liberty
to use in any way you may think conclusive %
! the public good.
Permit mo, in tke outset, to express ny ap-
proYal not otGy Of the matter, but also Of the
/ from Of your resolutions 1T appears to be emil
neDtly proper chat Congress- should siguslzs
/ the fidelity Of cur fellow citizens who have vita
/ stood al sppeals 10 ssifinterest and to fear, in
their country's dsrkest iTisl. But 1 specially
commend the moderation which pTetetmits N
/ the resolutions sny mention Of those who have
been caught in the snares of ths enemy, and
dupea into concessions which have filed The
land with sorrow. So long as these Entortunate
parties are debaued ths privilege Of 8 hearing
the government, from paternaI lenilY, II not
from a sense Of rigid justice, may well feel Itself
restrained from open end direct censure. Prom
the language of your paper, the world IS not to
know that s solitary individuals is excepted from
the encomi itIrn pronouaeed by Congress. Those
familiar with al the facts cannot fail i0deed, 20
perceive a discrimination IN favor Of some.
which, BY Implication contains eensuIe Of
others. This, however, is unavoidable snd
those who Iusy wriths beneath the toTsure OF tlis
implied censnre, viii yet be compelled 10 sd-
mire the generosity which folebore to stigma
tizs them in the legislative records Of the coun-
try. Nevertheless, from some quarter. and pre-
ciseiy st this juDsiuTe, protest should be Ut
tered against the weakuess Of those who have
sUceunbsa beneath the tyranny of Gea. Batter
and sWorn allegiance TO the government of the
United States. L may not be too late to rouse
those Whe are involved ia this dire calamity 10
retrieve their lost petition and 10. wipe off the
dishonoy which must else clseva 20 them for
tempt the arrest of principles which, I fear ere
secretly sspping in LouisisHa the foundations
of public morality, and destroying the basis on
which rest st lesst the peUmanaHce and security
Of al government I undertake, therefore, in
this letter to present the reverse of yoHr medal;
and assume the painful responsibility of giving
nttezance to stricteres, from which, as legIsla-
tor, you have wisely refrained. Sheuld apology
be needed for this obtrusion Of private criticism,
let i. be found in the relation have long 6us-
tanned q religious teacher Of ths people Of
Louisiana, aHd my common participation as q
citizen in any Teprosch which may tsTnish the |
fame of the gallant State.
We should clearly distinguish betwixt two |
classes of our felloW-citizsns who have submit |
ted to the oath exacted by General Butler The |
first class, ine0Dsidersble, beth as to numbers /
aad influence, embraces those who were never |
true to cur cause. Some Of them, from miscon- 1
eeption Of the relation between tbe States and /
general government, secretly denied the right Of /
secession, aud simply drifted with the popular |
current which they felt Il idle to oppose. OIL
course, upon the first appearances of the enemy, |
they ranged themselves, without solicitation,
upon the side Of The Union to which they were
borne by their political affiaitiss. Others, des-
titUts OF al principle, alike political and neral,
having no eye but to pTeseRt gain, and only in
tent upOa opening the obstructed channels of
trade chose TO make interest witb those who had
boeksded their ports. Both tbese are simply
traitors te the South-thsy vent ont from as
because they were not OF us-and it is TO be
hoped, upon the recovery Of our territory. they /
viii fad it convsniDt TO leaEs with their new
allies and purgs our society of their presence
The other class embraces those who In their
secret hearts. are still loYai to the C2nie1araey
and have AIKEN she oath UDder eonssrsint, re-
gareIHg it as one of the necessities Of var. The
compassion felt for their distress has
slnest extEgaished censure Of this act while
ths conviction entertained of their substantial
Loyalty Tsisins them within the embrace Of our
affections The general integrity Of many in
this class affords 2 guarantee that Cousisnce has /
nb1lA ntirAN ti4l t4s VI tii5 AlIEI-
stsndiug end thaNby subtlaY Of argument
they have been persuaded into the policy thst
the osth could be taken satDa yJide la s5judi-
eating this question, cannot but think some
considerations were overlooked, which should
have formed sn Important element ia the decis-
on TO be rendered, and if entertained must have
wholly changed Its complexion
Before canvaasing, however, the grounds upon
which this osth-taking has been justified, that
We may make due allowance for human IN
trinity, let rs look at the peculiar pressure under
Which these parties were put Ia the FIRST place,
he demand made upon them was a novelty
md we all know how uen lundeT IN uueer-
ainty, without acknowledged precedence for
heir guidance. have in vain searched the
ec0Tds Of modern history for Is psrsueL The
emons contest between Philip Of Spain snd the
states Of Holland presents some features Of re- {
emblance to tae conflict now raging between
he North and ourselves. The Spanish power Z
hen, as the North does now, branded tho at {
empts of brave people 70 name their own 9
Constitution and laws as hagrant rebellion; and ]
onducted s long and bitter war to reduce, SIS j
hay alleged, . Tevolted province to allegiance.
Sat in no instance did the cruel Alva-fghtine / Z
0ol, though be was q tTescherOas and big {
ted despot, force q reluctant cath upsn the 2
tiles which he conquered They wei held, in I
eed, by military garris0ns uRti. sue' time as I
ne S.ate Of which they formed Constituent r
art should in Ike manner be 1uced No at q
smpt was made 20 cancel the ties of allegiance T
ut through the constituted authorities to whom &
hat allegiance had bssn sworn. It has been f
eserved to our time and to cur foes to invent f
be shameful snd cowarily device Of dealing S
Win single communities, and even with indi- f
idual persons as if they were independent of d
ighsr authority A msgnanimous enemy might 1
ave held New Orleans by right of cspturs; but i
Tould have retained from the imposition of q
,aths until the Ssate Of Louisiana had been rt- {
ueed to submission, and as an organie whole, s
lad carried over all the parts of which It is con-.
,osed But the refined despetisn Of the Lincoln I
adopts the policy Of gripding indi- D
iduals between conflicting jurisdictions as be- G
ween the upper and neither mill stones Con. Il
cieus Of its impotence to subjugate, it has ]
'een satisfied with disgrscing those whom It v
annot conquer, and with deInoralizing those C
yer whom it cannot rule The satanic boast # '
zen. Batter has been in part achieved, Of bold .
ng up what he is pleased to term a periuTed Q
eopie 70 the deFision CT mankind / shall reeur 0
0 this thought in another connection, and pre- r
ent 1t as reason why the oath should have {
,een sternly refused It IS mentioned here only q
0 show how our people were surprised in the 8
historic novelty Of their position; and how they I
we're subjected to rigor Of treatment unknown t
0 The worst despotisms of the past
In the next psee, the craft by which this ne I
arious desga was accomplished. does full credit {
o the subtlety and malice in which It was con a
eived- Buffers tyranny opened with q prohi- Z
,ition against more than three persons speaking
ogcther Upen the streets, under the pensliy of Z
,eing dispersed as mob; the effect Of which
vas to insulats individuals, ard 10 prevent that
Interchange of viaws necessary to concert of
.etion. A system Of espionage most compre- {
lensive IN its sweep, was moreover ianedi8tsly t
80 that you could not look YuuF fsl- I
ew in the faee, lest the fash Of the eye should
letray to a paid informer the secret resentment {
# the soul Even slaves are subboTned. under 1
promise Of personal freedom, to invent charges
lgainst the master, which subisctad him 20 e1 (
animation snd search, accompanied with brutal
md Insulting thrests With the poison Of sus-
1icien lh1s universally diffased, ths iafrmisy Of