Daily State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis, Ind.) 1861-1865, 1863-06-06
THE CONDUCT OF THE WAX.
Curious aud Sarcastic letter OF Emer.
son Etheiridge.

ington Union Club of Memphis. to join in pub
lie celebration Of tie tnrigersary Of the surren
der OF that city 70 the FEDERAL arms. You also
speak kindly Of my past efforts to induce the PEG
pie % West Tennessee IN consent checrfuily TO
"therestoraiion Of the national authority through
out the SoutL.'
II believe ed that by meeting You on The occa
sion referred to. ! couli he of ice a single
honest law abiding citizen or truly reDentant
Reael, or that could contribute 70 the least ex
teit IN ending the var and restoring tie blessings
OF Teice under the Constitution. would certain
" attend but have no 81, b faith in ms self. aud
there fore shall not 20.
In your letter you express the opinion that. by
"difect personal appeal" ! might encourage
the loyal or reclaim the disl0yal" | confess nv
astonishment nc such statement: and can NJ
tribute thisOpinion OF yours to nothing but fail
IRE on your part 20 comprehend the mastery pol
icy Of our great and good President and the wise
statesmen who all him in shaping and directing
the civil poiicy of the Government When you
have fully studied and understood the grand our
poses Of our most God tearing and law abiding
President; when you more IA mar with the
profound military strategy which. as "0Dm
nander Chief of the Army and Navy OF the
United States I" he is NOW displaying aud when
you further remember the astonishing success
we have had in reclining our " MIS- nded conn
trymen" and in conqueriug our "wayward sis
ters.' | shall be amazed if you continue Ia ne
lieye il necessary to encourage the lOval' or
reclaim the d.sloyal" Why encourage the
loyag Is il possible they need encouragement
in Memphis. when. for nearly year You have
been inside the Federal lines; when every night
tattoo is substituted for Hush. my baby. don T
YOU cry." and az reveille "Hail Columns"
arouses the people 20 consciousness of the great
security which i afforded 10 the property Of the
loyal people in Memphis aud AL the country
round that (potieal) JOrdanI' How can Won
or encourage the loyal" when our matchless
President. the late Congress- his sage coun-e.lprs
and his peerless military subOriinaieS have a.
rel1y done and Promised all which wisdom can
suggest. which our sacred CONSTITUTION author
izcs. and which the Christian religion tolerates
or APPROVES? There remains nothing for us 10
do. unless il be 20 obey our incompatible Presi-
dent in all his wise measures to conquer a glOri.
Gus peace True. We have among us croakers
and cOppe-heads-silly branless men-who are
so unwise and imp ,tr otc TO question the Wi
dom of our interchangeable President. II YOU have
any such in Memphis YOU should at once de
nounce them as i'm sympathy with the Rebels; you
should send them 10 their friends down Sonih"
to the Dry Tortdgns, which il understood by
many 10 be place where everybody J. tortured
with thirst for rifle whisky, and not a drop can
be obtained No good Union man will complain
of the conduct Of the wise men who direct our
public affairs. They should he TAUGHT 10 re
member that scandaiam maqnatum formerly
high crime-it II a most henous offeuse now -
and nothing saves such copper coiOred wretche-
but the Christian charity of most pous
President.
A the proposed meeting you should arrange
matters as To secure list ct all who fail TO nj
tend or omit To render a suitable apology. and
YOU should adopt resolutions of the most "loyal"
kind Allow me To suggest that the committee
on resolutions be selected from contractors and
Office holders. particularly suggest one Coop
er, who has recently been appointed assessor for
the large, rich and populous district OF West Ten
nessee. He was originally from New York
True, he was never in West Tennessee until
sent from this citv on his official Grand: but he
no doubt knows by intuition the true value of the
goods and chattes. lands and tenements, &c !,
&c of n people he never knew and a country ia
which he never lived. But he Is so loval--so
much that | doubt not he is better fitted for
the Office than any one of the native born sons
brothers or fathers of the thousands Of soldiers
who, before the 22d of last September, West
Tcnnesse h,d furnished TO the Federal army Let
tho committee initiate the Loyal Leagues" OF
Baltimore. resolve that YOU not only approve
all the present wise and patriotic Administration
has done but that you will sustain and uphold il
in every thing il may her eafer do Let the com
mittee make an elaborate report, accompanied
e with our most excellent President For instance:
The last Congress Tin July. ls62) passed a law
to confiscate the property OF certain Reb Is. That
Congress- though very wise body, did not pos
sess much aggregate wisdom great AMI
good President In proof of this need but
fer to the fact TINT the Congress aforesaid provid-
Ell that. under this law. trisl should precede
viction and forfeiture. and that guilt should he
proven not presumed Worse still: il offered an
Rahe IL ftlit We
them sixty DAYS III which TO accept 1t: and bro
vided, further. that our most noble President
might suspend for period the orerat;on IT this
law M our armies advanced souihward, so n IT,
afford all m opportunity e. accent plrdon. Worse
srii: this law actually applied to 40 one but the
Rebels And 70 il astonishing thtt 1t aDpe,i to-
them everywhere. North rs well rs Snuth-in
Spring field Illinois. well IA Springfield. Ten.
nessee
But. worse still it did not effect the rights or
propertv OF onion men, women and children. or
lunarics. in anv section Of the country That
Congress, strange as II may seem. did not per
ceve that the way 10 end the rebellion and re
store afiectionlte relations between the sections
was tn place the Union men. women and child, Ell
and the insane upon perfect footing Of equality
with the vileSt traitors in the land Tht Con
grcss believed that the crime of refusing obe.ii
ence TO the usurpation of Davis X ca = in MIssis
sippi Arkansas North Carolina and esew here
amid the terrors of military despotism did not
merit the same or worse puni-hment than that
thew had denounced against tiiei and official
traitors That Congress spared the women and
children; il also shielded from harm the Union
men wh0 still adherei to the national symbol of
protection What weakness, But Congress ha-
adjourned. What WIS To be donef Thank
hea~en. our sagacious President found
equal 10 The occasion You viii perceive that
on tho lst of January last. IN Ter this - c,lle
ConfiS, at on Law. the slaves of every Rebel in
the United States VINO had not accepted the am
nestv therein provided were de jure free But
how we're we end this rebellion If then Union
men, women and Oh llren in the so called Con
Tolerate State were left in undiS' ur,ed possession
Of all their legal and constitutional rishtSr II
this policy were adopted. the Rebels MIGHT he
come angry with these " monuments OF Federal
mercv." and in that event the sDired monuments
aforesaid might cling more closely TO the Felerl
d'g This division among the people might
Cause still more unhsppv state ~ alfirs in
Dixie; oar friends there might have 10 bear adli
tional indignitics As before remarke''. our mer.
ciiul and considerable President was found equal
II the crisis
In long conversation with some inspired
apostles from the sanity cityof Chicaso-t place
where Understanding and other worldly amuse
nlentS are unkuown-the President c@ndidlv CON
fessel that he enieavnr'ns h. dill not Sttte
the me lns) 70 ascertain the will of the Lprl upon
49,