Sunbury American. [volume] (Sunbury, Pa.) 1848-1879, 1864-03-05
POLITICAL.
II. BUTLER KINGS LETTER A
FORGERY.
What WINS TO BE Gained by IL.
CoPPERHEAD COMPLETELY.

My attention was yesterday called to a
letter published in the New York Daily
| News of the 21st of December, purporting
to have been written by T. Butler King, OF
Georgia, to Robert II. Whitfield, of Virginia.
The letter is dated at Stamford, Ca, June
23, 1868, and purports to present the views
of Mr.. King in in regard to the war, and
the terms upon which he would favor peace.
The News, in introducing the letter. says
sit is undoubtedly genuine !" that "NIr.
King is practical man, and takes a practi-
cal view of things in view of the necessities
of the South"
J Now, desire to inform your readers, and
the whole people of the North, that the let
ter in question never was written by Mr..
King; that he does not entertain the views
or sentiments therein ascrbed to him that
the letter is genuine Rebel humbug, and a
genuine Peace party trick to deceive the
unwary, and prepare the public mind for
issues to be made in the next Presidential
contest, and to win Congressional converts
to Fernando Woods pet scheme for sending
Commissioner Sohth to propose to the Rebel
authorities terms of peace.
Here let me proceed with asmuch brevity
as possible to state the facts and circum-
stances that warrant my making this broad
assertion.
The readers of my previous letters will
| remember that was Rebel conscript, who
after being severely wounded, was detailed
as Clerk in the Rebel War Department, in
which capacity served until the 10th of
November last.
During last Autumn many of the Rebel
leaders became satisfied from their cores
pondence with prominent Peace men in New
York, Ohio, and other States, and from the
reports of returned emissaries to the North,
that if the Peace leaders were enabled to
show the Northern people strong proba-
bility, or plausible reasons for the BELIEF,
the Seeded States would, upon fair terms
return to the Union, the peace member of
the next (presenD Federal Congress could,
with some prospect of success, offer resolu-
tions to send Commissioners Soutlp to pro-
pose terms of peace; and in case the resolu-
tions were rejected, argue to the people in
the next Presidential canvass that the war
is not being prosecuted for the extirpation
of Slavery-that with this object it must be
war of years, and failure at last-and
that the Union can and will be restored
without further waste of blood and treasure
ii the Peace candidate is elevated to the
Presidential chair.
In this connection will make a short ex
tract from the written report of Col. Mar
grave, the cool, cunning, calculating villain
quoted by me in my last letter, who, as
leading Rebel emissary, has spent much time
in the North.
In speaking of the Peace party, he says:
"Neary all the leaders with whom | con-
vcrsed agree that while a majority of the
Northern people would favor carrying on
the war for twenty years rather than submit
to division of the Union, yet they would
prefer to restore the Union by peaceful mea-
sures. If said one of the most prominent
leaders, we could only satisfy the people
that the South would, upon reasonable
terms, return to the Union, our party would
soon be in the ascendant, and quickly put
an end to the war. But all the papers and
public men of the South, in their writings
and speeches, insist on a recognition OF the
Contederacy as the only terms of peace that
will be listened to. These articles and
speeches are quoted by the War party to
show that the only hope for the Union is
through prosecution of the war. How are
to convince the people that the Union can
be restored by peaceful measures, when all
the leading men in the South are continually
declaring reconstruction impossible"
This and subsequent reports, together
with letters of a similar tenor from Copper
heads in the North, induced certain Rebel
politicians to constitute themselves Com
mittee, to devise scheme to assist the Peace
party Ito put down the War party and Abol-
itionist."
The self.constituted Committee. consist
ing of Gilmer, b. B. Wexford, jr, G. w. La
nier of Richmond, and Henry E. Marsh Of
Savannah, met several times for conference
and deliberation in one of the rooms of the
War Department, before settling upon any
plan of procedure. Or two of these occa-
sions was present with two or three Others
connected with the Department, and heard
the views and policy of the respective mem
bers. AS some of these views may be in
I teresting, and will be requisite to u proper
appreciation of the chicanery that the honor
able men, the chivalry of the South, can be
led by traitorous expediency to.descend to,
| shall give brief epitome of them before
exposing the miserable plans agreed upon,
of which the letter signed 4. Butler King,
published by Tie Meas, forms prominent
part
Mr.. Gilmore, q celebrated, or rather no.
torious, lawyer in Richmond, of whom
shall have occasion to speak hereafter said,
ave have nothing TO do with ethics-the
science OF morals must give way to the sci
ence of war and politics-we are fighting
for principle--we must beat the enemy,
and no matter how We do il, the end will
justify the means. Our efforts as civilians
politicians To overcome the Yankees deserve
TO be called strategy as much Us the ma
mowers OF our generals in the field. And II
We act boldly aud shrewdly We can trick the
enemy and injure him more than 10000
men with Gen. Lee at their head could do. y
But TO give the language OF these men
respectively would occupy too much space
In your columns. All agreed that IL the
war continued upon the same scale AS before
II was only a question OF time when they
must give way IA superior strength and num-
bers. Ii they could put the reins of the
Yankee Government In the hands oi the
Peace party, they would be able TO dictate
their own terms of peace, aud they had been
assured over aud over again, by Trustworthy
friends Ia the North, that party could trs'
umph " assisted BY the politicians of the
south-if the Northern people could b.
shown that that solne promiaent Southern
stalemen wero Ia favor reunion, Now, u
would bs easy 10 send their friends la ths
North lsi,en and papers, over the names eI
distinguished men, etpIessing Z desire u
Fcstofr the unioa, and IA would be- just Z,
easy, aissf allowing the lestess. no. " have
The ds4ised siisct. fos tbs supposed author
llo dsay, sad, II nscsss.fy, di.psese their 81
ithtatillty. They mnsi hslp uss1 hoithsis