Brownlow's Knoxville Whig, and rebel ventilator. [volume] (Knoxville, Tenn.) 1863-1866, 1864-11-09
A South CarOlinian on PeaCe-..ImpOr.
tant Letter by EX-COngreSSman BOyce.

The Richmond Wing publishes Il letter
from Ex-Congressman Boyce, ofSouth Car
DINA, to Jeff, Davis, several points Of which
arequite significant After saying that Da-
Wis should respond to the Chicago Conven-
ton, he says;
Bya satisfactory peace, | mean peace
consistent with the preservation of our free
institutions. By satisfactory peace do
not mean that cessation of hostlitics which
might, after protracted contest, result from
the exhaustion Of the belligcrents, whereby
the sword would fall from their ncrvclcss
hands, their hearts a prey to the furics-
Such n peace as that would be but hollow
truce, in which each party would be inccs-
sanity preparing for new, final and decisive
struggle, The peace which | mean is a
peace which reconcics the interests and the
feelings Of the belligerents II peace, in
short, which restores harmony
He then proceeds to show that the "Con-
tederacy' is drifting towards dcspotism,
and that Republican government can only
be preserved by making peace. He says;
Have we not carried CONSUMPTION to its
last limits. Is not every man in the coun-
try between Il and 80, subject to military
authority? None are exempt except upon
consideration of public interest? Have we
not been compelled to lay direct taxes in the
very teeth ofthe theory of the Constitution?
Have we not issued such vast amounts of
paper money as to unsettc all valucs?-
Have we not compelled the holders of our
paper money to fund it, or lose one third?
Have we not seized all the railroads? Have
we not destroyed railroads and built others?
Have we not established a universal system
Of impressment ofproperty at our own price
in our own money? Have we not establish
ed a Government monopoly Of the cxporta-
ton of the great staple of the country
Have we not compelled those whom we per-
NIT to remain at home, TO execute bonds to
furnish their products to us at our prices
Have we not suspended the writ of habeas
corpus? Have we not introduced the pass
port system, which, we used to think be-
longed to the iron despotism of Europe p
In short, has not the Federal Government
done everything that n centralized military
despotism could do? Indeed if YOU were
appointed Military Dictator what greater
power could you exercise than you now do?
] allude to these things not to complain of
them. but to lament them. fyou say they
are necessary, reply that is precisely my
argument. My argument assumes and re
quircs that necessity. 1t is plain our Gov
eminent exercises the powers of n central
dcspotsm.
As to dcspotism in the South, compared
with what the Coppcrhcads call the Lin
coin dcspotism, Boycc says:
"The truth is, that tie Government at
Washington has not ddred 10 exercise popr
on the grand scale that oar Government has
The Lincoln Government has not ventured
to resort to an effected conscription. II
has not rcsOrtcd TO taxation as we have I;
il has no tax in kind it does not prohibit
imports ii does not monopolizc the OK
ports; it docs not rely upon Imprisonment
He then proceeds to talk to jeff Davis a
bout the necessity "of giving the Democrat
ic party all the power we can lie propo-
ses to do it by accepting the proposals of
the Chicago Convention for Convention of
the States, but demands, as did Vice Presi-
dent Stevens, that they shall be "sove
reign