Daily Ohio statesman. [volume] (Columbus, Ohio) 1855-1870, 1864-01-01
The Question Of Peace i'm the soutl,
"A Letter from 4. Butler King,
: of Georgia. tHan3 %

VI uCOEt9
The letter which we print below, from T,
: BUTLER KING, of Georgia, will attract at
tention and excite reflection. Mr.. KING had
long been, previously to the war, asfepre-
sentative. man of the moderate public senti-
ment of the South, and that he should, only
few months ago, have written in.the tenn
per of this letter, shows that there exists in
the South, to some exteut,nat least,Tan inclf-
nation to reconstruSti6n on terms which
should not be feltato be degrading He
mentions certain terms, which are some
nj thing more than the old Constitutions and
the old Union, but who can saythat he and
those for whom he speaks would not accept
the old Constitution and the Old Union, il
they were offered to them9 And if he should
propose the acceptance of the terms which
are actually offered, how large party
d could he enlist in support of thepropositiop,
does the reader suppose? IA Il.
--.-- STAMFoRDs GA. June ~. 1857.
ROBERT ii. WHITFIELD, EsQ.-Dedr Sir.
lou the heor ,rosontotion os NV my fends af INV
@ uinao o,o W pa ;dnta for Conaress in the First
1a,ie 40 JaS n;str;nt of GaorSia has called
s,.. ss"ooa,,Is IN tbo R;ch6ond nonarr
toi ~, ~ pnaaSt tbat pI an recon strnctiopis
W VIZ ,,,aU voIS for,,a,ied from NV home IN me
~ th;S %Ioce yvbere nronose IN snend a
SS ,m,1 ;e,ht pr or fbree weeks :
1T%a friends WHO have thought, ,proper To
use NV name in Connection with the posi-
t;on referred to are nerfectly familiar with
the sentiments I entertain on the subject of
he war and the conditions upon which I
yonld f.ivor peace: and I am perfectly wiz
inr that Wv views on those subjects should
ne eouallylweIl known to the whole people
of the coilntrv "a ffE a
A nainfI,l indisnosition which I now suf-
or will nrevent INV ADDRESSING you at much
enotb or wifi, mich cnre. buf hone to be
,bje to develop nv Views sufficiently to pre-
.ient any misapprehension in regard to
chem. IJrI .tfGJlLCfI9 ! grET1C i
NV political record will clearly show that
have ever maintained the right of any
state, or number of States, to withdraw
from the Federal Union, and form, O, new
Goyernment for themselves; and it viii fur
tber show that, aftericthe election of Mr..
Lincoln to the Presidency, 1 advocated the
'ni.onrietv and Onecessity of such course
being pursued by the State of Georgia.
while I advocated this measure, pro-
foundly regretted the necessity of it. Moth
ING but firm conviction that our constitu-
tional rights would be denied and violated
by the Lincoln administration prompted
and induced me to recommend the seces-
sion of my State. I And when the ordinance
of secession was passed by our convention,
/ indulged the hope and even. the ,expecta-
tion that, at no distant period, measures
would be adopted by the Federal Govern
ment' which would result in such guaran-
tees of our rights within the Union as
would enable us to return to it. yca
gi NV hopes were soon dissipated by the
clash of arms, and was behind none of my
fellow-citizens in declaring that we must
defend our country tothe last man. have
given to the field every male member of my
family, and to the soldiers grave two who
were'mostt dear to me, and although too fai
advanced in years to render much military
service, / am willing and determiped, il i
becomes necessary, to continue my .feeble
assistance in my country g defence.
But war must end in peace; and sooner
or later both parties must agree to terms
. upon which they viii laysaside their arms
The events of the past two years should be
sufficient to convince every reasonable
man. both North and South, that it is inn