Washington telegraph., 1865-09-13

And may He give YOU the spirit of love.
and Of sound mind, and guide you in
all things to His glory.
j. O. ANDREW,
Il PAINE.
G. Z. Pierce.
LETTER FROM JOHN NJ. BorTs.-Au-
burn near Brandy Station, August -
Nv Dear Sir: Your letter Of the 3Oth
July. asking for my Interpretation Of the
proclamation Of President johnson, OF
the 29th of May, 1865, has been received.
and / avail myself of the first leisure
moment to answer it. 1 think it clear
that the oath of amnesty and pardon is.
by that proclamation, offered 70 all, with
the exception of the fourteen different
classes of persons enumerated, and from
the benefits Of the amnesty oath are
withheld until special pardon is OBJ
tanned, and this pardon, a. ! understand
il, when obtained, only RENTS the penal
ties tia. have been incurred by those
who have endeavored to overthrow tie
government, without conferring any polit
ical privileges whatever, which ere con
tro!led in some instances by tile enact
ments Of the United States Congress.
and in others by the provisions Of state
constitutions and state laws (as in this
state,) neither Of which are or can be
disturbed by the pardon of the President
In reference 10 the thirteenth section.
which reads:
"All persons who have rO'Natariiy
participated in said rebellion, and the es-
ti1nated value Of whose property is over
twenty thousand dollars"
This clause seems 10 be less undel stood
than any Of the exceptions contained in
the proclamation; and there are very ma
ny making application for pardon who
are not at all embraced in the exceptions.
Union and loyal men throughout the war,
persons ef advanced age. aud others who
have had to participate in the rebellion.
either voluntarily or involuntarily, all
seem to think that because their taxable
property exceeds twenty thousand dol
lars that it is necessarily liable to confis-
cation unless a pardon is obtained from
the President, and by their numerous
applications are rot only unnecessarily
increasing the labors Of the President,
Attorney General, and other officials in
Washington, but are throwing away their
own means and time, and making a har-
vest for the lawyers who are engaged in
that branch of business. 1t is. manifest
that this thirteenth clause is susceptible
of no such construction. To those who
have not voluntarily participated in The
rebellion" this clause has 10 application
whatever, no matter wha: amount Of tax
able property they may own; and whetli-
er they have voluntarily participated or
not, is matter that must be best known
to themselves, for there may be other
modes of voluntary participation than
that OF actually bearing al ms against the
United States; IN other words, there were
other means to be employed for the over
throw of the government than by bear
ing arms, for the worst scccssionists were
generally those who were the last and
the least willing to take up arms. These
contributed all their means and energies,
some by investment in confederate stocks
for the purpose Of aiding the rebellion,
others by running the blockade and other
'.bOa0 -prs9t'" occupations, as they were
callcd-a all for the ovei throw OF the gov,
ernment of the United States. All this
| should call voluntary participation in
the rebellion But you ask particularly
whether detailed farmers, in my opinion.
would come under the class Of excepted
cases; to which should answer, aot nee
eSSayiiy. know myself Of number Of
Of cases in which the most loyal nen.in
the state became detailed farmers only
FIR the purpose of avoiding military du-
ty in the field and obviating the necessi-
ty for taking up arms against the United
States authorities; and yet detailed
farmer might have done many things
that would subject him TO the exception;
therefore, / think each particular case
would have to stand upon its own merits,
as no general or universal rule could be
applied. Every man best knows his
own motives, and knows whether he did
what he could, whether in one capacity
or another, TO aid the rebellion. and upon
his own conscience must rest the neces-
sity for an application for pardon If he
is conscious of having done nothing vol
unfairly to aid the rebellion, then |
should say it would be quite time enough
10 ask for pardon when steps were taken
against him for the confscation Of his
property; and in the meantime to save
his time and money for better purposes
than that of enriching lawyers and paid
agents. L am, respectfully aid very tru-
ly. yours, JOHN II. BORIS.