Richmond Whig. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1862-1865, 1865-03-22
+ From the ye,o York Herald, March it'll
HENRY S. FOOTE'S MANIFESTO.

"
HENRY S. FOOTE'S MANIFESTO.
TINE REBEL CONTESTANTS ExPLASATIoN or MS
FLIGHT FROM RICHMOND AND AMERICA.
Henry =. Foote, late rebel Congressman from
Tennessee, has found the "seqneSiered spot where
h, hoped 10 he free from persecution ana taxatloh'
IL is at the "GOlden Cross Hotel the Strand Lou
dom" and from here he dates MANIFESTO 70 MS
constituents in his usual grandiloquent styie' flS
purpose in addressing them he declares to be IN or
der that he NAV represent the reasons which iniu-
enced him to leave the rebel States and IN DONG
This he Intimates that q the actual condition OF
things in both sections of his own dear native coun-
try land not Mr.. Lincoln) forced him to seek
refuge in foreign land before he could communi-
cate said reasons and divers other matters, which
he assures his weli-belUved constituents are
vitality associated with their homer and happiness
He begins by endeavoriDg TO show that he was
aud is Union man. Ills facts arg not Sir"ng nus
arguments are weak and his success rather lame.
Ills assertions are worthy Of notice, however, from
the fact that he couples them with the statement
that his opposition TO the dsunon schemes which
had eliminated in the Montgomery rebel govern
ment and Congress were well known TO his constitu-
cuts when they elected him IN 1867 without Soici-
taiion ON his part, or, III other words, that he Was
elected tn the rebel Congress rs a "Union
man" lie refers to his course IN HAT
body and claims to have early and per-
sistentlY opposed "the shameful efforts OF Mr.. Da-
Wis and bis Scryitors 10 undermine tho pubc tber-
ties aud establish despotism on ITS runs. lie
claims credit for his efforts 'O effect the remodel
inc of the Cabinet Of Davis the exposition OF rank
Official corruption the earnest and seasonahie IN
dication of certain mertOriOns military command
ders whom beartlessly and wiekedly assaulted by MI
Davis and his employees ; ana the uhtrlng minus
try which he DISPLAY cd in the arrangement OF ncom
petent generals with view to their DISMISSAL He
states that he at last grew disguised with the gross
and undcniable miSmanagcnient' OF Davis, and
srhe servility of his incompetent and snobbish Com
greSS and So with 'the advice OF all his discerning
friends" he came TO the sage conclusion thai the
"South would be inevitably ruined" II an honorable
peace was not speedily effected. knowing Daviswas
selshly bent further prosecution OF the war for
his vile purposes, FOote says that, !" after cJnSM-
ina nth he best and riSeSt meR lohom chez met"
he resolved TO lose time in introducing reseu-
tions into the rebel House of Representatives look
ing to immediate action the part Of congress It.
self. They were rejected as is well known, much
10 Foote'S modification, which is expressed in the
manifesto in Il review of Davis administration
While this disgust was still on him, Foote left
Richmond, sent his wife through 10 Nashville, got
captured was released, and escaped to Sheridan's
lines and announced himself as a peace c9mInis-
sjoner in long letter to Mr., Seward, chiefly re-
Iharkable for the assertion thnt he represented in
that capacity 60 large number OF the most weighy
ami influential statesmen that the South contained
and the wish of very large majority Of the South
ern States" who, he assures MI. Seward, ''are
ready and anxious to enter once more into frat, r.
nal union with our tell0w-ciil2enS OF the North"
lie has plan for the settlement OF what he cOnsid
ers the chief difficulty IN the way OF bringing the
war to a close (namely, slavery. He begs the
North 10 deal with the South on that point "liber-
ally aud Kindly" and. says: .- t'..t
ConSidrr, it yQH please, that the fate OF SiaUery
has been sealed by the 0ptrdfiOn or The todr ttSeif
that Maryland is now free State, and Missouri
likewise that Kentucky, Virginia, Tennessee
North Carolina and Arkansas are sure, in lew
.I...fg. .-I....
system OF emancipation; and that in all probability
before NE close Of The present century Sidcery sciR
p6lrLele eiiSt ggpg he continent. Can you not
afford then, I" leave it. where thn Federal Donstitu
ton left il If, though, circumstances exist which
render such plan OF settlement impossible, then
ojn prepared 10 say, IN bthdtf IF those iohonl
rypr.sed that we will agree To such change of the
Federal Constitution as viii secure the entire ,ex
tiuctiou OF slavery on the St day of January, 1900
and which wil provide Also for the freedom Of all
persons OF Alrifaa blo9d who shall be born after the
lst day OF January, 1880.
In reply to this letter and his application to be
allowed to come to Washington, Seward sent orders
10 Gen. Sheridan 10 send FoOte to New York. On
ARRIVING in New York permission was granted him
to leaye thf cogliry, and he did so in February,
1865, after addressing another long letter TO Sew
ard following it with one To Mr., lincOln, Taking
his enc from the fact thai he writes froln board
the steamer in mid ocean, he compares Mr. Lincoln
TO Ncptno, begs him TO look the god, assume the
trident of DdCiicdtiON and compose the discOrdant
elements OF this yeXed land. He is also generous
enough to tell him how to do this, recommending
rs MS most potent spells to alay the fury OF the
contenlng passions vi the two sections the adOp-
tion of measures for gradual emancipation in lien
of immediate abolition and the remorseless enforce
ment of the Monroe FqQtc doctrine, and not for
Getting that his ''SequcStered spot is comfortably
not 10 say luxuriouSly located in the bosom ofthe
British nation Fooe proceeds in foot note TO show
that England could very consistently join in the en-
Tforcement of the Monroe doctrine, as improved by
Footc, aud present the sublime spectacle of the
Anglo. Saxon race driving the rest OF creation oil
the face of the globe -
The ''method Of Mr.. Foote'S madness is proba
bly, contained in the concluding paragraph Of his
manifesto, which has all the virtuous concSeness
and wisdom generally attributed to pOstcripts. He
says:
..On arriving in the city ofd4ondOn / sat down
to draw up this address To my valued neighbors aud
friends of Tennessee. 1t is not now my fortunate
lot To see yOu face To face. ] may possibly never
again have that satisfaction; but cntreat you, my
country aud lellOw-citiZcRs, ,chdtcrr may BE- TIE
action of President Lincoln and the politicians now
i'm mower Ia Washington city, upon the propositions
submitted to them in this correspondence, that you
win yourselves lose no time in retyIoy 10 The bosom
OF Dc Federal Union. II is far better ia my de-
Gberate opinion, that YOU should do so, aud do so at
once than TO take tho. chances Of future military
success under Jefferson Davis and his present of
fetal associates, and rely upon them for the flu
ture restoration Of your liberties, after they shall
have been once completely surrendered to the most
,D,feelfBg and deJrddiRJ deS0tSm that has existed
in the world since the days of DionysiuN OF SYRIA
cuSe." ---- -. ....ft e
Novv1 PRoposrTIo< To THE WoNEN OF THE