Daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, Va. [W. Va.]) 1859-1865, 1865-05-23

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letter from Henry 8. FOote to PresI-
densY0hnseA1
Henry s. Foote, till lately member of
the Rebel House oERepreseutatlves, who
had recently taken up his abode in New
Y6rk, and had asked permission of the an.
fhOrities to make 9, permanent residence in
California, was ordered by the President,
thropgh Secretary Stanton, to leave the
country or he would be arrested and tried
for treason, has written 9 letter to the
President. dated "Montreal, Canada, May
l5th," from which we make the following
extract: ,T.I5aG
In former and happier days, Mr.. Presi.
dent, had the honor Of serving with you
ih the national Congress, you being then a
Representa- tivsTsad \ Senator. We were
1ever upon intimate terms, nor indeed ever
held familiar intercourse, either socially or
politically, which l suppose L,must now
recognize as to some extent 6n my part q
circumstance of personal i'll fortune. 1 am
gratifed to remember, th6dgh, that there
vas e. the. peEiod referred to much sinili-
tude in our general political opinions, and
ID 0uriVotesn npon the floor of Congress-
We both supported President Folks ad-
ninistratop. We both sustained. his Msxi-
Gan war policy; the" famous M6uroe doc.
tFine, as ably expounded in Mr.. Polk's
message, and presented the sternest oppo.
sition to what was known as the Wilmot
Pr6Vis6.H We both warmly advocated Mr..
Clay,s celebrated compromise messures of
1885, Il When; afterwards, the iKansassNe-
Rrasks bill was brought f0rWardl and then
sgain the Lecompton constitution bill,
though not then ip Congress-, opposed
them both, on the ground that they were
likely to lead to renewed sectional sgita-
ion. How YoHV6tsd on these qlesEioRa 1
am mot Pt6CiSelFl informsd. W66nt I'm
1860, a sectional faction in the South, abet,
ted and sustained by certain slippery and
intriguing poll liticians Of The North ) succeed.
cd in modifying the democratic Presidential
platform, giving thereby to that platform,
for thaii time incur history, -sniaggres.
siVe aspect IN regard to slavery / did
not unite with them, believing and
openly predicting that tbisl movement
would be fatal to the unity Of the demo-
cratic party=-7would separate the South
nost nnpropttib from her natu.
raj political allies, bring about the elec.
| ton Of sectional President from theNorth.
and thus supply to the secession leaders of
the South, the opportunity for which they
had been 80 long sighingj of Withdrawing
Ghe slsvehOldinga States from. the federal
Union, .Gtthe hazard Of one Of the eblood=
fest wars which has ever occurred am
PaiuedtoJFememher, chr! President, ,qIhat
you advocated the modified democratic
plat form, aud both spoke and voted for
Breckinrfdge and Lane, which Ladidl noe
do for Fthe9TeasSus stated. Up did not sns.
peet YOU of doing these things with view
70 disunioD, and have never so Charged
When Mr. lincoln was ascertaiued to have
been elected t6L CAeI Pfesfd6 6h6y, You Ehd L
Goncsrred sgsiu Iin nasSeF ting that, being
elected according Ito the fori1sioF the cont
stituti6h. that event would not fustify the
With hdraWalo of the Southern sStates from
the Uaion. IT Y on did mot; = aga Southern
SenatorS Withdraw3 from !, Congress, as
others did; and, / am sure youii Sctsds sRise-
~ inlnot doing SOY When, afterwards, the
| fndiscTeetlY, adopted an ordinance of se.
cession, openly condemned her conduct:
you did 1ikeWfse. When the people of
Georgia cRlledsa COP sention for Ihe3pur.
pose of deciding whether they would secede,
in imitation of the example of South CARO-.
lima, earnestly urged my fellow citizens
of Tennessee to send commissioners to the
place where that conYention was expected
to assemble. for the purpose Of solemuly
protsstinglagAin such action of the En-.
piIe State9of the South, as 7 toresaE and
prediEted, aho 1ld It take place, would nlti.
matelys drag .allSRhei Southern States into
the E0rtsGof disInion.2 Those to whom I
appealed saw. NO proprietY in the move
ment which proposed tothems and no
sueh commissionePs were, thsFeforeS, sent.
No. l.
you d0thatt The, cation States of The South
had all seeded; that Virginia, No Car
folinR and Arkansas had followed heir az.
Fample thathhe, new gOHetnIns1 lai been
formed in MbntgomerYsndz putsins aaiuai
Operations thatt Fort SUM ters ~.
tackled; that q bloodYscop1iet Eof arms
had. 0GGdFFedIi the streets OF Sc; Louis:
and thst Presidantr LincolnIs proclamation
calling fot seventy i've thousand soldiers
ha6ib4eua sent forth, before any consider
able number Of the Tsnnsssee people Wera
found willing tOatAke mp arms in defence
Of the South. To the last moment, We re.
fused to seceds; and IN point Of fact we
never did formally adopt IA dlnaneeA 81
secessIUaS unis ltfne5 fiak we agreed to 20
kinto the war. aud did,go sintorit IealousIB
and yaiiantly. And hsEes' sir, will make
. frank admissf6u. Had I bean esbls Al
thai time 70 read the Iamented Lineolns
inaugural address, by the light of sub.
sequent events, I never 6ho6ld have
consented to take, up. armae. IN 5opposi,
ttiOn TO the federal government. 4 vial 70
further, Bnd Say that. had / anticipated
A such astounding abuses of power as have
been stncs psrpetrated- by the Confederate
tGoYeInment, I never. should have consentsd
to assume position of hostility to tF,e
governments estahlished by puf lfathsrs