Dayton daily empire. [volume] (Dayton [Ohio]) 1850-1865, 1865-05-06
Dailp!. .Gmlpiirl,el,,. l,l,,
lserritt smith 60 the Fresident.

phiIanthropist, addressed TO President John.
son an open letter under date, Petersboro
April 24.h, in which he pleads against the
exercise Of abloody and vindietive policy to-
ward thsVrsbels. This is The way be talks.
The Southern half Of our nation, cOmbiu-
ing many millions Of people, broke away from
the Northern half, and became as tnanifestly
a nation de fdct0 as was the Northern half
We could not proceed against these many
millions as against traitors and pirates, and
try them by municipal law. The case went
immeasurably beyond the scope Of the Con-
stitution, and took lis place under the pro.
visions Of international : law Belligerent
rights were accorded TO our enemy By our
own as well as by other na,ions. There we're
truees, that the dead might be buried, and
for other purposes. oaptives were not killed,
but held as prisoners Of war There were
negotiations for peace and that on one oc-
casion the President and Secretary OF State
were our negotiAtors, and went to meet theirs,
showed not only our respect for the enemy,
but how entirely we recognized the law Of
war in our contest with him. Both parties
were vitality interested in subjecti6g the
contest to this law, and in not letting 1t
sink into an internecins and piratieal
one Both parties we're equally con.
concerned TO save life and towns and
property and to have the war of 80 civilized
d type, that their citizens would not shrink
from becoming soldiers and sailors, God
forbid that now when the tide Of war sets
strongly in our favor, we should be guilty Of
thrustiug the Constitution into. the place Of
the code OF war, aud Of holding and trying as
traitors those whom we (none the less really
il ifindrectly) agreed 10 regard but as ene-
mise; and whom by all the conclusive rea-
sons OF the case aside from such agreement
We are bound to regard In that Hight only
We must not be guilty Of this bad faith. We
must not break this solemn bargain. The
South would hate US for iti The world would
despise ne for it And would not the North
herself, II not despising us for Il, be, at least
featfully divided in regard to III Greatly
one thing we should all love Eore and that
is fair dealing. "0ur country right PINOT
''our country right or wrongp '--shopld be
our motto. ht3 a+s's s
- The duty Of the North is not TO
punish the South, but simply to provide for
the future safety Of both North and South.
scarcely need say, that the main thing 10
this end is to rid the land Of slavery, and to
restore to its victims the civil and political
rights Of which 1t has robbed them. 10 this
would add no death, no imprisonment, no
misunderstanding but the breskipg up Of
the largsslanded estates of the South for the
benefit ofthe needy, and the perpetual with
dtawal Of political power from the disloyal
leaders, and the temporary withdrawal Of IL
from the dsloyal masses. admit that the
probation in the one case would be liable to
be shortened, and the absolute denial in the
other TO be repealed. Nevertheless, since
safely should be our sole aim, i would say
let even this take place, whenever It shall be
safe to have it take place. g t1u
Ireferred, at the beginning Of my letter,
to the apprehension that peace, which, only
a few days ago, seemed so very near is now
quite remote can not doubt that IL Is, II
the severe policy toward the conquered reb-
els, which 40 many are calling for, shall be
adopted. In that event, hardly in my day, or
even in yours, will peace return 10 our affiict-
ed country. For once let 1t be known that
the leading rebels, who shall fall into our
hands, will be doomed 10 punishment, be it
death, imprisonment or exile-aud imme-
diately, among their followers sympathy with
them and rage against as will know no bon nds,
Tens Of thousands will burn with vengeance,
and will care for nothipg bnt 70 grAtify il.
This will be true, as we'll OF persons under pa
role as Of others. In thai state of things a
guerrilla warfare would snsue, which, If not
lpacified by concessions, and snch concessions,
too, as would fatally invade national and hu-
mau rights, might run through many years,
harrassing and wasting ooy armies, aud
adding fearfally, IL not fatally, TO
our already vast debt II must not be
forgotten that it cost our nation many
years, many liEes, and thirty or forty millions
of dollars to put an end to the guerrilla war
carried on in Florida by handful Of Indi-
ans and negroes. Nor must il be forgotten
that the hundred thousand Dominieans are
just now enjoying complete and final triumph
lover the many millions Of Spain. Rome, like
ourselves, was a mighty nation. But, though
striving for il through many years, she was
not able TO achieve an entire conquest over
the few Cantabrians The lesson Of such
cases is, that people, however great, should
beware OF driving TO desperation people
however email II may be hoped that the
negroes of the South would stand in the way
Of this apprehended guerrilla warfare. A
part might But the remainder, identifying
IL with justice and mercy, might hasten to
identity themselves with H. Moreover, IL our
Government shall be guilty Of what seems "a
be bad faith or cruelty toward the conquered
robes, would there not be q disaffsction al
the North far more alafming than that hith
eFto manifested In word, would not the
Government thereby make an enemy Of the
South and an enemy Of the North also2
4 a.