The Placer herald., 1865-06-10
THE SOUTH ONLY HALF IN EARNEST.

| THE SOUTH ONLY HALF IN EARNEST.
The General said "tbe South was never
more than half 10 earnest in this war;" con,
veying the impression that the people were
heartily sick of it and were anxious to get
back into the Union and to peace. adding:
They went off after political leaders in a
moment Of passion and under the excitement
Of fancied wrongs, honestly believing that
they were entering struggle for an inaIien-
able right and fundamental principle Of
their political creed. A man should not be
judged harshly for contending for that which
he honestly believes to be right. Such was
the position Of the vast majority of the
Southern people now. Aud now that they
are defeated they consider that they have
lost everything that is worth contending for
in the government. They have sacrificed
home, friends, property, health, all on this
issue. Men do not make such sacrifices for
nothing. They h"Ya ",aaa tho aaeri6ra from
honest convictions.
And now that they have lost in the issue
they feel that they have no interests left in
this country 1t is the opinion Of Gen. Lee
that unless moderation and liberaity be ex-
ercsed towards them the country will lose
its best people. Already, he says, they are
seeking to expatriate themselves, and numer
Gus schemes are started to go to Mexico, to
Brazil, to Canada, to France or elsewhere.
He is called upon frequently to discounten.
ance and suppress such undertakings. The
country needs these young men. They are
its bone and sinew, its intelligence and en-
terprise, its hope for the future, and wisdom
demands that no effort be spared to keep
them in the country and pacify them. + +
Gen. Lee. strange as it may appear, talked
throughout as citizen of the United States.
He seemed to plant himself on the national
platform, and take his observations from
that standpoint. He talked calmly, deliber.
ately, earnestly, but with no show of interest
other or different from what might be ex.
pected from an honest believer in his peculiar
opinions.
THE TERMS OF PEACE.
The interview terminated with some alu
sions to the terms of peace. On this topic
the General was more reticent than on any
other.
But it was plain from what transpired that
the only question in the way Of immediate
peace, in bis view, was the treatment to be
accorded the vanquished. Everything else,
by implication, seems to be surrendered. -
Slavery, State rights, the doctrine Of seces.
sion, aud whatever of political policy may be
involved in the strife is abandoned, the only
barrier TO an immediate and universal sus>
pension of hostilities and return to the Union
being the treatment the national authorities
may promise those who have been resisting
its power aud paramount authority. 1t is
proper to say that this was not SO stated by
Gen. Lee, but is simply an inference from the
conversation that took place on that topic.
On the contrary, the General seemed very
cautious in regard to terms.
PLEA FOR JEFF. DAVIS.
To the suggestion that the conservative
sentiment Of the North proposes general
amnesty to all soldiers and military officers,
but that the political leaders Of the South
should be held to a strict accountability,
Gen. Lee replied by asking: "Woud that he
jus,?" and added:
What has Mr.. Davis done more than any
other Southerner, that he should be punish,
ed! |. is true he has occupied a prominent
position as the agent Of a whole people, but
that has made him no more nor less rebel
than the rest. His acts were the acts Of the
whole people, and the acts of the whole peo'
pie were bis acts. He was not accountable
for the commencement of the struggle. On
the contrary, he was one Of the last to give
in his adherence to the secession movement,
having streuuously opposed it from the OUT
set and portrayed its ruinous consequences
in his speeches and by his writings. Why,
therefore, should lie suffer more than others?
THE SLAVES OF THE cUsrIs ESTATE.
With reference to the 200 slaves Of the
Gusts estate left in Gen. Lees custody for
emancipation, he said that as executor Of the
will he was required to emsncipate these
slaves at certain time. That time had not
arrived when the war broke out. 1t did ar.
rive one or two years afterwards. At that
time he could not get to the courts Of the
county in which Arlington is located to take
out the emancipation papers as prescribed by
law. But be did take out papers from the
Supreme Court Of the State in Richmond,
liberating them ALL and they are SO recorded
in the records of that court. He sent word
of their freedom to the negroes at Arlington
and the necessary papers were sent to those
at the White House, and to all others that
could be reached, and they were all thus
liberated.
A VALUABLE TABLE.-The following table
will be found valuable to many Of our read
ers:
box twenty>four inches by sixteen inches
square and twenty eight inches deep will
contain a barrel (three busbels)
box twenty six inches by fifteen and
half inches square, and eight inches deep,
will contain a busheI.
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