The Wheeling daily register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1864-1878, 1865-06-15
THE SOUTH.
The Radical and Union Men
A Southern Uni0niSt's Story.
Letter from q Southern Unionist 10 ths
Editor Of the Brooklyn Eagle.

As Union man OF the South, was
much pleased at seeing your article Ii
Saturdays issue, in relation to the Rad
icals and the Southern Loyalists" 5" | have
| lived in Southern Alabama during the
most of my life, was there during the elec
ton of 1860 and until the breaking out
of the rebellion in 1861, am personally ac
| uuainted with some of the members oi
the Alabama delegation, and | assert that
| if there are any Union men i'll the South
| they are such. contend that these men
are truer and more consistent unionist'
| than the radicals who assail them, and
are men who have not or would not risk
| the cause of the Union OH the decision o1
| the negro question neither as il stood IL
1860 or as it is now presented to the peo
pie.
In my opinion the people OF Alabama
may be taken as a fair specimen OF the
Southern people generally. Northern
Alabama furnished some of the most BIT
| ter secessi0nists and some of the most I'M
swerving Union men the war has pro
| duced in any one section of the South
Among the former was l.. p. Walker, the
| first rebel Secretary of War, who ordered
the bOmbardment of Fort Sumter, and
served as Secretary until the fall of 1861
and also c. G.. Clay, one Of the Canada
agents of the Confederacy, and menibei
of the rebel Senate, but now held by tn,
United States to answer for outraging its
laws. Of Union men, Northern Alabama
can boast of Messrs. j. c. Bradley and
Mich. Davis, composing part of the dele
| CATION now at Washington. Jere. Glenn
mems and w. r. w. Cobb, formerly mem
bers of the United States Senate and
House of Representatives,, and since no
ted for their opposition to the rebellion
were also from Northern Alabama. Be
sides having many citizens who still re
mained true to their allegiance to tn,
Government, this section of the State
gave to the Union army the First Regi
ment of Alabama Volunteers, white men.
1t is true that Mr.. Bradley did represent
his county in tho Alabama Legislature
since the war began, hut, instead OF aid
ing the rebellion, he introduced resolu
tions looking to arestOration OF the State
to the Union, and this, too, before tn,
successful movements made by Grant anf
Sherman.
However, with the radicals ofthe North
a man must he an out and ont abolition
ist-or, shOuld now say, equal rights
man-else he is styled by them rank
rebel" As an instance, when | came
North, at the breaking out of the war
after having been turned an abolitionist
| by the Southam fire eaters, was here de
nOunced as secessiOnist. Ineyer expect
| to see another rebellion in this country
but if the people of the North want 4
peace mdisturbed by continued bitter
feeling at the South against Northern
men, and consequent persecution of mel
from one section of the country by those
| of another, it is time right spirit was
manifested toward men of the South who
are and always have been consistent
Union men.
Men of all parties in the South were
opposed think rightly-to the election
| of Mr.. Lincoln, because he was the repre-
sentative of sectional party. When il
| was announced that he was elected, the
secessionists (and few there always
have been in the South since the days OF
Calhoun) argued that there was no long
or any excuse for the South remaining III
| the Union; that the abolitiOnists had
long trampled upon their rights, and
now that they had one of their number
for President, it would not he long be
fore the South would lose all her rights
in the Union; that the time had come
when it was the duty of the people of the
| - ~, +1,1, tha ITntn Eni
these men, whose main motives were,
believe, ambitious ones, / have no pity
and do not think the mass of the SOuth
ern people care one jot for them. Ithinb
jeff. Davis & Co. deserve hanging, and
Justice demands it. On the other hand
the Union men of the South said thai
there was no excuse for seeding, moth
ing, scarcely, would justify that; even il
the administration should show dispO
sition to encroach upon their rights -ant
they had not yet given it trial-.it was
restricted by the Constitution and cOnlc
not go beyond that: if they should 81
cede, it would be just what the abolition
lists wanted, that then they could max,
war upon them; and as the Northern
States contained more fighting mon an(
| Ildu greater lthDuICtS, tuty NlHc ANDl III
would surely conquer Political excite
ment ran high, and what helped the reb
el leaders was the Southern pride wa
touched State after State called con
ventions and secession ordinances wer,
adopted; but / believe it was in othe
States as it was in Alabama There tn,
Union men cast a larger vote in the Stat,
than the secessionists, but the conven
ton stood with a small majority for Sc
cession. This was owing to the fact tina
7 the Union counties were more thickl.
populated than the secesh counties, anC
gave larger majorities for their delegate
to the convention The "fire-eaters" hat
their own way and the entire cotton
growing States seeded But the Uniol
sentiment was not extinguished. A
first the rebel government called for vol
unteers and got them, secesh and Uniol
men both going, for most of the Southern
radicals like their abolition opponents o
the North, made the quarrel and left it t.
Others TO fight out But, to prove tina
the movement was not by any mean
popular with the mass of the people, tn
Confederate authorities had TO resort t
drafting before the war was year old
Through jthe four years of war nov
passed, there were very many men of tn
South who remained strong Union men
but hold that the abolitionists have 4
answer for making more rebels than an!
any other class of men. Certainly II ma.