The evening Argus. [volume] (Rock Island, Ill.) 1861-1871, 1865-12-29


mon rights, has reconciled people and paci- |
fed Q distracted country and when has it
happened that clemency, leniency, as the |
president expresses il, has failed to produce |
beneficial results? IL is not necessary to 90 |
very far back for instances to sEow this |
Look at the treatment of England toward Ire
land, What has been the result there of her
holding that people in a species OF vassalagef
A Fenian iusurrection upon her hands now
after hundreds of years Of attempt TO domin.
ate over that people, Look at Poland look
everywhere. And if it be necessary to see
what clemency, what leniency and justice,
and trust and confidence can do TO restore q
people once in revolution, take the conduct of
Hoche In La Vendee. There by the genius
of one man. high enough to be above vulgar
passion, statesman enough to look to the fu-
ture, La Vendee was restored to France and
is there now part and parcel of il, with every
recollection of the revolution efaced.
Says the president:
.'It 10 that In some of the states the demon
alizng effects of war are to be seen in OCCASIONAL
| disorders''-
| These effects are to be seen in the north as
we'll as In the south
'sbut these local in character, not frequent in
occurrence, and rapidly disppearing the au-
| thorty of civil law Is extended and sustained
PerpexIng questions were naturally to be expect
| ed from the great and sudden change in the rea-
| tons between the two races; but systems are
| gradually developing themselves under which the
| freedman will receive the protection to which he
IS justly entitled, and by means OF his labor make
| himself aiuseful and independent member of the
| community in which he has his home. From ell
| the information IN my possession, and from that
| which have recently derived from the most re-
! able authority, am induced to cherish the belief
! that sectional anImosIty is surely and IDLY
merging itself into spirit of nationality, and that
| representation, connected with properly adjust
ed system OF ia ration, will result In harmonious
restoration Of the relations of the states the Ma
| tIonal UnIon.'
| There Is a little testimony yet, Mr.. Presi-
dent; and it is worth while to consider, while
we are here to take counsel and TO know
! what we ought TO do in the extraordinary sit.
uation in which find ourselves. From
| whom will we take that counsel? Are we
to take it from men, the purpose of whose life
| seems to be to wage war upon these people
! and their institution.
Shall we take il from men whom they'hate per-
! sonally and by name, and to whom il is almost
| impossible to suppose they ever will be reconci.
ed or in the nature Of things can be reconcileds
! Or are to take from the who have not
| made this Il personal war: who have treated il as
| a national war, and VINO, in their conduct of it,
have won the applause of both sections The
president saws that part of his information has
been received from General Grant. VINO is Gen
eral Grant? Who Is to be put in the scale with
/ weigh down his Is he "whiteW ASKING" here
too? Has ne forgotten the position he occupies
before the American people? With the highest
military character of any man TODAY upon the
earth, has he Condescended TO come here TO de-
ceive the senate of the country, aud 10 lie about
the condition of affairs in the south. which he
has recently visited! Let US hear what he saws
and listen with patient reverence TO the utterance
OF a man of sense, patriot, and IA prudent man,
who desires not TO enbroil, not TO embitter, not
to widen the gap that already exists between the
two people who ought II be fraternally united,
but a man who desires 10 heal and - pdciiy IA
man imbuei with the spirit Of HOche wnen lie
went to La Neudee. and where he succeeded
when Others had failed. What does he say, 1t
IS not the tone manner of the letter-writer,
but il = in the manner of u man and 4 soldier
Il ain satisfied SAYS he; aud when he j. sat
isfed who dares saw he IL satisfied uTon the
score of honesty and good intent toward this re.
pubhcs Il am satisfied that the mass of think
ing men IN the south accept the present situation
of affairs in good faith. That il what General
Grant saws. Is that embarrassing :"
THE questions which have heretofore divided
the sentiments of the people Of the two sections
! slavery and state rights the right OF u state
! to seceGe from the Unlon-they regard as having
been settled forever by the highest tribunal
arms-that man can resort to-
IL il now said that they do not think so that
|, they ale Only pretending, and have covert pur-
pose OF DONG something hereafter about this
thing, nobody eau tell exactly what Perhaps
! We will be told they wall not abide the result
Twas pleased TO learn from the leading men
I whom met, that they not only acce Jted the de-
cision arrived at final. but that now, when the
smoke OF battle has cleared away aud time has
been given for reflection, this decision has been
fortunate one for the whole country they receiv-
{ ing like benefits from II with those who opposed
them in the field and in council"
, Why, Mr.. President, the common sense of that
| asst MT l. t.4Sti tn.n
that OF a thousand scr.bblers who merely look At
detached points of this great feld. They have
!, resolved ID accept the decision as final; and,
what we ought all to be glad to know, they have
found that it is for their benefit. They have
found, too, after the smoke has cleared away,
e that they really in better condition than
they were before, that they have been relieve
from the incubus which oppressed them for so
f long time, and they ready now to take their
places in the Onion, and alongside of the north
D ern states who have made liberty their great
principle rather than slavery. Why should they
not? If any man can give reason why they
should desire to keep up this strife longer, with
their devastated fields, with their treasures
. empty, with their society disorganzed, | should
like to hear 1t. i therefore hope, Mr. President
that we may meet them in a different spirit; that
we may show them that we made this war, not
to make them eternal enemies of ours not to hu
g initiate them, but to rescue them that we made
: this war to 60 and get them out of the clutches
o ofthe bad men who had misled them into the
: gloomy realm Of secess sion aud dsunion and that
/ we intend after the great military victory which
: we have achieved, to achieve another by mag.
nanimity aud cemency in our conduct toward.
them; that will win them back TO be as they
= were before our friends and our brothers
= ofthe same race and of the same lineage.
= hope too that this angry, irritating and exciting
mode OF treating this subject, which is calculated