Daily Ohio statesman. [volume] (Columbus, Ohio) 1855-1870, 1865-05-05


HEpptr >S,,rrp. the man who has been
Ii. Ia - = ..rono Abol,t;onist and n
ioohou upon 90 A. p...,ao.
phllantnroplsL auuresseu
JOHNSON an open letter under GATE refers
horo Anr;l "a vin which he pleads against
A.. -. 20 h,oodv end vindictive
'he eAerciso VI o'oo'' =, 49,.
policy toward the ReDels. Ihls Is thc way
he talks:
p The sontbern balfof our nation, combin-
;ng many millions of people, broke away
from the Northern half and became as
manifestlv a nation de facto as was the
Northern half. We could not proceed
AGAINST these MANY millions as against trail
tors and pirates. and try them by municipal
law The case went immeasurably beyond
the scone of the Constitution, and took its
niace nnder the provisions of international
law, Relligerent rights were accorded to
onr enemy nv onr own as well as by other
nat;ons Tbere were truces. that tile dead
might he hurled, and for other purposes.
Ta5tives were not killed. but held as pris-
oners of war. There were negotiations for
neace. and tbatIon one occasion the Presi-
dent and Secretary of State were our ne
got;otore and went to meet theirs, showed,
net only our respect for the enemy, but
how entirely we re cognized the law of
war in our contest with him. Both parties
,,aro y;toi,y interested i'm subiectin0 the
contoct to This law. and in not letting it
S;nr into an internecine and piratical
one Roth narties were equally con-
carned to save life and towns and prop
ertv. and IN have the war of so civilized a
tvne that their citizens would not shrink
from becominp soldiers and sailors. God
forhid that now. when the tide of war sets
etronglv In, onr favor. we should be guilty
of thrist;no the Constitution into the place
of the code of war. and of holding and try
ing no traitors those whom we (none the less
really II INDIRECTLY agreed to regard but as
anan;;ee. and whom. bv all the conclusive e
raasnnS of the case. aside from such agree
ment. % we are bound to regard in that light
Sitb We must NOT break this solemn bar
gain The South would hate us for It'll The
world, would despise us Tor It! And would
not tho North herself If not despising us
for IL he. at least. fearfully divided in re-
card IN itS Greatly should we all love our
Country. Bnt there is one thing we should
all love more. and that is fair dealing. "Our
conntrv RIGHT ln-not sour country right
Or Wv wrono h-sbould be our motto.
THE duty of the North is not to pun
isb the South. bnt simply to provide tor the
future safety of both North and South. l
scarcely need saw, that the main thing to
this end is tn rid the land of slavery, and to
restore to its victims the civil and political
RIGHTS of which it has robbed them. To this
I would add no death, no imprisonment no
anishment-nothino but the breaking up
of the large landed estates of the South for
the benefit of the needy, and the perpetual
Withdrawal of political power from the dis
Al. Il
Of IL from the disloyal masses. | admit
that the nrobation i'm the one case would be
liable IN he shortened. and the absolute de-
nial in tbe other to be repealed. Neverthe-
less. since safety should be our sole aim, /
would sav--let even this take place, when
ever il shall be safe to have it take place.
7 referred. at the beginning of my letter,
to the apprehension that peace, which, only
a few days ago. seemed so very near, is now
ouite remote. I cannot doubt that it is, if
the severe policy toward the conquered reb-
els, which SO many are calling for, shall be
adopted. In that event, hardly in my day,
or even in yours, will peace return to our
afflicted country. For once let it be known
that the leading rebels, who shall fall into
our hands. will be doomed to punishment,
be il death. IMPRISONMENT oreXile-and i'm
mediately, among their followers, sympa-
thy with them and rage against us will
know no bounds. Tens of thousands will
burn with vengeance, and will care for
nothing but to crafty it. This will be true,
as we'll of persons under parole as of 9TH
ers. In that state of things guerrilla
warfare would ensue, which, If not pacifed
by concessions, and such concessions too as
would fatally invade national and human
rights, might run through many years,
harassing and wasting our armies, and