, 1866-05-23
MINISTER HARYEY,s LETTEB.

L1sHos, March II, 1866.
HoS. ". H. SEwARp-3fy Dear Sir:
thank you, for myself and Tor many Others,
for your recent speech In New York, which
has the rug Of the true metal, and Is direct
eistentfy shaped through the last fout! years,
If the Administration cannot be sustained in
lighting on 'tthat llne,"i it had better surren-
der absolutely, for no other plan Of campaign
can possibly succeed. and Il this fails, woe be
to those who cause the defeat.
The follr and madness Of some Of our So
called friends astound and mort1fy those who
are rrmoyed from the hot atmosphere Of pas
sion and interest," They make Eilfnl war
upon the man who, like all others challenges,
from exceptional causes, respect, admiration
and sympathy for hts noble conduct, and who
has made more sacrifices for the great priucf-
pies which hare trtumphed than those self.
constituted leaders, backed BY their admiring
followers, have done all their lives, or proba-
bis would do, In presence ut 8uch dangers as
he incurred for Their defence Tried by the
Htcrnest tests to which human endurance
could be subjected, he has exhibited q grand
and imposing fidelity, which stands out In
yilers who shouted loudly enough for "the
cause " when advocacy involved no persoual
peril, and when zeal was not without the
promise Of reward.
Certainly, I have never been Of the num-
ber who ndmired the Ptesiaent's former .tDe-
myself wanting IL the heart Of a true Amert-
can, could Withhold or see withheld from
him the Justice due to such rare devotion as
he has shown, OF fail to recognize bis pse-em-
inent services to the Union, and bis modest
but unfllnching loyalty, Or hold back the
do not honor such qualities We dishonor our
selves.
Since attaining his high responsibility he
has exhibited capacities OF craftsmanship and
traits Of personal character which hare ex-
tortcd the admiratfon OF the nations IN Eu-
rope least disposed to look with favor upon
our ins,itutaons, OF the men who shape and
illustrate them.
Duty, patriotism, md even selashness, a1l
combined, as It were, to urge the support of
tho wise and patriotic policy Which the Ad-
mlnistratIon was obliged to accept and pur-
by Congress for o state Of peace. Dinescn-
cea Of detail might be expected In the new or
der Of things, but surely they did not warrant
such accusations IS were made, and such
mcnaccs as were more than intlmated
against the President, or the slightest with
less a rupture, which in some quar-
! texs see1ns to have been destgnedly pro-
| yoked, While any collision between the
majority In Congress md the President Is to
be regretted, the rece1t explosion will ope-
rate like electricity IL clearing the atmos-
/ country will ytndicate hselt again, as It has
often done before, bY an instruction likely TO
be remembered by those who would "1ule or
ruin" The people ate weary OF agitation for
| the sake Of agitation, and they demand th8t
| peace, order and law shall be re-cstabtished
| throughout the lenat and breadth Of tic
| Union. Faction can no more arrest the march
| Of those events than the march Of the waves,
which will not 70 so far aad no further at their
| bidding. although they may conand with the
tongue Of 4 thousand Canutes.
| Lc. the Administration 20 Straightforward,
md without shrinking, and NIL will be well,
howl as partisanship may at its heels. Look
/ ut the record Of your own Individual expe-
rience since 1861, II instruction and encour-
/ agement be needed. Who 50 prosecuted. out
ragged and traduced, and br many who should
hang their heads down Il very shame, and
who 60 triumphautly honored md sustained,
by the compelled homage Of reyilersr
| II It wera possible to destroy the Union,
and with it all hopes OF the future, the men
engaged in and exciting the crusade would
be exactly the appropriate Instruments All
thelf eadeavors, their enthuslasm and their
desires have been directed to that end, If not
with inten: ion, at least with mfschieyous
lessons Of wisdom from the Duke
| OF Alva, whose advice, unreason and
obstinate concelt cost Philip the Second ona Of
the iairest parts Of bis domlnions. Minus the
form Of the inquisition-of which the modern
Alvas would preserve oil the punishment
there IS striking parallel Between the cham.
| pioDs Of harsh aud headstrong zeal 500
! years ngo and that which lashes itself into
fury now, and merely because 1t cannot have
"lia own way" .
We are fighting new battle for the Union,
| and against foes the more dangerous for being
insIdious and within the lines of our own
camp. But have not particle OF doubt
| about the result. any more than had about
the issue OF the other war, when our proper
strength could be collected md 1udiciouslg
applied.
The c1isis demands positive remedies and
direct treatment. QuaSkery will not do IL
this extremity; therefore the sooner it Il IN.
de1stood that line must DO drawn broadly
aud clearly the sooner will the Admlnistra4
which incidentally menace 1t. Whoever has
| studied the event OF the war must be con
I yfuced that the black man cared very little
| for lis own status. or was willing to make
much effort to change 1t. No such opportn.
nifty wns ever offered to an eus1nved race to
strike for itself, and certainly encouragement
enough was given to It to do so In some d.
1 rcction. Every proper end humane man feels
TINT, enancfpatcd as that rucc now is, 1t
should have every just old and protection
ron, from some little observation On the SUBJ
}ect and some knowledge Of the people,
! That human Ingenuity c1uld not devise a
more effective method for fastening another
form OF bondage upon them than this ballot
which is proposed as their sovereign panacca-
Give them that right and would pledge my
lite on the result, II the test could be fairly
made, that almost ninety per cent of the
whole black population would gote on the
side OF their old masters, OF, In other words,
become the Instruments Of fastening new
chains upon themselves; and II ever the day
comcs, which hope never to see, for fear o1
the consequence when these people may
vote without condition, you may expect to
sec the South compacted By negro suffrage,
and uniting with the Northern so-called De
| mooney to regain possession OF the Govern.
mcnt, and overthrow everything thus far nc'
comPliahed, and such result would be quite
Ia keeplng with the sagacity and moderation
Of those who arc realy to sacrifice everything
sacred to the one idea Of their foolish tanati'
cism. =,
have no. been able to sec the imminencs
Of the wnr OF races on account Of the ballot
as supposed By the President. but do see In
1t the much more serious danger now sug'
gested-the old hatred and Jealousy between
nceroes aud the ignorant white class, what
the negro in bis 1ottiuess calls the 1spool
buckrah-what would lead to collision
| probably, u they were approached by az
equalizinE process like suffrage but cannoi
think that anything serious would come a.
II. The political aspect Of tho question Ii
much grnver, aud onght not to be ignored
OF course Fred. Douglass aud his fol(owera
would argue differently, but experience il
worth little more than delusive theories.
Wishing sou we'll through all these ve1R
''0os' a"' rs s'e'' 'A''J!I JaMEs E. HARVEY.