The Kenosha telegraph. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1860-1888, 1866-09-27
RECONSTRUCTION.
letter from Peter Cooper TO President
JOhmsOn.

fliCt Of opinion that has unfortunately pre-
vailed between yourself and the Congress
of the United States, in relation to matter
believed to be vital TO the welfare of GU
common country.
Such differences of opinion, when honest
ly entertained (and sometimes violently
contended for.) show the reason why charity
is the greatest of all virtues because the ex.
ercise of charity is so constantly required to
enable us to bear with the weaknesses and
imperfections of each other
There is, | believe no better way to rec
oncile differences of opinion than to get a
full understanding Of the causes out Of
which such misunderstanding originate.
To do this etfectually it is necessary to
begin by admitting the fact that all effects,
physical, moral and political, are the result
of causes that are equal to their production.
little reflection on the almost almighty
power that the circumstances of BIRTH edu-
cation, climate and country have exerted to
form and fix erroneous opinions that often
lead men, like Paul of old, to believe that
they are doing God service when they are
hailng men, women and children to prison
and to death-refection on these facts will
show how very wise it is for those who have
never made mistake to send the first stone
at those who honestly entertain opinions
different from their own.
1t has always been to me source of sor
row and regret to hear of men in Congress,
orin any other department of government
who destroy their Influence for good by
calling each other hard names, which never
better the condition of themselves or their
country.
l am sure if Mr.. Sumner, could have been
born of your parents, and subjected to all
the circumstances and conditions that have
fallen to your lot in life, he would then have
been the man that would have declared the
many patriotic truths that have been pro-
claimed by yourself.
And if you could have been born and sub
jected to all the conditions that have made
Mr. Sumner what he is, you would then
have been exerting, as he has done, all the
powers of mighty mind to abolish slavery
in all its forms from the face of the earth,
as one of the most corrupting evils that ev
er brought death and desoation, as the
scourge of God, to teach us to do to others
as we would that Others shout do unto US
you would then have been like Sumner,
reading what Scion said two thousand six
hundred years ago-tbGt a0bateUer dag
makes man a SLAVE takes ha!fhiS north aacay.
If it were possible to see ourselves as 9TH
ers see us, it would inspire US with charity,
and teach Us to overcome the evils of which
we complain, with kindness, instead of re-
turning railing for railing and evil for evil
| have thought it strange and unaccount
able that you should SO severely ceDsure the
large majority in Congress, for adopting so
mild form of measures as means for the
guaranty of republican form of govern.
ment in the States so lately in rebellion
measures so much more mild than those so
forcibly recommended by yourself, where
you said, Treason against the government
is the highest crime that can be committed,
and those engaged in it should suffer all its
penalties" and when you declared that
treason must be made odous; that traitors
must be punished and impoverished.
You say, They must not be punish ed,
but their social power must be destroyed. !"
''If not they maintain an ascendancy, and
may again become numerous enough for
treason to become respectable"
You go further, and say that 'tafter max
ing treason odious every Union man should
be remunerated out of the pockets of those
who have inflicted this great suffering on
the country"
Again you say: 81 hold it solemn obi
cation in every one of these States where
the rebel armies have been beaten back or
expelled, care not how small the number
of Union men, if enough to man the ship of
State bold it to be high duty to protect
and secure to them a republican form of
government until they agsin gain strength.
They must not be smothered by inches"
In calling a convention to restore states,
you ask, who will restore it? shall the
. man who gave his influence and his means
to destroy the government ?" Is he to par
ticipate in the great work Of recognizing
the government, who brought this misery
on the state2 If this be so, then you say
in truth that all the precious blood of our
brave soldiers and officers will have been
lost, and all our battle fields will have been
made memorable i'll vain.
You ask, ''Why all this carnage?" 1t
was that treason might be put down and
traitors punished Therefore you say that
traitors should take a back seat in the work
of restoration"
You say, 1.-THE traitor has ceased to be a
citizen and in forming the rebellion became
public enemy"
You further say che forfeited his right to
vote with loyal men when he renounced his
citizenship, and sought to destroy the gov
eminent"
You say ''these rebel leaders must feel
the power of the government treason most
be made Odious, and traitors must be pun
ished and impoverished
You have said ''their great plantations
must be seized and divided into small farms
and sold to honest. industrious men,
You then add. ''the day for protecting
the lands and negroes of these authors OF
rebellion is past"
You say 'you have been deeply panied
by some things that come under your obser-
vation." You say, ''we get men in COM
mand who, under the influence of hattery,
fawnery and caressing, grant protection to
stands out in the cold"
You add, TRAITORS can get lucrative con-
tracts, while the loyal men are pushed aside y
indulge the hope that such practice will
TO longer be tolerated in any branch of the
government.
In relation to the reconstruction of the
government you have wisely said, 'sWe
must not be in too much of a hurry" You
add, 1T Is better to let themselves recon
struct themselves than to force them to If. =
In conformity with your own wise recon-
mendation, the majority of Congress have
devised and adopted an Amendment to the
Constitution that renders it conveniently
practicable for all the rebel states to recon.
struct themselves, and come again into the
possession of those rights which thew have
forfeited by rebellion-a rebellion that ba,
cost the lives and limbs of untold thousands
and thousands of millions of debt that re
maius yet be wrung from the toiling labo
of our people.
The rebel states will certainly accept an.
adopt the Amendment that renders recon
struction so favorable aud convenient, be
fore the assembling of another Congress
unless they are encouraged tc delay, in tn
hope that those who were half traitors du
ring the war will come to their relief an
reiustate them in power, when they woul