The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1866-07-24

The Philadelphia Convention
An Important Letter ON the Present
Political Situation.
WAsHINaToN, D. G., July 1s, '66.

An Important Letter on the Present
Political Situation.
wAsH1NepoN, d. G., July 10, '66.
Hon. ~. d. Kelley:
DEAR SIR:-I will resnond to your
kind letter of the nth, which is before
me, as concisely and succinctly as pos
sible, and yet fear that shall weary
you.
The war being ended, but one thing
remains to be done, and that is, for the
defeated party to ''Gceept the situation -
The war originated from an irrecon-
/ ctlable conflict of opinions upon the
questions of secession and slavery.
The surrendering of its opinions ION
the points at iBSue) by the losing party;
the incorporation Of the principles. SET
| tied by the winning party. in whole or
in part, into the life of the Government;
and the laying down of presidents in
the treatment of those engaged in re-
/ bellion which may be used to prevent
or punish treason in the future, follow
naturally and logically the result OF the
armed conflict.
Then what is the "SittEdtiOTt" 80 much
talked Off rs -
first. -. N
And then the taking of the oath OF
allegiance by the citizens.
The repudiating of the confederate
debt by the States.
And the adoption of the constitu-
tional amendment abolishing slavery,
were required by President johnson as
conditions precedent to restoration.
| Thus far had the President defined
the situation when Congress met.
Alter careful survey of what the
Executive had required, Congress
thought 1t advisable to impose other
conditions.
The first was the civil-rights bill and
The second, the constitutional amend
ment. @ -
These requirements of the President
and Congress, as understand 1t, con-
stitute the "situation."
Which itself being accordingly de-
lined, means,
Accepting the termination of hostili-
ties by an unconditional surrender of
the armies;
Repudiating the Confederate debt;
Adopting the constitutional amend
ment abolishing slavery, and incorpo-
rating its provisions in their organic
law; aa,
Granting to the negro all protection
to life, limb and property that any other
man has, coupled with all political
privileges except that of voting;
Agreeing to send representatives to
Congress based upon the number of its
citizens who are not disfranchised by
organic law, as is done in the other
States of the Union;
And for precedent to govern in the
future, conSenttng to exclusion from
office Of certain persons engaged in the
rebellion. .saf .
The situation, thus defined, has been
in part accepted. How reluctantly, in
consequences of the action of vindictive
and ambitious politicians South, the
facts most abundantly attest. Hui
Now then, should the convention
about 10 assemble at Philadelphia in
August, composed as it will be OF repre-
sentative men of all the elements of
opposition to the Government in the
late war, "accept" fully the "situation"
as thus rendered by Congress and the
Executive, what untold benefits it
might thus confer upon the people.
How soon might the last vestige of sec
tional strife be wiped out, and a re-
united people start afresh on the path
way of peace and prosperity.
And why should it not be so2 The
terms are reasOnahle-morer reasonable,
| a thousand fold, than the eSouthernpeo-
pie We're taught TO expect before the
surrender. They had been told by
rulers, politicians and press, that sub
mission to the Federal authorities
would entail contiscation, exile or
chains, plunder, and division of lands
among lustful soldierY, besides every
conceivable degradation. =
Instead ofthis, the Government leaves
them unmolested in their homes, their
persons and property, and sends its
agents, by direction of Congress, to
hunt up and provide for. our starving
women and children. 2 q" :
1t now says, go freely where you will.
Take lands and goods and chattels, and
all things material and periShubEs, but
let the principles. settled by the war, be
engratted in the Government and stand
throngh all the ages 81 iHe a
And the terms are certainly milder
than, the leaders in the South thought
would be imposed.
Every man who was South at or i'm
mediately after the surrender, cannot
fail to remember the real or assumed
submissiveneSs of those leaders. who
had chained to carnage and pain the
brave and bleeding masses of the South
ern people for two long years after all
hopes of success had departed. Par
don and permission to earn bread and
secure shelter for their families, and to
lead obscure and unobLrusiVe lives,
was claimed to be the limit of their
ambition. They then felt the true sit
uation. i'AA
A member of Mr.. Davis Cabinet
Reagan, of Texas-advised his people
to concede, by a liberal Constitution,
every principle involved in the conflict
/ HH -
Stephens was at one time on the eve of
advising Georgia to do the same thing.
| If these men SO felt, the masses could
have been induced at once and without
a murmur to hHye accepted the sibuR-
ton in its broadest sense.
But that time has gone by. The par
doned leaders are betrayfng the Gov
ernment and misguidinS the people.
They are intolerant, superstitions and
dictatorial. They are seized with a
love for the Constitution that maddens
them. Mr.. Ben. Hill, of Georgia, late
Confederate Senator, and now a dele
gate, i believe, to. the. Philadelphia con-
Vention, who went out of the Union to
fight for slavery and secession, and
who, being dragged back, proposes to
renew the fight peaceably 3 in the Union
for what is left of both, said recently
that he went out of the Union to save
the Constitution, and thatihe had come
back for the same purpose. And such
sophistry is responded TO, and made to
swell upon every breeze by all the "loy-
alerso from Georgia to the Penobscot.
tell you these men are as ready to
deceive and bring to suffering the mass
es of the Southern people to-day as they
ever were, If by so doing they, can but
advance themselves. They donothing
to conciliate; nothing to harmonic.
They pandef to every weakness and
passion of the people, and tear open
every wound aftesh! that they may gain
an ephemeral popularity: instead OF
consoling, they do all to fdispfrit and
discourage. Instead of teaching our
people 70 bury the past, they hold II up
before them, clothed with magnified
horrors. OF the present they speak de-
spondingly, and forebode nothing but
evil for the future.
know that among the number who
endorse the Philadelphia convention
there are good and patriotic men. But