Daily Ohio statesman. [volume] (Columbus, Ohio) 1855-1870, 1866-10-01

greatest Indignation against President
JOHNSON, is his alleged lenity towards
principal actors in the rebellion. That he
has granted pardons in many cases Is un-
doubted; but it ia equally certain that in
nearly every instance Where rebelot any
marked influence has been pardoned, 10 has
been donb'en the Recommendation Of prom
inent Radicals. 1t is a fact, too,tt the
vety men who complain of the Presidents
ieniencg, profess Itihbounded confidence IN
the patriotism of Gen. Grant. 70 the at
tention of such. we cOmmenda careful pc
'rusal of the following; ........., ..... ..
HEADQUARTERS ARMIES UNITED STATEs,l
.S WASHINGTON, June 30, 1865.
Gen. R, B.. Lee, Richmond, "a: '.'' .''.r'"
GENERAL-Your communication Of date
- the 18th inst, stating the steps you had
taken after reading the Presidents procla-
nation of the29th ult- with the. view of
complying with its provisions when you
learned that, with others, you were to be
indicted for treason by the Grand Jury at
Norfolk; that you had supposed that the
officers and men of the Army of Northern
Virginia were, by the terms of their sur
render, protected by the United States
Government from molestation, so long as
they conformed to its conditions; that you
were ready to meet any charges that might
be,preferred against yOu, and did not wish
to avoid trial, but that il you were correct
asIto the protection granted by your pa
role, and were not to be prosecuted, you
desired to avail yourself of the Presidents
amnesty aud proclamation, and inclosing
an application therefor, with the request
that, in the event it be acted on, has been
received and forwarded to the Secretary of
War, with the following opinion indorsed
thereOn rr..us.. ..... .r..,,.. ...
HEADQ'Rs ARMIES UNITED STATES
June 16, 1865.
In my opinion the officers and men pa
roled at AppomatoX Court House, and since
upon the same terms given to Leo, cannot
be tried for treason so long as they obserUe the
terms Of their parole This is my under
standing. GoJD FAITH, as well as true pol
icy dictates that we should observe the con-
ditiOns of that convention. BAD FATTH on
the part of the Government, or a construc-
tion on the part of that convention sub
iecting the officers to trial for treason,
would produce feeling of Insecurity in
the minds of all officers and men. If so
disposed they might even regard such an
infracton of terms by the Government as
an entire release from all obligations on
their part. will state further that the
r terms granted by me met with the HEARTY
APPROVAL OF THE PRESIDENT AT THE TIME,
and of the country generally. The action
of Judge Underwood, in Norfolk, has al
ready had an injurious effect, and / ,oo,lld
ask that he be ORDERED 10 quash ALL indict-
n,entS found against paroled prisoners Of toar,
and to deSiSt from further prosecution Of hens
U. S. GRANT, Lieut.. Gen.
ID This opinion, l am informed, is substan-
. italy the same as that entertained by the
Government. have forwarded your APP
plication for amnesty and pardon to the
President, with the following Endorsement
thereon .... ,, r-
HEADQ'Rs ARMIES UNITED STATEs.(
... rs4.-. June l6, 1865.
, Respectfully forwarded through the Sec
retary of War to the President lCitk dhe
% EARNEST RECOMMENDATION that this dppiica-
= ton of Gen. IL. b. Lee for amnesty and par
don may be granted him. The oath of ale
glance reQaired by recent order of the
President does not accompany this, for the
reason, am informed by Gen. Ord !the or
der requiring it had not tTeached Richmond
when this was forwarded. !, ,..lI lu .i- a.
h'a.o. 94 i'' IS. GRANT, Lieut.. Gen. 20
Yours, respectfully,
u. S. GRANT, Lieutenant General
The above isfrom the pen of the great
Captain for whom there exists such gen
eral respect and confidence among the
American people. 1t is a frank aud out
spoken recommendation in which there is
no qualification or coiicealmtnt, It's in the
same unconditional, style which charac-
terized his action soleng as an enemy con-
fronted him. 1t shows that wien he grant
, ed term. to Lee and the Southern people in
arms, he meant to slight it oiit on that
line" and not suffer himself or the coun-
try to be disgraced by an exhibition of
"bAd faith" towards fallen foe, But he
does not stop there, He makes an earnest"
request of President Johnson to extend
full, free PARDQNto the great military Lead
er whose genius did so much to save the
rebellion from an earlier overthrow. When
Gen. Grant made this recommendation, he
was neither crazy nor forgetfnl of the past.
lie knew the fearful sufierings which the
war had brought upon the country. He
knew that Gen. Lee had been sworn Off
Ger in the service ofithe United States. He
knew, in the language used by others, that
he was ''perjured traitor" and a "red
handed rebel.p He knew that the same
could be said cf thousands Of other leading
men IN the rebel service, But along with
all this knowledge, he felt that the great OBJ
iect of the war. bad been accomplished
when the entirety of the Union had been
preserved and no arm was longer raieed in
rebellion against its authority, He therefore
dismissed the rebel army to their homes with
pledge that for their past action they
should not be molested provided they
thenceforth yielded faithful obedience to the
Union. This action on the part of the
great chieftain, as he testiies III the above
document, met ''he hearty approval" Of
President Lincoln and of the country gen
orally. 1t was the policy by which Mr..
Lincoln and General Grant believed the
future unity aud happiness of the country
would be best advanced and perpetuated.
They believed that to deal with the South
ern people in spirit of generosity could
not fail to beget q sense Of grateful recol--.
lections that would tend to harmohize and,
strengthen tbefUnion, whilst an opposite
policy would arouse a spirit of sullenness
and diseontent that would rankle at the
very heart of the Republic. Inn. .',,.'-..
But TO conclude, General lee remains up-i
pGrd0ned TO the present dag. NQtWithstand-
ing the high position and earnest" re-
communication of the great and magnani-.
NOUS chieftain who brought the rebellion
to o close, President johnson has not deem
ed lit wise to, grant the petition indorsed
SIXTEEN MONTHS AGO by the great military
fayoElte OF the, people, q Had the President
deemed is exRedient TO grant an cary par
don to General Lee, he, could have excused
the act by referring to the fact that it was
recommended by the great, leader of the
act prematurely 3 and, his conduct in, this
Instance, as In others, Is, strongly illustra-
tiveof the general fact that instead of max
la,,s