The daily phoenix. [volume] (Columbia, S.C.) 1865-1878, 1866-07-24


reference, we subjoin the letter of
Acknowledgement Speed. defining his,
position on the great question Of.
reSern*ioa: - :,
W.sH.ss~oN, D. G..5July IA, 1865, .
71Ha. II. DoosiaAs, Cauis,nscw:.eee !
Sur: I.hsve the honossto ackn6#
ledge the receipt of your note of the
10th inst::ss.witil n priatea> copy Ola
eaAfor y aNational convsntiolEs to be
held at Philadelphia. on the 14th- day
of August next You 1equest, in case
thecall and principles enanciated in
it meet my approvai. thatI reply. at
my searliest convenience This 4an
gIaee would seem to- imply t|sat-nl,
answer is desired, III doenot approve
thecall and principles avowcd in it.
In other .Words, that n failure -ta'reply
may be interpreted as disapplox,sl.
not-only OF the call llsfbutpf eaehr znad
alf of the principlesann sin it.
This - q position i'll which 1, am
un~illing-to be placed, when I APP
prove of many of Tire principles set
forth in the call, and vet do not ap=
prove of the call itself Twill 1bxieAy
state my reasons, first promising that
l do not otrecognize. the very RESPECT
abie gentlt4en who have made this
can as the acknowledged organs Of the
great Union party Of the counfry.>*
: Since the outbreak OF tne terrific
struggle, from which the country has
NOW: emerged, We have had National
Umon party. that has exhibited. moro
devotion, made greater sacrifice, and
manifested more finselfsh p.triotism
than any party eyer did previously in
the history of the world That pt rty
is still III beng. with its prganizat ION
intact and its organs known; and as
that party, by its faith. it's doctrines
and its cxrrtlons, has, III the face. uf
the prophecies OF half the new ana
all the old woEld, saved the G"vern-
ment and tila repnblionn constitutions
OF our co,nmtsn Country from demo-
ralization, and indeed from utter
ruin. by visaicasis1g at dll hazards the
primordaf theory of the ot-rnal inais-
soluble nnion of the States, Through
which Only cana particle of the thep-
ry of State rights ever be n1ain-
tanned ana carried out, it would
appear 10 me to be still the only, or
at any rate the most, effectual, ,,ineans,
as far as a party can do it.. of tinallv
adjusting all the remaining nlinorand
| unsettled matters of reconstruction.
consistently with the requirements Of
the theory mentioned This party is
the same to-day as it -was in the days
of its trial; the sa1ne party
when, but q few short months o.. it
elected Lincoln and Johnson and o
majority ofthe present Congress. aud
as acted with it then for par,auonn
reasons. my sense Of duty demands
thnt remain and act with it now
The plth and marrow Of the riu.
sent call, | should say tends toward
n convention to- form party for suS
tanning, not the Government in its
entirety, rs has been the mission or
the Union party; but q department
OF the Government; and here must
take the liberty Of adding thatI cau
hardly conceive Of any sasldcr spec
tacle under the crisis Of present cir
cn:nstances than that of the tried
Union party Of this country becoming
dislocatod and broken up bv diver
siOns, or that of one branch of the
Government of the country ts.kine.
an isolated position npon questions
of deep and common interest, and
placing itself i'll hostile conflict with
coordinate departments For these,
and other reasons which might he
mentioned. ] cannot join in the call
for the Convention in Philadelphia.
] have said that many of the p,iu-
ciplcs stated III the call are, in my
view. unobjectionable. I will not
stop to criticise those which ure OBJ
jectionable, but content myself with
stating that the call fails to take any
notice of one of The great issues now
before the American people. L allude
to the question whether the several
States shall ratify OR reject the last
amendment proposed by Congress
to the Constitution Of the United
States. This is grave and all-im-
portant question; the issue upon it
cannot be avoided. 1t should be
placed fairly and sqnarely before the
people
The failure to take ground upon SO
important and all-absorbing Il oucs-
ton must be attributed either to a
desire to avoid the issue, or as n de
claration OF belief and policy against
the adoption Of the amendment. Be
ing myself earnestly and decidedly in
favor of the adoption of the amend
L. 1