The Cadiz sentinel. [volume] (Cadiz, Ohio) 1864-1911, 1866-09-12

LOVaI IN ACt anu IuGpOsc-
Gross Misrule by Federal A.
gents-RObbery and Wrong on
Every Hand---COngreSsiODai
Policy of Exclusion, and HIS Re
SuIts-What is Needed 10 Re-
store Harmony and Prosper
ity.
WASHINGTON, August "a, 1866.
To His Excellencv, Andrew johnson, Pres
ident of the I'M ed States:
SIR:-In obedience to Instructions dated
May 9, 1866, directing me, while irving
out specific mission, to examine carefully
INTO the disposition of the people OF the
Southern States through which l might
mass toward the Government OF the United
States" | have the honor to report:
That in all the States | visited, | found
no sign or symptom Of organized disIoydlty
to the General Government l found the
people taking our currency, and glad to get
it; auxiou for No. hern capital and. North
eln labor to develope the resources OF their
wasted country, aud we'll disposed toward
every Northern mpu man who came among
them with that object in view.
In some localities | heard rumors of Sc
cret ORGANIZATIONS pointing to renewal OF
the rebellion. On investigating these Sc
cret societies | could discover in them moth
ipg more than charitable institutions, hav-
i,g for their principle object the relief of
the widows and orphans of Confederate
soldiers who had fallen in the war;
During the whole Of my travels found IT
to be as safe and as convenient to m'ngle
with the people Of the Souib, freely dis
cussing any and eve.y topic that C"me up,
as ia any other section of the United States.
was often among them unknown, aud the
tenor of their acts and conversation was then
the same as when my name and official posi-
ton were thoroughly understood,
The people Of the South may be divided
into two clLsses There is the indusu Gus
class, laboring earnestly to build up what
has been broken down, striving to restore
prosperity to The country, and interested
mainly in the great question Of providing
food and clothing for themselves and taml-
lies. These form the great maiorit' OF the
people. Then there is another class, COM
posed mainly of young men who were the
bucks of Southern society before the war,
aud chiefly spend their time in lounglng
round The couri-rooms and bars, 10 chicken
figh,ing and gapbling. These have been
greatly broken up by the war; many OF them
have been killed, but those who remain are
s,;ll disturbing elements in the community
and are dong much mischief. 1t Is this
class of men, and number OF the poorer
whites, who have formed gangs Tor horse
s,ealiog. 1t is they who in some, instances
| have made attacks on officers OF the Freed
mems Bureau, and have ill-tr ated the
freedmen. 1t is they who affoIG the man
pre,cxt for saying that there is among the
people of the South a feeling Of hostility
toward the Tn ted States Government
! But they are not the representatives OF the
Southern people. They form but an lnslg,
ni6cant minority in the community, and
even thew are actuated not so much by q
feeling Of opposition to the Government a;
by reluctance to earn their own livelihood
bv honest labor and individual eEertion.
That cases of authentic outrage have oc
cured in the South is patent to every oht
familiar with the trent news OF the day
But these cases are few and far between
and it is bolh ungenerous and unjust tt
charge the responsibility for such acts o
lawlessness upon the whole Southern people
For some malicious purpose accounts O.
those isolated disorders have been. collected
and grouped together and owpsbro. IDEAS
over the North, so as to give the publ1'
the condition of Southern society. Ih'
fact is, that wherever disafectlon and turbu
lence have manifested themselves outsld
the class to whom have above alluded
there has been some local or specific caus
to account for it. Lawlessness, like an epl
dcmic, has extended over particular belts o
the country, and. like an epidemic IS equal
" traceaNle to some initiatory cause. Che
among these causes must be named ba'
government, pillaSe, and oppression.
For five years the Southern people hav
been the subjects of gross misrule. Dnrln
the war their Government was a mliltar
despotism, dependent solely on the dlctun
of an individual. Since the war they hay
been left more or less in u chaotic state
their Government sem ivll, seHi military
or rather a division OF rule between tn
military, the Freedmens Bureau and tn
Provisional Governments. What nigh
have been the result of a different policy
! is not altogether idle to speculate. Ever
. military man who served in the South dun
ing the war will agree that the heart OF tn
great mass Of the people was not thorough
in the struggle. The nun Der OF deeertor
from the rebel armies abundanty establlsht
t this fact. Had policy of wise and state
5 manlike Cancellation been followed out III
: mediately after the close Of the war, it
$ more than probable that the condition an
9 disposition of the people would now be +;
: better than they are. -,
a But, on the subiugation of the Soutl
: the Nat nal authority in the late rebellion
/? States was divided and broken up into ol
posing tactic whose ections greatly hil
8 dered the re-estahlishment of civil law an
+, good order so much needed among PEI
o pie demoralized by the most demoralizlr
v Of all gencics-c,vil war. The country
G flooded with Treasury agents, who, wit
S thei, accomplices and imitators, feeced Il
q people right and left, returning into tt
United Estates Treasury, Tor all the emo
It nous amount Of property they sized az
IS co tiscated, barely enough to pay the co
q of confiscation. Agents of the freedman
4 Bureau step red between the planter ond
IS laburer, stirring up strife, perNetuatn
If antagonism, and often adding til quo
il Of extortion and oppression. On eve
l. hand the people themselves robbed al
" wronged by rents and self-apponted agcn
,e protesting to act under the sanction, OF t.
'e United States Government. Need 1t
If wondered at that among community tn
"a Gealt with, powerless to resist and too we
RI and prostrated for successful complain
a.. some bitterness and i'll feeling should ar
II None but a brave and well mear 'ng peoT
+. could hpve endured unresistingly all tl
NJ the South has undergone.
IL In prosecuting the inquiry l hare
If deemed it fair to ask more than what h
as en- the actions of the people Of the Sou
h toward the General Government wi
II cir private opiniors, their sympath
Ye and their preiudices, had nothing to do.
Yet, for more thorough understanding
the qut stion, made it part Of my m
sion to investigate even these. | tou
they had universally complied with c,
. ditions granted end accepted OF the fl
~ surrender of their armies and cause.
=, found that they were carrying out W
W vood faith and alacrity the requirement.