Cleveland daily leader. [volume] ([Cleveland, Ohio]) 1865-1873, 1866-02-15
The South as II fs-I.etfer from am Ar
my Officer.

The South as II is-Letfer from am Ar
my Officer.
Testimony from all parts of the South
ern States comes pouring in upon us, all
of it proving that the people of the South
are still at heart rebellious and ttaitorous,
and ready to burst out in flame of in
surrection at the first opportunity. The
following extract from letter written by
an officer Of the United States Army to a
well-known business man of this city, only
confirms the statements of every loyal and
candid man who has had an opportunity
ofobserving how matters are going in the
rebellious States. The writer of the letter
was Breckenridge Democrat in 1860, and
bis testimony cannot therefore be disposed
of by saying that It is that of an q Aboli-
zionist" We commend It TO the attention
of our readers:
can assureyou most positively that hos
tility against the United States Government
is stronger now than in the spring of 1861.
Treason (if there is such thing,) is openly
enacted day after day in our midst, and the
General Government set at nought, ridiculed
and scoffed at. And why, as Artemus Ward
says, is this " "thusly" Why are officers
and soldiers not allowed to arrest or punish
the offender as he deserves, the same as in
active warfare III tell you why: because
'twould tend to embitter the Southern peo-
pie against the soldiery, and thereby frus-
trste the plan Of reconstruction.
Reconstruction bah. to these degraded
demons there is no such thing. They know.
ingly and wilfully forfeited all right, claim,
or even sympathy of the General Govern
ment, when they seeded from the circle Of
States. They deserve no sympathy, privi
Ieges, or any act of leniency whatever.
Coniseation should be the word and order
Of the day rather than reconstruction.
Wrest from them the right to hold foot of
soil, place the entire seeded district under
the homestead laws, and let them be taken
possession of by honest, industrious people,
who will give their hearty support to the
Constitution, to the enforcement of law and
justice, liberty and equality among all
classes.
You already know my opinion of politics
has always been foreign to the Republican
party, and in some things is still. / do not
advocate negro suffrage fanatically, yet
would give the black race who can read and
write an equal PriU1ege with the whites, and
to some whites superior privilege. For
instance: During the months of July and
August officers Of my command were in the
interior, administering the amnesty oath to
eitisens. and, sir, they find three-fifths of
the entire white population over twenty y-one
years of age who were enable to read or
,Orite They were poorly informed; some
even did not know the war was over. On
the other hand l know myself nearly one
thousand black men over twenty-one years
Of age who can read, write, and talk bust
ness or politics huently and we'll. Are such
people to be deprived Of the privileges which
a poor devil OF a white ignOrsmus enjoys,
because their skin is colored7 By the Eternal,
say no. Not if we do justice to ourselves,
our country and the human race. Let Con-
gress pass a law allowing all citizens of the
United States, white or black, the right Of
suffrage, who can read and write. Then we
will see how far Southern ehivslry holds
sway in this country.