The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1866-11-14
mo MORE PUNISHMENT OF THE SOUTH"

Amend nlents" an AbOminatiOn - The
north Quite as Wicked as the south.
Gerritt Smith is out in long letter to Pro-
lessor Taylor Lewis of Union College, Schenec-
tady, on the situation of national affairs. He
says:-
al see that you continue TO write for the saliva
ton OF that dear country. Well you may for
she is, this day, more fearfully imperilled than
she was NJ any time during the clash Of arms
/ have read your pamphlet entitled The Heroic
Periods OF O Nations History | wish every one
could read Its wise and high-souled pages. There
IS however, one blot upon them. They favor
the shedding of more blood. You would have
had the South punished, after she had laid down
her arms. Some of her most prominent men
you would have had punished with DEATH
II wonder that you, who are so familiar with
the writings OF the most approved publicists, do
not fall in with their conclusion, that strife
which has reached the dimensions and dignity
of a civil war, and especially a civil war which,
like our own, divides people into distinct and
and completed national organizations, has out
grown the crime of treason. Their arguments
for this conclusion, together with such as would
suggest themselves to mind as enlightened as
your own, must it would seem, lack nothing 70
convince you of its entire soundness. ! nee1
hardly add that dissent from your dennl''on VI
9 civil war.
at is mainly the fault of the Government,
when one-halfof nation breaks away ron I15 Ine
other. Had our Government been ever WISE anu
just the great secession which mas soaSeH WI oue
soil with blood would not have Deeh. "uen
one-half of England or France or SPAN SUD"
break away from the other, the worlds sympa-
thies will pretty certainly be with the lnsur'
gents-for the world will pretty cerSain,y ln'er
that the insurgents were Wrongeu, moreover, IL
the insurgents shall fail to MAINTAIN their cause
and to right their wrongs. the world will pretty
certainly feel that their failure Is OF itself their
ouite sntfcient punishment. Who is 50 foolish
a. 10 believe that, had the whole history of our
Goyernment been bright with wisdom and Oeal-
tiful with Justice, there would have been this
throwing Off of its restraints and this defiance
Of its POwerW
Pity for the South not punishment, is then
urged by Mr.. Smith, who then continues
Ever since the surrender of the South, have
felt that the first duty OF North and South was a
common repentance for common sin. The dis
charge OF this duty, together with the mutual
forgiveness which would have instantly fol-
lowed, would have proved mighty upward
educator Of both North and South; and it is for
the lack OF this very educator that the character
Of Doth Nortn and South has, all this time, been
going downward. From such repentance and
forgiveness peace would have come long ere
this; and it would have been a permanent, be-
cause a pure peace. Such peace can, now,
hardly be looked fora peace which canGot
come until each section shall itselfand
forgive the other"
Next follows some good advice to General
Putler:-
Mr. Davis has, indeed, wronged his country:
and through hls misapprehensions OF him, has
particularly wronged General Butler. But so,
also, have the country and General Butler
wronged Mr.. Davis. The Countrywide North
as well as the South--moulded his pro-slavery
character, and is largely responsible tor what
has come to him and his country from that
character. Oar guilty nation, in looking upon
Mr.. Davis, should rather pity than hate its own
legitimate offspring. And General Butler
instead OF invoking punishment ON the head Of
hr. Davis, had better tall on his knees before
him IN penItent remembrance of his own pro.
minent connection with the exceedingly wicked
pro-slayery Democratic party"
Then as 10 JED. Davis hmself:-
Jefferson Davis Is kept in prison because the
North still refuses TO repent OF her DrJ-slaVerv
wicbedness. Upon that wickedness, far more
than upon all otner causes is the rum OF Jeter-
son Davis and the South Chargeabe. Repeut-
ance Tor it would quickly open his too long
closed doors. Surely, surely, if the South will
forgive the North, the North can well afford TO
forgive the South. But am asked whether the
North shonld forgive the crueltes of Anderson
vile and of the other terrible prisons OF the
South? Even those unparalleled cruelties she
should remember were the crimes Of slavery,
and that slavery was her own as well as the
SOnth's Crime-ay, that even her churches were
bloOd-red with it, The North, no less than the
South, had the making OF those monsters who
ruled IN those prisons"
Next as to the demand for the Presidents i'm.
peachment;-
'But who ls there to impeach him? With
what decency could a Congress lmpeach him.
both Houses of which are guilty or the same
injustice and inhumanity? Grant that the Pre-
sldents plan OF reconstruction is one which, ii
adopted, would throw the black saviors OF
their stupendously ungrateful and internally
wicked country back again under the feet of
their old oppressors. So, too, would the Con-
gressional plan. Grant that the Presidents plan
would, by refusing to the white loyalists of the
South the shield OF black votes, leave these 10y
alists to be destroyed. So, also, would the plan
Of Congress. Its plan is, indeed not so bad a;
his; but, in respect to their gross violations of
the principles OF justice and humanity, there
is certainly too little difference between them
10 leave it at all decent for Congress
70 impeach the President, Those irrea+
principles impeach and condemn both. Let
them not be so seltignorant and shameless as
to condemn each other. At any rate let not
Congress impeach the President until ii has first
tried the power OF It's own repentance upon the
heart OF the President Whilst for one of these
fellows in unrighteousness to cling 10 the un-
Righteousness is TO lead the other TO cling 10 it,
thus giving II up by the one would, more than
anything else, promote the giving of it up by
the other. greatly wonder that the noble and
clear-eyed Wendell Phillips, who is always fol
working with clean tools, should urge CONGRESS
10 undertake, with its dirty hands, the impeach
ment OF the President. The undertaking woult
carry with It no moral power, and, therefore
do no good. There would be nothing in it t
inspire and elevate the people but much to dis
gust and degrade them. 1t would not pass fo
S commanding duty. but for an unprlnciple
party movement. 1t would not allay or PR
vent hazardous popular commotion, bl
would excite it,"
Then, as to the socalled Constitution
amendments:"-
''Now, of all political denominations know
none more abominable than this amendment.
adopted, there will he an implied constitution
permission for a State 10 dlsirancmse any race
African, German or other. And then com
What ia WOrse-the constitutional oblpatiC