Daily Richmond Whig. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1865-1869, 1866-03-12
A Northern View of the Situation.

We have been permitted to make the follow
ing extract from late private letter, written
by one Ofthe most distinguished and spacious
statesmen in the North, to one Of our fellow
citizens. The name Of the writer, were We at
liberty to give it, would secure instant and
eager attention to his utterances. He has been
a consistent, thorough, bold OppOSer of all radi-
calism for years past, and sagaciOus enough to
have predicted, long ago, many Of the results
which We are now witnessing. Ii is to be
hoped that his sagaeity may fail him in regard
to the anticipatiOns expressed in this letter. 1t
hopeful support Of the President in all his at
tempts to restore the Government under the
Constitution. Having spoken OfOther matters,
he says:
Meanwhile, hope that martial law may be
removed from Virginia, and hGbedS corpus
" fully restored. If ANDREW JOHNSON lives,
this will probably happen and yet, after all,
&" | am just the reverse Of Sanguine that quiet
- and full republican government, the rights OF
the States and Of the people, will ever be
restored without another bloody convulsiOn.
20 In fact, have never believed il. Both ma
ture and the lessons Of history forbid il. Like
" JOB, may say, the spirit Of the coming trOu-
"ble passes before my eyes, but Il cannot dis
Germ the form thereof"
The result of the war has Left US all in a
" situation alike unnatural, illogical and i'm
possible OF continuance. Southern indepen-
" dence failed, as l always believed it would !;
" and you know was always against it. But
" the evil now is that truth, justice, the right,
liberty, craftsmanship, manhood, religion, and
"a all that the word gentleman includes are un-
4" dermost, and their oppoSites in the ascend
= ant. The yain-glorious boast of WARD
" BEECHER-Strictly true as to the last five
" years-sums it all up-'New England ideas
govern the country All this will be re-
" yersed. But when, how, through what tribu-
" latiOn, who shall say
:" And then, that perpetual, perplexing
- sphynx to the South-free -negrOisni-tO yeX
" and harrass you for years, and then to be
" solved at last, after bloody and horrible
- war of races, by determination, in part Of the
d" blacks, and deportation OF the survivors -
&" Think OF the tender mercies OF New England
d" abolition philanthropy Slavery abolished
after four years ofscOurgng desolating war,
" and at a cost of four thousand millions Of dol
" lars and then another scene Of horrible car
a. mage and stupendOus cost to deport the entire
negro population which may chance to sur
=" yiye the conflict There is, in my judgment,
4" but one way Of escape, and that is the way
towards which the whole policy of the h.ta-
nails Otthe North and West is now directed
" total and thorough amalgamation OF the
=" races-a nauSeating impoSsibility.
- But, in whatever Troublesome before us all,
- il is OF immense concern that the Federal
d" Executive is for return to the old Govern
4" ment, the old Union, the Old order Of things,
&" aud it is the duty of all patriots, and espe-
e cially of the South, to extend to him now a
Z" cordial support. In that direction lies hope"
God grant that the evils ioreboded in the
above extract may be ayerted, and that the
advice in the last paragraph may be needed
Twelve months ago, few men were more tho
roughly disliked and abused in the South than
ANDREW JOHNSON. To-day, no man is more
thoroughly trusted and esteemed. We frankly
confess that We then miStOOk the man and his
character. His bold, manly, heroic defence Of
the right his stern abnegation OF self; hisSub-
lime magnanimity, in forgetting the abuse that
had been heaped upon him his LOFTY superb
GRITTY to revenge, have conquered us more
thoroughly than the armies OF GRANT and
SHERMAN ever could. The South never yet
failed to recognize and honor the bold, honest,
true man. Nor will the North fail to recognize
him; for there he has won as great a victory as
here. Not in high favor with his party when
he came into power, and held in utter deteSta-
tiOn by those who opposed his election, he has
won his opponents, because they recognize in
him the defender of the Constitution and re-
stOrer Of the Union, and is gathering from his
own party all that is sound, patriotic and ma
tional. As every shade of political opinion
rallied around the late President to conquer
the disuniOnists in arms, so will they rally
around President JOHNSON to conquer the dis
unionists in legislation. AS the North con-
quered in that war, 50 must they conquer il
this, in which they shall find US allies, and moi
foes, for we are for the Constitution and HD
Union.