Gold Hill daily news. [volume] (Gold Hill, N.T. [Nev.]) 1863-1882, 1866-11-01

the bottom of his heart ; that he longed to
see their fields yield an increase, and peace
in all their borders (; and that, to this end,
be counselsd them to devote themselves to
agriculture, commerce, and manufacturer,
and for the present to say nothing about
politics;-instead Of this, he sent them away
talking and thinking Of nothing but poll
tics, and frantic for the re-sstablishment
of a sectional power. Instead OF dssigna-
ting officers Of the army as military gov.
errors, which I had supposed he would
do, he appointed s1-rebels, who could not
take the oath required by Congrsss Of all
officers OF the United States, and they in
turn appointed ex.rebsls to office under
them, 20 that participation in the rebel
lion found its reward, and treason, instead
of being made odious, became . passport
to power. Everywhere, ex-rebelS came
out of their hiding-places. They walked
the streets d~sfantly, and asserted their
old dominion. Under the auspices OF the
President, q new campaign was planned
against the Republic, and they who failed
ir op=a war, now sought to enter
IL 10y citadel Of political power.
Vice., purchased by SO much loyal
blood and treasure, was little better than
a cipher. Slavery itself revived in the
spirit of caste. Unionists, who had been
tramplsd down by the rebellion, were
trampled down still more by these Prssi-
dental governments. There was no lib
erty Of the press or liberty Of speech,
and the lawlsssness Of slavery began to
rage anew.
Every day brought tidings that the re-
bellion was re-appearing in its essential
essence. Amid oil professions Of submits
sion there was an immitigable hate to the
National Government, and . prevailing
injustice to tho freedmen. This was last
autumn. I was then in Boston. Moved
by a desire to arrest this fatal tendency, I
appealed by letter to members OF the Cab
met, entreating them to stand firm against
a "policy" which promised nothing but
disaster. As soon as the elections were
over I appealed directly to the President
himself, by a telegraphic dispatch, as fol-
lows:
BosroN, 18th Nov, 1865.
To the President Of the United States, Wash
ington:
AS n faithful friend and supporter Of your
Administration, l most respectfully petition
you to suspend for the present your policy
toward the rebel States. I should not present
this prayer il | were not painfully convinced
that thus far it has failed to obtain any rea.
sonable guarantees for that security in the
future which is essential to peace and recon-
ciliation. To my mind, it abandons the freed
men to the control Of their ancient masters /;
and leaves the national debt exposed to repu-
diation by returning rebels. The Declaration
Of Independence asserts the equality OF all
men, and that rightful Government can be
founded only on the consent Of the governed.
/ sec small chance OF peace unless these
great principles are practically established:
Without this the House will continue divided
against itself. CHAs. SUMNER,
Senator Of the United States.
On reaching Washington Saturday eve
ming, Immediately before the opening Of the
last session Of Congress, l lost no time in
seeing the President. | was with him that
evening three hours. l found him changed
in temper and purpose. How unlike that
President who, only a few days after his ar
rival at power, had made me feel so happy in
the assurances Of agreement on the great
question before the country. He was no
longer sympathetic or even kindly, but harsh,
petulant, and unreasonable. Plainly, his
heart was with the ex-rebcls. For the
Unionists, white or black, who had borne tho
burthen OF the day, he had little feeling.
Psryerscly he would not see the bad spirit Of
the rebel States, and he insisted that the out
RACES there were insufficient to justify their
exclusion from Congress. It was in this con-
nection that the following dialogue ensued A.:
The President-"Are there no murders in
Massachusetts" Mr.. S.-"Unhappily, yes;
sometimes" The President-"Are there no
assaults in Boston: DO not men there some
times knock each other down, so that the
police is obliged to interfere?" MI. S..
'~'Unhappily, yes" The Presidcnt-"Would
you consent that Massachusetts, on this &C
count, should lie excluded from Congress?"
Mr.. S.-"No, Mr.. President, l would not"
And here l stopped, without rcmarking on
the irrelcvancy Of the inquiry. l lef, the
President that night with the painful convic-
ton that his whole soul was set rs flint
against the good cause, and that, BY tho
assassination Of Abraham Lincoln the rebel
lion had vaulted into the Presidential chair.
Jefferson Davis was then in the classmates at
Fortress Monroe, but Andrew johnson was
doing his work.
"Ah! what avails it,
II the gulled conqueror receives tho chain,
And fattcry subdues when arms are vain"
From this time forward l was not in doubt
as to his policy" which asserted a condi-
ton Of things in the rebel region inconsistent
with the terrible truth. It was, therefore,
natural that l should characterize one Of HIS
messages, covering over the cnormities there,
as "whitewashing.' This mild term was
thought by some at the time to be too strong.
Subsequent events have shown that it was
too weak. The whole region is little better
than a "whited Iepulchrc.h 1t is that saddest
OF all scpulchrcs, the sepulchre Of human
rights. The dead mems bones are the re-
mains Of faithful Union soldiers, dead on
innumerable fields, or stiaed in the pens Of
Andcrsonville and Belle Isle; also Of constant
Unionists, white and black, whom we are
sacrci'v bound to protect, now murdered on
hi:hvays and byways, or slaughtered at
and New Orleans. The unclean-
1 injustice, wrong, and outrage Of the
m .. .hesome character. And tho Prcsi-
dent as engaged in "whiting" over these
things so that they shall not be seen by the
American people. To do this he has garbled
a dispatch OF Sheridan, and has abused the
hospitality Of the country by n travelling
speech, where every word that was not fool
ish, vulgar and vindictive, was q vain attempt
at "whitcwashing."
OUR PRESENT DUTY.
Fellow citizens: As l am about to close,
allow me to gather tho whole case into q
brief compass. Inc President, welding the
one-man po,cer, has assumed a prerogative
over Congress utterly unjuStifable, and has
to dictate a fatal "policy" Of
reconstruction, which gives sway to rebels,
puts off the blessed day Of security and recon.
Citation, and leaves the best interests Of the
Republic in jeopardy. Treacherous to party
to the great cause-sndt reach-
erous to himself, he has set up individual
will against tho people Of the United States
in Congress assembled. Forgetful Of truth
decency, he has assailed members as
u assnssins," and has denounced Congress
itself as a revolutionary body, "called or
assuming to be Congress" and changing on
the verge Of Governments" as II this most
and patriotic Congress did not
contain tho embodied will Of the American
To you, each and all, I appeal to
this madness. Your votes will be the
frat stnn. The Prcsident must be tauoht