The Bedford gazette. [volume] (Bedford, Pa.) 1805-current, 1866-01-26

conduct of it, have won the applause
of both sections? The President says
that part of his information has been
received from Gen. Grant. Who is
Gen. Grant? Who is to be put in the
scale with that Scared soldier, and
whose testimony is to weigh down his?
Is he 'whitewashing," too? Has he
forgotten the position he occupies be-
fore the American people? With the
highest military character of any man
| to-day upon the earth, has he conde-
| scended to come here to deceive the
Senate of his country, and to lie about
| the condition of affairs in the South,
which he has recently visited? Let Us
hear what he says, and listen with pa
| tient reverence to the utterance OF q
man of sense, a patriot, and a prudent
man, who desires not to embrOil, not tC
! nmhitter. not TO widen the gap that al
| ready exists betWeen'the two peoples
| who ought to be fraternally united, but
a man who desires to heal and to paci
fy; a man imbued with the spirit Ol
Hoche when he went to La Vendee,
and where he succeeded when Others
had failed. What does he say? 1t is
! not the tone or manner of the letter
writer, but it is the manner of man
and a soldier.
81 am satisfed"-says he, and when
he is satisfied who dares to say he is not
satisfied upon the score of honesty and
good intent toward this republic?-
81 am satisfied that the mass of think
ing men in the South accept the present
situation Of affairs in good faith"
That is what Gen. Grant says. Is
that "whitewashing?"
"Thequestions which have heretofore
! divided the sentiments of the people of
the two sections-slavery and State
rights or the right of State to secede
| from the Union-they regard as having
been settled forever by the highest tri-
bunal-arms-tha men can resort to"
1t is now said that they do not think
so; that they are only pretending, and
have a covert purpose of doing some
thing ghereafter about this thing, nobody
can tell exactly what. Perhaps we will
be told they will not abide the result.
81 was pleased to learn from the lead
ing men whom / met, that they not on
ly accepted the decision arrived at as
final, but that now, when the smoke
of battle has cleared away and time
has been given for reflection, this decis-
ion has been a fortunate one for the
whole country, they receiving likeben-
efits from it with those who opposed
them in the field and in council"
Why, Mr.. President, the common
sense of that last utteronce is worth
more as testimony than that of thou
sand scribblers who merely look at de-
tached points of this great field. They
have resolved to accept the decision as
final; and, what we ought all to be glad
to know, they have found that it is for
their benefit.
therefore hope, Mr.. President, that
we may meet them in different spirit;
that we may show them that we made
this war, not to make them eternal en-
emies ofours, but that we will win them
back to beas they were before, our friends
and our brothers, Ofthesame race and Of
thesamelineage. Ihope too that thisan-
CRY, irritating, and exciting mode of
treating this subject, which is calcula-
edtOmakeus anything elsethan friends
will be discarded hereafter, and that
we shall coolly and calmly, and in the
spirit of the nation, because that is the
spirit of the nation examine this
question, and do with it that which
will be calculated to restore the old har-
mony and peace, and the old Union a
gain.