The daily phoenix. [volume] (Columbia, S.C.) 1865-1878, 1866-09-18

created some ~dissetiasaction .apnongt
h1E congregation ~ his Cleyeiand let
-tes, published in our colulnns some
days ago, has written another. g ex- /
planntory," as he says of his ArstEE
epistle. His opponents viii Lind small I
comfort in his explanation. as may be
seen from the following paragraphs
which we extracts ~
Upon Mr. Johnson's accession was |
sllpremcly impressed with the convic- |
tion that the whole problem Of recon
struction would practically pivot on
the harmony of Mr.. Johnson and !
Congress. With that we could have
secured every guarantee and every
amendment of the Constitution. Had
united Government said to the
South, promptly backed up as it would
have been by the united North, "with
slavery we must take ont of the Con-
stitution whatever slavery put in, and
put in whatever slavery for its own
support left out there can scarcely
be doubt that long before this the
question would have been settled, the
basis of representation in the South
conformed to that in the North, and
the principle, the most fundamental
and important of all. might have been
established in the Constitution, viz:
"tllat manhood and full citizenship
are identical
Some great changes required two
| things, viz: promptness and unity in
counsels. To secure these 1 bent my
whole strength I urged the purga-
tion of the Constitution. / reasoned
against mutual distrust, and plead for
unity of Government action. [ did
the President in his war-begotten zeal
against slavery; to prevent such sus-
| picions and ordinations as would
tend to revive in his mind old prcju-
dices, and bring on relapse into his
former hatred of Northern fanatics /
thought understood his nature, and
tho extreme danger, at such a critical
time, of irritating n proud, sensitive
and pugnaclous man, of Southern
sympathies, little in sympathy with
Northern feelings or ideas, and
brought into the very leadership of
those men and that train of principles
! which he had all his life ha ted and de-
nounced. That he was sincere and
tenacious would make the case all the
more difficult. I thought I foresaw
that division between him and Con-
gress would be the worst disaster that
could bcfau us: that tho I,raotioal
test of true statesmanship just then
WAS not to be found in theories of
PHILOSOPHERS, however sound, but in
securing and confirming Mr.. John
son in his then dispositions.
Upon the assembling Of Congress,
went to Washington. I found
Southern men lying PROSTATE before
Mr.. Johnson, and appealing to his
observation-disclosures, (for he is q man
o. kind and tender heart, disaryning
his war rage by utter submission. 1
found Northern men already uttering
suspicious of his fidelity, and, con-
scious of power, threatening impcach-
ment The men who seemed alive to
this danger were, unfortunately, not
those who had the management Of af-
fairs. Bad counsels prevailed. The
North dcncunced, and the South
| sued. We tho Consequences.
Long after I despaircd of seeing
the President and Congress harmoni-
Gus, I felt it to be the duty of all good
men to leave no influences untried to
lessen the danger, and to diminish
the evils which are sure to come,
should tho President, rebounding
from the Republicans, be caught by
those men who were in sympathy and
counsel with the South throughout
the war. [ shall not attempt to mp
portion blame where both sides
erred. It is enough to say that unity
secured at the seat Of Government
would have been noble achieveme.,
of leadership.
Decming the speedy admission of
the Southern States rs necessary to
their own health, as Indirectly the
best policy for the freedmen, rs pc
cnliarly needful to tho safety of our
Government, which, for the sake of
accomplishing q good end, incautious
men are in danger of perverting, l
favored, and do still favor, the cleo
ton to Congress of Republicans who
will seek the early admission of the
recnsant States. Having urged it for
a year past, was more than ready to
urge it again upon the various CON
ventions which preceded the nolnina-
ton of Representatives to Congress
this fall: In this spirit, and for this
end, l drew up my Cleveland letter
1 deem its rte'rS sou,,d; I u,,l not so,-ru