Daily union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1865-1866, 1866-06-03
GENERAL SCOTS LETTER TO MIR.
SEWARD.

SEWARD.
The recent death of General SCoTT, and
the universal lamentation over the event at
the North, as well as the respect shown to
his character and ability at the South, JUS
titles the republication Of the following letter
to the present Secretary of State, written on
the day preceding the first Inauguration Of
Mr.. LINCOLN:
WASHINGTON. March s, 1s6l.-DEAR SIR: Hop
ing that in a day or two the new President will
have happily passed through all personal danger.
and find himself installed an honored successor
Of the great WASHINGTON with Won as the chief
Of his Cabinet-I beg leave to repeat in writing
what have before said TO you orally-this sup
plement 10 my printed " Views dated in Octo-
Der last the highly disordered condition OF our
$50 late) happy and glorious Union
To meet the extraordinary eXigencies Of the
times, it seems TO me that am guilty Of no AFRO
gancs in limiting the Presidents field of selection
to one Of the four plans Of procedure subjOned:
/. Throw of the old and assume Re,0 designa-
tiOn-the UaiOR parfy-adOpt the cOnciliatory
measures proposed by Mr.. Crttenden, or the
Peace Convention, and, my life upon it, we shall
have no new case Of secession; but, on the con-
traTy. an early return Of many, If not all of the
States which have already broken on from the
Union. Without some equally benign measure,
the remaining slaveholding States viii probably
join the Montgomery COnfederacy in less than
" "a
foreign country, would require permanent gar
rison Of al least thirty-ive thousand troops, TO
protect the Government within it.
II. Collect the duties on foreign goods outside
the ports Of which this Government has lost the
command, or close such ports by act Of Congress.
and blockade them.
armies. No doubt this might be done in two
three years, by a young and able GenCral-a
Wolfe. a DesalX. or IlOche-with three hundred
thousand disciplined men, (kept up to that num-
bcr) estimating a third for garrisons and the loss
Of yet greater number by skirmishes seigcs
battles. and Southern fevers. The destruction of
life and property on the other side would be
frightful-howeyer perfect the moral discipline Of
the invaders. The conquest completed, at that
enormous waste Of human life to the North and
Northwest with at least $3.50 600 600 added thereto
and cUj bomb Fifteen devastated provinces! not
10 be brought into harmony with their conquer
ors; but to be held for generations by heavy gar
rlsOns, at an expense quadruple the net duties or
taxes which Il would be possible to extOrt from
them, followed by Protector OF an Emperor.
~. Say to the seeded States Way,odrd sisters,
depart "a peace.
In haste, remain, very truly yours,
WINFIELD SCOTT.
Hon. WILLIAM II. SEWARD.
Gen. SCoTT never doubted the ability of
the United States to suppress armed resist
ance TO their authority. He clearly foresaw
that the policy Of coercion would unite the
Southern slaveholding States in the Confed-
Grafton which had then Just been formed at
Montgomery, and foretold, with some de-
gree of accuracy, the frightful destruction of
life and property that would ensue. He
was fearful that instead of war for the
Union the hostilities that were soon to be
inaugurated, would degenerate into a war of
conquest, resulting in the spectacle of eff
teen devastated provinces,-n to be brought
into harmony with their conquerors, but to
be held for generations by heavy garrisons,
followed by a Protector or an Emperor"
Rather than risk such consequences, he
thought it better to permit the hayward
States to depart in peace"
But Mr.. LINCOLN thought differently. He
failed to see the dangers pointed out by Gen.
SCoTT, discarded the idea of a war for con-
quest and opened and prosecuted it for a
restoration of the Union under the Consti-
tuition. This was his theory and aim, and
ii was fully shared by his present successor.
We have seen the frightful destruction of
life and property, and we have also witness
ed the efforts TO reduce these States to the
condition of conquered provinces as pre-
dicted; and if we fail to accept the warnings
of Gen. ScoTT, we may realize the closing
result Of "a Protector or an Emperor" be-
fore the generations" which he contem-
plated shall pass away. 1t was this APP
prehension that moved the Southern
people to continued resistance for the
last two years Of the war; and when they
surrendered, they laid down their arms
on the theory Of Mr.. LINCOLN, relying on
his ability to carry out. His successor took
up his great work where he left OIL, and has
bravely and steadily pursued it. He has
met the enemies of the conquest, protecto-
rate and empire" theory, as Mr.. LINCOLN
would have done, had he survived; and
the remaining question is, how the matter
shall be decided. If President JOHNSON is
sustained, the Union will be restored under
the Constitution, and our country may look
forward to continued liberty, prosperity and
happiness If he is borne down by the
Radical revolutionists, who are fatally bent
on carrying out the worst apprehensions of
Gen. ScOTr at the outset, then we may an
ticipate speedy end to Republican institu-
tons, and look forward to the coming Of an
absolutism, which will at last be represented
by a single despot-by whatsoever name he
may be called. In such an alternative, in
telligent patriots, North or South, cannot
| LONG hesitate.