The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1866-04-05
Letter from the Hon. John III. Reagan.

Letter from the Hon. John III. Reagan.
The New Orleans Crescent Of the 29th ultimo
publishes the following letter from General
Reagan, who is now in Texas. The letter, be.
sides having some features of general interest
TO the reader, affords an example OF industry
in a gentleman who has occupied high public
stations, that others would do well to lnitate:-
FORT HOUSTON NEAR PA LEsTINE TEXAS March
13 1866 My Dear Friend 81 O. dav received your
letter OF the Sd instant, and very glad TO hear
from you, and hope to see you in Texas before long.
On my return home, determined that 1t would com
port most with my self respect, and with what
due to my friends, for me 10 avoid all participation
in public affairs, ana l choose not engage in the
practice OF my profession ior the present at LEASE
and have quietly settled myself down to farming L
found my 1arm in bad condition, though am now
getting 1T into good state OF cultyaton ana have
improved it much since the first OF January. l
have one white man and seven freedmen at
work; have planted some fruit trees and
shrubbery, and most OF my vegetable garden
anO IRISH potatoes and bedded out nv sweet pota-
toes, and planted thlrtyive acres OF coin, and
have as much more ready to plant; have sowed
down twelve or fifteen acres in small grain, and
shall plant about thrty.fve acres in cotton. am
orchardlst and gardener myself, and when not en-
gagged at THIS or IN the necessary superlntendence
OF the freeomen, L work on the farm constantly
with my own hands and can do as much work
with apparently as little fatigue as any of them l
make fence grub, and pile and burn brush, plough,
etc and thoroughly bronzed rs other labOrers.
You can hardly imagine the sense of relieT and
pose OF mind enjoy in the absence of the and
perplexhes of official and public hfe or the great in
terest take and the enjoyment experience in my
retired and gu ct life And if our country again
blessed with constitutional government civil lib
erty, and my loved chief, and few other dear friends
we're restored to their liberty and iamIhes, should
feel perfectly contented and happy The letter which
1 wrote from Fort Warren to the people of Texas,
and which met with much dlsapproval here, was per-
haps the most important as it was certainly the most
carefully prepared paper have ever addressed to my
fellow. citizens In announced simply and plainly
the results of the and its and logical
consequences, and advised them to a prompt acqui-
escence in them as the surest and speedlest means
of securing their return to condluon of civil liberty
and self government the admission of their members
INTO Congress- and the withdrawal from among them
OF the military and FIeedmen's Bureau IL was writ.
ten from thorough knowledge OF the facts of their
situation, contains no statement of fact Dut what
IS true, 10 deduction but what 4 think wise,
and no argument but what think sound. 1t was
not accepted and acted onsimply because our people
bad not their country ravaged and desolated
hau seen others-because 1t was not occupied and
garI .soned with standing armies as other Sts-os
were and because they did not accept the fact that
they were a conquered people. But they learn.
ing these facts now, and they do they appreciate
and approve the advice gave them. And our con-
Ventlon is doing most of the things which con-
demned for advising them TO do. L stand, as /
always did on SIMPLE truth and right, and know my
Judgment will meet ultimate approval.
Very truly, your friend, JOHN III. REAGAN.