The Portland daily press., 1866-04-11

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During the war, read an article OF yours
addressed to some person in England, predict
ing the speedy downfall of the rebellion. Our
mad editors foolishly copied 1t, and 1t cheered
me and doubtless many others, with the hope
that the prediction might be fully verified, and
now our dearest hopes and the justness of
your views are realized. But tremble for
my country, when see the dangers still be-
fore us. To all human appearance, there is
no hope for the permanency of the Union, II
the policy Of the President be fully carried
out Its prostration and ruin win then be enly
q question Of time. To place 1t at the mercy
ofmaddened, whipped, disgraced rebels, whose
hands are still stained with the blood Of loyal
men, is preposterous in the extreme. 1t Ia
decidedly more foolish than the cherished Idea
Of james Buchanan, to let the rebel states de-
part in peace. ~ -i- ss
To conquer peace and sustain the Union
by force of arms, and then deliver the whole
over to Its deadhest enemies, is certainly to
destroy the national life. 1t win be the end Of
all stability and peace in North America
For myself ! suffered every species ofindig-
nifty on account of my opposition to secession
at its Inauguration, but at last was compelled
to shoulder musket in its defense. Time
and space forbid detail of my sufferings and
hair-breadth escapes from death, while under
Lee in Virginia, the last and bloodiest cam
paign of the war. I was at Petersburg on the
I'd of April last, captured and carried to Point
Lookout, where had two months Of very
comfortable prison life.
/ determined from the first, to make NV
presence In the army burden and . tax to
the fools who engineered the rebellion. ! have
suffered all manner of persecution and danger
on account of my devotion to Freedom and
the Union. fondly hoped that If I survived
the great contest, might repose in peace and
safety in my own sunny cline; but u the mad
scheme of SeWard and johnson prepails, there
'ciH be no safety or peace here for loyal
hearts.
Is loyalty now to be hated and prescribed,
and treason and traitors to be loved and favor
ed at Washington? 1t seems so to me, and
loyal men here, though we are few-look with
the gravest apprehension at affairs as they
now transpire at the capital. had fondly
hoped that our sufferings had been sufficiently
great and protracted to atone for our national
sins against the poor and oppressed, but fear
that there is now no hope, and that our Tester
ing wounds are to be torn open afresh.
One thing seems to me sure; unless Con-
gress is recreant TO its duty, all may yet be
well, notwithstanding the claim Of the Presi-
dent to the sole power of reconstructing the
Union. -sr-.-- 5-. .t-,,-
1t is clear that the freedmen are now, by
virtue of the decision of the great contest. un-
der the complete jurisdiction of the national
legislature, and the moment they ceased to be
slaves, their cause became nationalr not In
any wise to be controlled by state law, except
as citizens; and upon Congress rests the great
responsibility of saying whether their rights
as citizens shall be respected and maintained,
as promised by the Government, and even by
Andy johnson himself,-or whether these
faithful and loyal people-these wards OF the
nation shall be denied protection and turned
over to the tender mercies of their former
masters-houseless, homeless and helpless.
with nought ofliberty save tne nalne' IL tne
latter, then Congress will prove false to Its
high trust, and viii disappoint the hopes and
inst expectations of all loyal people in the
country. and of the best men throughout the
world. and will fix upon itself the foul stain Of
placing the nations loyal defenders under the
ban of rebel egislation-unjust and disgrace
ful in its proYisions-but IN its administration
a thousand times toorse. The manumitted
slaves, hated by the master who can no longer
control them as property, win be without help
or hope-and will perish under cruel apd re-
lentless persecution-a freedman" upon the
altar of American Liberty! Having won by
his valor, peace, security and liberty for the
nation-he win miserably perish with no share
of the great blessing.
It would seem that the experience Of the
last few years would have taught loyal people
everywhere, that the life of the nation could
not be preserved by compromise with slave
drivers, or by yielding to the demands and
submitting to the dictation of perjured wretch
es, who strovc flercely to destroy it.
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