Des Arc weekly citizen., 1867-03-16
Letter from Gen. Chalmers in Favor
 of the Military Bill.

0I the MlllJary Dill.
 Gen. James R. Chalmers. of Mem
 phis, hasfwritten afcstcr to Hon. Rev { erdv sjohns9n, comInendatory of his fourse on, the niiitary reconstruction
 bill, md Y sSNlighc i'cgrets the ccnstircs which bavebdefis passed upon the Sen.
 ator. He reviews thcaction of the Pre- z sidcnt in fixing terms of peace for tle South. says they werc very distasteftl,. Fbut his people accepted them because
 they could not do any better, and then continues as follows:
 But Congress said that the President had not alone the power to mako trea- ties of peace, and therefore they pre- tscribed other terms. The Southern States, believing that the terms already imposed were sufficiently severe, and lf1clNvingi hat tho power ofrthe Prcsi- | dent and a returning sense of justice and generosity i'm the public mind in the North would enable them to secure all the benefits conferred upon them by the Presidents terms of peace, deter mined to stand byhim3 m3andI~j jected tllc terms proposed bytCongress. fif I- Our hopes were vain. The President proved to De powerless, and there was and is no evidence of any returning sense of justice and generosity in the public.m in the North; on the con- trary, its sentiments arc growing more hostile toward us every. day, and the history of the Sybii's book at Rome teaches us that those who have the power to dictate terms increase rather than abate ti.eir exactiens-. Tbe historyl Of the French revolution and the hsto- ry of the anti-slaycry party here slrow that the original a6s: .ee tars arc soon dis tance,,, ssytheir followers MT. Scwar{,,. opce the great heady and front of tho Ab9htion party. is now. .eminentiycon- sseryatlye when compared with Mr., sumner and Mr. Stevens and yet, un- less some clieck is given to the advance now going forward infhe Radical poli- cy, these gentlemen may yet stand ap- pallcd and pe CopseEvative when their younger followers may be pressing to establish q Congressional oligarchy which shall govern every State by mil itary satraps. fro 3 slall b. ah et
 There must be an end, of, these trou- bles as soon as possible, and the names ofSoutheiii rebels which are now used before tine Northern populace like tho red flag before the Spanish bull-to arouse, ini!ame and madden them+-1 must be withdrawn. If this can be doiie by accepting tic terms now offered by Congress, and am sure it can be. l for one am in favor of it. I'hc terms offered by the President were to my mlnd unconstitutional., and those offer en by Congress are still more so. We accept one for peace and I can see no sacrifice of principles in accepting the other. In great revolutions men never stop for logic, or consistency, or Con- stitution, and il is idle in us to hesitate now upon any logical or constitutional grounds, or to expect anything from the fact that the positionof the Radical party of to-day is inconsistent with it's, position during the war. If the South ern Representatives can once get into Congrcsstley win, if united, form a power that will bh sought after. and they will be able when great questions of tariff and goyernmental scicnee shall divide the East and West. to hold the
 balance of power and to demand favors for their support. ili Aae
 l believed firmly in tho doctrine of secession, and believe that we did se- code. and that when we were conaneP-, ed we were a foreign nation; and therefore bc!ieve that the United States. have right t0 prescribe new terms il we should make .a, new alliance with her. Believing this, and knowing that the President alone cann6tm make a trea- tyofpcace with foreign government, lnever have believed that the action of the President. in his efforts to recon struct the Union. was right; but glad iy supported lim and supported his plan,t because it was more liberal than the Congressional plan. But since he cannot carry out his plan, since the Supreme Court cannot now afford us adequate protection, and may soon be changed SO as to be hostile to us. and since tlte Louisiana bill and the Confis- cation bill are being pressed by the cx- treme Radicals, with q fair prospect of forcing tliem on us if the agitation eon- tinues, am for closing tie contract with Congress ou the terms which she proposes 9ut .a 4I.39} ip 7' M
 It is true that land many like me who have occupied positions in the South will De proscribcd, but we have had our day and should be willing to, yield our personal ambition for the public good. But your young men can under this bill, come forward and re- present Us in the Goveriiment. If. we delay until fanaticism lias gathered strength-Aansl that shcis ieatherins it is evident from the advance, anade in six months on negro sutfrage-not only will we ourselves be excluded, but all, who cannot take the on-clad oath wrll be distranchiscd and cSclitded. That will leave us to- the mercyrof the negro and the whitepian who lay,hid in the swamps while we fought for our ideas of constitutional liberty. Igrant- that this bin is unconstitutional but since secession has been denied us we have no means of enforcing our con- stitutlonal rights when the, majority is against us. l grant that it is illogical :; but in times of great excitement a sue. cesstul party laugh at logic, and an ex-. cited mob woald crueity a Saviour, and shout over the ralcase of q robber.
 l grant that the terms, of the bill ares unjust and oppressive to the South ;but others more oppressive may be passed. and the same feeling which animated the breast of Lee when he submitted to1 the imortitication of suwendering hisI sword to save the lives of the men ho lovcd,' should induce every Southern man who was prominent either in the events that led to the war. or during its 1 continuance, 10 sacrifice something for the peace of his people. Therefore, Il pubiicly satmction and approve your courso. at the same time believing that it will subject me to some edinm. T ,tirtt., 1-gr-1J7-------s- --rr4=ifflH T ;, n7~ General Chalmers, of some. Con 'fcdcratc famc. Writes letter to Rever-s ,dylJ ohnsonpin which, while he admits the anc ncoDstithtionality of the Military Government bill, .fayol's fs acceptance blythe South. The terps offered by the President liimself areanconstitutional, vpt the Sapth acee,,tttlof tilisl proDosi