The Charleston daily news. [volume] (Charleston, S.C.) 1865-1873, 1867-01-16
General Beauregard ON Public Affairs
Tho subioinel letter from General BEAUREaA

General Beauregard ON Public Affairs.
Tho subjoinel letter from General BEAUREaARI
to tae editor of the New Orleans Times viii be reae
with more than common interest-since it mol
only expresses the sentiments OF one Of the lead.
ing chiefs Of the South in the late war, but cor
rccts some statements that have been made in re-
gard to speech imputed to him in which opin-
ions wero expressed that excited the surprise OF
those who supposed he was correctly reported. He
did not make the speech ascribed to him.
The sentiments expressed by General BEAURE-
GARD in this letter arc just such as we would ex-
pect from brave and noble-minded soldier, who
fought while there YVES q ray of hope, and only
surrendered when all was lost save honor. Such
man caDnot, under any circumstances, when
ovcrpowered in o war Of weapons, condescend to
car y on o war of words
New ORLEANS, January 10, 1867.
WM. q. G. KING, Esq, Editor Of the New Orleans
In your letter this morning you publish an arti-
clio from the New York Herald containing some re-
marks relative to the speech am reported to
have made at Canton, Miss, to the Congressional
excursonists lately in this city. The Herald is In
error. I made no speech at Canton or elsewhere
to those oxcursionists; but conyersed with them
freely, and openly told them the South had fought
the North 30 desperately because it was defending
what it conceived to be it's constitutional ghts;
that having appealed however to the arbitration OF
arms, it yielded to the decision which was given
against it; that believed the people Of the South
were now. willing to accept the Constitution as
made by the war and understood by the Supreme
Court Of tho United States.
said also, in my opinion, questions OF secession
and slavery were fore:er settled, and, 80 far as
was concerned, under no circumstances would
countenance any effort to revive them; that we
must now direct our energies and our vitality to
repairing the damages Of war and restoring to our
homes some of those comforts and that prosperity
which they formerly enjoyed. In answer to the
questions Of some of the excurslonists, it L
tional Amendment, replied thai, eschewing
politics, and attending strictly to private bust
ness and the duties Of my position, had little
opportunity, except through newspapers, to as
certain the public sentiment on the subject; but
if they desired to know my individual opinion,
should not accept those amendments, even if
presented as q iinality, for it's interests and
manhood forbade it; that we well knew We are
now at the mercy of tho North, but that
the South would never do anything which its
honor could not approve to protect l.s interest," t.
the struggles for power going on at the North re-.
lying on the sober second-thought and sense OF
Justice Of both parties to protect Us. added
though, at the fall of the Confederecy, instead OF
going to foreign country to swear allegiance to lts
government, I:preferred remaining IA my own ana
swearing allegiance to what l conceived To W its
new government.
II in conversation Wit The excurslonists u3od
the words consolidated, ovcrnment when speaking
of the United States Government, meant OF
course, the common Federal National Govern
ment operating under the Constitution as inter
preted hy the Supreme Court OF the United States.
remain yours, very Respectfully,
Z d(-77. p IT. BEAUREQARD.