The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1867-05-23
BY THESE PRESENTS. GREETING

BY THESE PRESENTS, GREETINGi !
To Messrs. George w. Blunt John A. Kennedy, John
o. stone, stephen Hyatt and thirty others, mem.
bers of the Union League Club.
Gentlemen:-I was favored, on the 10th inst,
by an official note from our over.courteous
President John jay, notifying me that a
requisition had been presented to him for "a
special meeting of the Club, at an early day,
for the purpose of taking into consideration
Club, who has become bOndsman for jeff rson
Davis, late chief officer of the Rebel Govern
ment." Mr.. Jay continues
''As have reason to believe that the signers. or
propose the Club shall consider it is clearly due both
70 the Club and to yourself that you should haye the
nient for you that call the meeting etc
In my prompt reply requested the President
to give you reasonable time for reflection, but
assured him that wanted none; since should
not attend the meeting, nor ask any friend to
do so, and should make no defense, nor offer
aught in the way of standardization. lam sure
Implying disrespect; but it is not my habit to
take part in any discussions which may arise
among other gentlemen as TO my fitness to
gether, and to them 1 leave it.
The single point whereon have any occasion
or wish 10 address you is your virtual inTelica-
tion that there is something novel, unexpected,
astounding, in my cond uct in the matter sug
Choose not to rest under this assumplion. but
to prove that you, being persons of ordinary
intelligence, must know better on this point,
The surrender of General Lee was made
known in this city at IL p. NJ. of Sunday, April
9th, 1865, and fifty announced in the Tribune of
the next morning, April 10. On that very day
l wrote, ana next morning printed in these
columns, leader entitled "Magnanimity in
Triumph" wherein said:-
1--WE hear men say, Yes, forgive the great mass of
those who have been misled into Rebelliou punish
the leaders as they deserve But who car accurately
draw the line between leaders and followers in the
Where is your touchstone dictatorship? We
~ - - ,,.o,,Il
original plotters of secession yet spare their ultimate
and scarcely willing converts On the contrary while
of them we feel far less antipathy to the original up.
Calhoun and McDuiie-to the Nuhers of 1882, and
the state Rights men of lS5C,than TO the John Bells,
who were seh0oled In the national faith and who in
with they had so often unanswerably demonstrated
Jefferson Davis this day less culpable traitor than
"But we cannot believe it wise well to take the
life Of qg nG who & shall hSye suSmtsd % s to 6 the
would be felt &s % stsmS by every one
say himself, j am as eulpa6le as he we differ only
h am see sse9 of dd 6 TO e
would be evermore enshrined in million Of hearts
that it would be who esome or safe-we are sure it
would not be magnanimousHto give the oyerpowered
throne of the House OF Hanover stand more firmly
cHiioden? s' Is AUSTRIAN domination MungsTy more
hs @eSe GSomparots alter the Of VIII
1--WE plead against passions certain to be at this
moment fierce and intolerant but on our size are the
ration Of the Union, against policy which would
afford momentary qualification at the cost of years
'dThose who invoke military execution of the van
gushed or for their @ & we @ s1speGS & Will mot not
been exposed unjust odium haters of the South,
degraded lately the saVe
destined stl to be the negn6ors and we tGusp a. no
sure that their voice could II be automatically
uttered. would ring out decidedly, sonorousy, on the
side of clemenCy-of humanity"
On the next day, / had some more in this
spirit, and on the 18th an elaborate leader enti-
tied "Peace-Punishment," in the course of
which said:-
"The New York Times, doing injustice to its own
sagacity in q characteristic attempt to sail between
wnd aRe Re We 90 mot n the
advice Davis did not devise nor nstIgate the Rebel
lion on the contrary, he was one of the latest and
most reluctant the notabes of the cotton States to
pnrey oca AND the only
for hanging him is that you therein condemn aud
else There is not an ex-Rebe in the World no mat
sstoHs about the neck on the day when the Confede,
rate President is to be hung Ana TO what good END
any marrow aspect. We are most anxious to secure
the Sss1 Of the the to 8es 20 bGS mot ban
when he shakes hands with his Tailor and thanks him
Which, c can only be Won BY magnanimity. Perhaps
the Rebels, as body would have given, even one
the wTiter OF this article as any ot6 er man living
to prove that the civilization based on free labor is
Of higher and humaner type than that based on
enure to our friends from the hanging Of any one
man, or fifty men, should be allowed to outweigh this
consideration"
On the following day wrote again.
@@@% ave entreat the President promptly to dc
and dare in the of magnanimity. The Southern
mind is now open to kindness, and may be magnet
be given that there to be general amnesty aud nc
general conscaton This Is none the less the dictate
What we ask is, that the President say In effect
Gde lei the North and the south Unite to bury the
carcass, and then clasp hands across the grave"
The evening of that day witnessed that most
| appalling calamity, the murder of President
| Lincoln, which seemed in an instant to curdle
| ali the milk of human kindness in twenty mill
| lions of American breasts. AT once, insidtous
efforts were set foot to turn the fury thus en-
clous advocacy OF mercy TO the vanquished.
CHANGING to enter the clubhouse the next (Sat-
urday) evening, received a full broadslde oil
your scowls, ere we listened to a clerical ha-
rangue intended to prove that Mr.. Lincoln
had been Providentally removed because OF
his notorious leantngs towards clemency,
in order to make way for successor who would
give the Rebels full measure of stern Justice.
was soon made TO comprehend that had no
sympathizerS-or none VINO dared seem such-
in your crowded ssemblage. ANA some mar
adroit admirer having, few days afterwards,
made the Club present of my portrait, lts
bare reception was resisted In speech roin
the Chair by your then President-a speech
whose vigorous invectlve was justified solely
by my pleadings for lenity to the Rebels.
AT once, concerted howl OF denuhclaGio1 emu a S "a
and rage was sent up from every side against
me by the little creatures whom God, Tor some
inscrutable purpose, permits to edit q maJorlLy
Hston nv paperpi from thousands of imper-
fectly instructed readers OF the Irt0une. one
| impudent puppy wrote me TO answer categorl-
| caliy whether / was or was not IN favor oil
hanging Jeff Davis, adding that l must
stop his paper If l were not Scores yol9n