The Charleston daily news. [volume] (Charleston, S.C.) 1865-1873, 1867-04-24
GOVERNOR pERRY,s LETTER.

J and while it has allowed the petltlon loC an III
junction against the Secretary of War and the
Military Commander to be filed for hearing, 1t
has subpenaed Mr.. STANTON and General
Pore to appear before the Court on the first OF
next December. 1t is not worth while now to
discuss the probable character of what will be
the final decision, because, for all practical pur-
poses, the decision is now made The Recon-
struction Act will be enforced without interfer-
ence, and by the time that the argument as to
it's oonstitutionality is begun, it will 80 COM,
pletely have executed itself as Ito have estab-.
lished Consequences beyond the reach Of any
judicial decision. It is to be hopes therefore,
that those who have felt it q duty to support
this proceeding will discharge with equal fdel-.
| lity the duty which now hes very clearly before
them. Public opinion in this State hos, we
think, SO resolutely determined to do that duty,
freely and promptly. that we would not have
deemed it necessary to recur to O. subjectupon
which we have spoken to our readers with an
iteration that may well have become wearl-
some, we're it not for the letter rccent tly pub
1
produce in our columns this morning. We:
| recognize the right of this eminent citizen to
speak to the people of the State, and to be.
heard respectfully. No one in the State, per-
,haps, can speak from 80 varied an experience.
S MIR. PERRY was one of the very few promi-
inent public men of this State, who was openly:
opposed to secession. IF we ore not mistaken,
he was defeated as q candidate for the ConY
ton Of 1850, from his; District, upon that very,
ground. After the State seeded, Mr. PERRY
| became a&member Of the State Legislature
| was one Of the most earnest, most consistent
and ablest adyc 'ates of all those measures Of
Legislation necessary for the prosecution Of the
| war, and perhaps one of the most determined
| opponents Of any opposition to the policy Of the
Confederate Government, or Of any settlement
of the contest upon any terms save those Of Inde-
pendence. His colleagues in the Legislature will
never forget the effect produced by the oonclu-
lding sentence Of one Of his most effective
speeches: ssssI was the last man to come out OF
the Union, Twill be the last man to 60 back
Into it, During thesswar, Mr.. PERRY was,
Commissioner for the regulation of prices; act
ed as District, Attorney. in his;seetion ofthe
State and just about its close, was appointed
Copfederate District Judge for the State Of
South Carolina Not long after be became
Judge. The surrender lcf LEE and JOHNSON
put an end to his Court, and he was, within a
few months, made Provisional Governor of the
State by the President, and this Office he held
until tho: election of Governor Orr. as his sue
| cessor, and his own election by most 1atter-'
ling vote, to the United States Senate. Few
men, therefore, have had larger opportunity or
used opportunity more conscientiously, to COM
prehend the varying relations and position OF
the State in this resolution.
Before entering however upon the considera-
/ ton Of the advice, which Governor PERRY
now volunteers to the State, we must express
our surprise that he should 50 for have over
| come the natural kindliness and generosity
of his nature, as to indulgein such language
| as the following: 8. In order to debauch promi-
nent Southern men, offers have been made in
Congress to remove their disabilities. and it
| would seem not without SUGGEST" Has the
Governor forgotten that on September 26, 1863,
he addressed the following telegram. to the
President? The following members of the
! Convention have shown their. loyalty to the
Union, by their works and action, and it is
proper, they should be pardoned x ~
Please telegraph me that their pardons will
be sent by mail, so that I may tell them before
Iithey leave here" And would he have thought
| it lust or generous to describe this application
for pardon as made, Sin order to debauch
prominent Southern men ?' And con he soy
now what is the moral difference between the
Presidents pardon, and the Congressional re-
moval of disability? Surely Governor PERRY
| will admit, that in times like these mems opln-
| ions may with regard to any policy, change:
| with charging circumstances, and that the
| honesty of. Governor Browns advice is no
more to be suspected, because Senator SHER-
MAN introduced resolution to relieve him
from disability, than his own advice was to
have been mistrusted in 1865 because he was
pardoned, and made Provisional Governor.
Nor do we think that Governor PERRY can
suspect: us to accept his prophecies as solid
ground for his opinions. If he thinks to-day,
honestly, as we have no doubt he does, that
:sthere is not the remotest hope or probability
eff the Southern States being restored to the
Union till after the next Presidential election"
it is not very long ago that he held just as
honestly very different opinion. If he thinks
to-day that the reaction ut the North "has al
ready commenced in Connecticut and will
sooner or later sweep over the whole North
western and Middle States," he must not for
get, at least he must not complain that we do
not forget, that he thought the same thing at
the close of the Philadelphia Convention. The
truth is that Governor PERRY, like many
others, even Of larger political experience than
his own, made great mistake. With just
and earnest admiration for Mr.. JOHNSON, agree
ing with the President in his views of the consti-
tutional rights of the States conscious ofhis own
genuine love for the Union, he thought the
work Of reconstruction much simpler and
easier work than it ever really was and he
lent the whole of his large influence to lead the
State on line Of action which time has proved |
to have been very unwisc. The adoption of
permanent Constitution, the passage of u enc
gro code," the election of Senators and men,
bers, were all assumptions that the status of
the State was settled, whereas, in fact, it had
not yet been fairly discussed. Disguised
at the failure of what was an honest
effort on his part to restore the State
to the Union as he thought she ought to be re-
stored, Governor PERRY does not see that this
failure was inevitable and that the course he