The Hillsborough recorder. [volume] (Hillsborough, N.C.) 1820-1879, 1867-11-20
WHAT GERRIr SMITH THINKS.

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Mr.. Gerrit Smith has written and pub
l'shed a letter 20 Herschel ". Johnson, The
conclusion oi which is. in tone which ar
rests attention. We quotss -
Only give rs this peace for which I
plead, and all danger OF oar cheating our
crediIors wiH be past. Let IT. however.
never be fOrgotlen that this is a peace. in
the making Of which nenher psr,y must
claim that itself IS the saint and the orher
the sinner but iG the making ot which
both must be 50 penitent and honest as to
cdnfess themselves sinners, and iorbear
from self-righteous and insulting attitude
towards each other. Having this peac ia
which North and South shall be lovingly
and iastingly linked together, there will no
ion2er be tears Of another breach betwern
them and, therefore. no longer doubts of
our national credit and threats Of repudia-
ton. Under the reign Of such peace the
North and South, both prosperous, would.
with strong aad united arms, uphold the
government and its credit. Thus, throuch
the consequent and continued approyima.
ton of currency 10 gold, and the easy
terms on which The government could then
bo'row. our national debt would, in a very
lev years, be reduced 10 one hall lis pres
ent amount. What can make il impossi-
o'e Tor our nation, with its unequalled re-
sources, 10 borrow al four and even less
thar four per cent? Nothing but this mad :.
y prolonged war between the North and
the Son,h. Nothing but The lack Of this
peace between them.
Perhaps the impeaching Of the President
VIII be The bfirst work ol Congress. Hut
that measure. whatever its merits, wauld
neither bring peace nor snpersede the need
oi Il. Peace IS the first need of the nation
and the making Of il shnuld. therefore, be
ITS firss work. IL Congress should begin
lis next session with voting some fIty or a
hundred millions TO The war impoverished
Southland especiall, if it should assign,
as one "f The reasons for il. that the North
as well as the Souih was guilty Of the war
peace, trse and enduring peace, would
be sure to iolIow this most profitable Of all
investments. For then the South, convlnc-
ed oi our honesty and iralernal spirit,
would have just that conviction which is
necessary 10 win her heart and bring her
into such peace.
inted say ne more. ! have now written
another oi those papers Tor my writing Of
winch statesmen laugh at me. For states
men will have it, that, in the province of
craftsmanship, there is no room for the PLAY
oi The heart--no room Tor aught but the
cold. cunning, calculating intellect. TLry
will have II that even the making of peace
should be IN no degree heart work, but ex-
clusively head wurk. have often thought
how happy il had been for our afflicted
coantry IL our statesmen, both Northern
snd Southern, had been 50 kind as TO take
themselves out Of il Tor The first six monihs
after The fighting ceased in the Spring uf
1865. This greatest hinderance to il he
ing thereby removed, peace between the
North and Southland very blessed one.
too--would have become iar mores proba-
BILE.
II is not the skill OF statrsuiauship that
Is needed TO make peace between the Nprih
and South. but simply sense ol Justice and
the mutual forgiveness Of mutually offend
ing brethren.
| am. dear sir, very respectfully. yours,
GERRIT SMITH.
NEw WAY To DECIDE CLAIH.-Con-