The Lancaster ledger. [volume] (Lancaster, S.C.) 1852-1905, 1867-09-04
Letter from General ,pope.

General Grant, received from Genera,
Pope a letter enclosing a psper contain
ing aspeech made bv Hon B II. Hill.
late a Senator in the Confederate Con (
gress. lie WAS psrdon-d some weeks ag",
and General Pope SAYS ,h@t he te,nv n
representative man. this speech shows the
hopslessness Of any satisfactory recon
sruction while such men retain irflnence.
Pope thinks they should be siIpnced, AID
saws It is better ,ha, the battle should be
fought now. Congress did we'll hy dis
trsnchisin9 the leaders. hu, General Pope
thinks it would have been better to have
hanished them. and he is opposed to re
lieving tho DISTINGUISHED classes OF titeir
disabilities. .....r .... i..
General Pope thinks there are enough
men not disfranchised who are compe, ent
to I'll the civil "ffires. aud savs even If
there are not, it is better 10 have loyai
man in office, though he he incompetent
Should We effect recons,ruciion eve" after
silencine the open opposition Of the old
political leaders, we stand ommitieh to
admit the reconstructed s atps into the
Union. Oncs ~dm't,pd into the UB on
the power Of Congress over them is re
duced practically to the general power
which ,ha, body has over all States in
the Uoion.
Bv admitting these Southern States af.
ter silencing the OLD political leaders and
nenirslizing for the moment old poli,icaI
Influences. Congress and the people d.
arm themselves The moment -,dm..ioo
into the Union is accomplished he mill
tarv power is suspended and. with il, all
ras,ric'ions are removed. A, once these
old political leaders and the cd political
and personal Influences will resume their
activity and we NAV. find too Ia'e that
such reconstruciion as we have made ia
not only not what wss needed and ex
pected. hut what will simply result in the
reproduction Of the same condition Of ~
fairs which made rsconslruc,on measures
necassarv at all.
The General complains Of the tende"cv
To suppress freedom Of speech and Of the
press. and SAWS that such conduct is moi
confined TO anv particular party, hnr ex
is's alike among the reco" o"s,rur,ionis,s.
and 'hos- opposed to ,hs, movement.
He speaks verv favorshly Of he efforts
Of the blacks 70 secure III. brnef, Of edu
cation. hut complains that. the white.
r,anifests The greatest Indifference 10 that
regard.
lie has no doubt RI The sucre. Of the
recohs'rurtior measures in hs district. and
claims that Alabama will give not less
han 10000 ajn'i'v Of white votes in
that direction. Georgia will probably do
tn" same. aid he ia equally sanguine Of
+ orida, concluding that not less than
three fnu-ths OF the co'orpd voters nf each
Of those States will he cast for recoustruc.
tion as proposed hr Congress.
He savs it is his duty TO sta'e that, in |
his judgment, the condition Of sffsirs in |
the Southern States, even should recon
sruction be satisfactorily accomplished,
will. OF necessity. be a repro1 irtion in a |
more or Ie.s mod fed degree Of what nov |
ex'sfs IN Tennessee, unless some measures |
are adopted to free the country OF he |
turbulent anl dis'ovsl lssdars Of the re-
actionarv parry. Whilst ,hosa person.
remain IN the country to exercise the bale
'ul i"flnencs they undoubi-dlv possess, !
here can he no peace.
II. thir ks there ,s less danger in Flori |
da and Aiah-ns than ia G.oryis, hut
siili enough TO mske il wise to ATOP, pre
measures.