The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1867-06-14

I
has addressed the following letter 10
| the New York 7ndependeat, giving his
views ofthe political situation In the
South; .alE8CQoTI
| To lte Editor Of Lhe IHdepe peHdegt:
/ believe that the bloody civil war
\ through which the nation has passed
was inevitable, that the hand ofGod
1 was in It, Thus believing, ! came also
! TO believe that when slavery, the sole
cause of that bloody struggle, should
perish in spirit as well as in name. our
| estrangedl countrymen. OF the South
! would again love their country and
4 their oountrymen. Believing this, /
have striyen, since the surrender OF the
rebel armies. so TO close the great con-
test that II would never more be reopen
ed. TheiYAy to complete sueeeS seem
\ ed to me to be, not through punish
ments, but through-amnesty for the
| guilty and. manhood suffrage for the
/ freedmen. The nation conquered the
\ material forces of the rebellion by the
cartridge box; Its spirit can only be
conquered by reason through the bal
Filled with this faith and. this hope, 1
entered, one month ago, into the rebel
| StatAR. no Ito uttei I1RtteriDg or sooth-
ing words In the ears OF men who now
| lead opinions and control affairs; who
! now direct the pressIand other means
of reaching the people; but to make
| the Issue clear sharp, distinct betWefn
the friends of the reconstruction policy
OF Congress and its enemies; between
l those who are In sympathy with the
men who saved the country and made
1t free, and those who insist that the
men who saved the country and made
1t free areits enemies. 1t seemed to me
to be the duty of far-seeing patriotism
to make the issue in the rebel States
\ now, and not permit those States to
main tain the unpatriotic and fatal sec
| tionaF policy OF, isolation-a policy con-
demned alike by reason and expert
ence. Beginning on the Doth OF April,
atOrapge Court House, Virginia. and
closing, on the. 18th of May, nt.Hunts-
Vile, Alabama, met and addressed
several thousands OF our countrymen
OF the South. I did not fsn to utter my
sentiments With entire freedom, though
they. were .aptagonistic TO the sentl-
ments. 81 tnanyI who listened to me.
Two thirds OF the property OF the ten
rebel States perished in the rebellion;
tens of thousands of their young men
were sacrificed by 1t; losses and sorrows
burden the Lives of the people; the
ideas, principles, and policies of their
leaders are forever lost; and to the peo-
pie ethefuture looms up dark, almost
raylegs. These men OF the South have
been accustomed to- hear, and they
have come 70 believe, that their country
and their countrymen5 have brought
upon them the nameless woes now
pressing them d down. Politicians,
presses, and pulpits have taught and
atill teach this.
4Belieping that men must know they
have sinned before they viii repent
deemed IL to be my imperative duty to
deny all responsibility for their losses
and suffeEings on the part of, he Coy
ernmentoft the United States, the people
l,Ft the RannhliRAn
party; and to hold the people of the
rebel states aloneiresponsiblefo for every
dollar they expended, every life they
sacrificed, and every drop of blood they
shed, every tear Of agony or sorrow.
I deemed it my duty TO pronounce the
war the most wicked Te6eliion, In mo,
tive and purpose, in all history. told
them thatlslaVeryk had poisoned the
very fountains of their being, fired
their blood, and made them hate their
l.countrYmen.lfI q j appealed 10 the Plack
man not 10 form blnck mans parity
not to doianything to make Q war OF
races; not to hate any butto love all;
TO vote for such men, and such men
only, as would make the Gonsutun ions
ofthefr States so that equal rights and
mi vileges should be the birthriehtSof
all; and who would establish schools
| for the education oi the children OF the
people, Loyal men and freshmen lis,
"
| it.is dus 10 those Who did not approve
| to, state that no groan,1 hiss, orudisreS
| spectful or unkind word fell upon my
| ear Sat the meetings j Addressed Not
accustomed 70, free speech, accustomed
only'to hear one side-the side of Sc.
cession; slavery, rebellion and civil
war-these men listened with respect
fnI attention, oflen With deep interest,
| TO the presentation Of truths antag gonis-
| Ito to all their cherished Convictions.
Surely, free speech in the rebel STATES,
IL not a "fixed fact" is in process of
achievement. s.sii -5.f'f
Never was there a grander field for
| labor than the rebel States now present.
The peOpleJ Are1pooT indeed, Ny ear
was painedI my soul''was made sick,
with the reported losses of property
and ofsuffertng. General lSickles told
me that there were $1,000 snits pending
ID the Ieodrtslfo' \ N2Eth SaEolitppsi St a9d
there were nearly ass many In Georgia
and Alabama! d The people of those
States need eapital9 Money tissl0Hned
there at 1ainous rates - They need moi
only the fosteFipgeare of the Govern
mentI but the charitable action of:the
| people. TO ifelieve their misfortn mes and
| suffsrfhEs, and TO aid their; edncat nal
and relig igiousy yinstitptiotiB. ID These peo-
Pile have sinned against theiricountry,
| aHdJapainat man, as not-pe0ple have
sinned for ages; but they hAge brought
| down upon themselYes terrible punish
ments. They are our urcountrymen5 are
to be With US and Of usi and though
they continue to say and sdoiWeakg and
foolish things, wecan afford inthe hour
6fuuF complete triumph-notl only oi
/ arms, but ideaa-to labor for their good
though our Jlabofs may be received with
| reproaches rather thaHRrRteful thanks
Time win mollify the feelings OF even
persons poisoned dFwith the virus oi
The passage of the Military Recon-
struction Act, and the act amendhtory
to II, have had The, most wonderful et-
feots. Life and liberty We're never 90
safe in those States for all people as
now The Southern PleTaceustomed
10 power, are mot iiisensiblet TO It's inau-
| ences. But the emf atchisement OF the
| freedmen has prod dnced the most won
/ defful=nfesults. - The rebel sg1eaders,
| hoping 20 control the votes of the freed.
iaen, have been most lavish in protes-
! sions of friendship to the, Negro As
| that hope begins, to grow djmS.for 1t Is
syery. @ day becoming manifest that the
mass OF the negroes will vote the Re-
publican ticket and import the polity
| 81 equality Of rights-these Southern
| leaders are beginning 70 talk about Q
war of races, aud to hint that the plan
/ tatfon negroes will. be menaced into
voting as their employ direct. II 8 Is
Illuminating To nee that some persons
4 Claiming yet to be Republicans, are
making I themselves Crid dioulohB iby re-
psatingI the idle talk abontl aHHaEI Of
racesffE Eithe SIX bundled th0nsandt me-
groes inSthe rebef SMtesh have independ-
i ence enough TO 5lvote .for1equallty soi
/ rights and privileges, aud -educationi
| i shall CERT thanlyl be dtsapp pointed 1T q
least ninetY-ejght per cent of the ne
Rroes of the rebel States do not vote to
gelhef for the Rep biican partyLwhict