The Newberry herald. [volume] (Newberry, S.C.) 1865-1884, 1867-08-21

Gerrit Smith on our. Duty, to
=. the South--Letter to Thad-
+ =deous Stevens. s-'-'.- -F*
! Hon. TRaddeous Stevens, ...>
DEAR SIR: Yeu are reported in
the New York Tribune as. having
recently said on the floor of Con
gress -,
aTt is now held by one of the
most liberia, and enlightened gen
Etfemen~in the: country. { I, mean
''Gerrit Smith l.: that we should
even pay a portion of the rebel
debt. - a. - -, -
/ Of course you do not mean that
this IS literally So Ny often re-
peated proposition is that govern
ments lend or give moneys to the
South to- help her~ to IAN upward
start from the depths of her pov-
erty and desolation. By what
kgic you were, able: to construct
from the letter of this proposition
your figure Of speech is for you,
not me, to-. explain. I am truly
sorry that it is in your heart to
hold up to ridieule, my reasonable
proposition. You are too old" and
Intellectual to be making such
Concessions; to passion and ,preiu-
dice; There are two: reasons why
the North; should be glad to help
the South First; he South SIS
poer-yery poor, and the North
:iis rich-pery rich: Second, the
North is largely responsible for
| the poverty of the, South: Our
fathers united with the fathers of
the. South IN making: this: Q land
Of slaves; and in our own day the
North has gone with. the South in
! pholding and extending slavery,
Until the breaking out of this war
every Congress was for slavery.
The repeal of the Missouri Com
promise was the work Of the North
as well as. of the: South. So. toe,
was the enactment Of. that infer
nal Fugitive Slave. act, which
even the good Ahraham. Lincoln
was compelled by the pre-slavery
sentiment of the Nefth as well as
Of the South to- enforce SO ,'mge=
roasfy: With comparatively Few,
exceptions, our Northern collie
ges, theological senlinaries, :: and
political and religious partiess
were on the side Of slavery. The
commerce Of the North was en-
phatieally y, in the interest Of slaye-
ry-
Ia The light of f such facts it
surely cannot be denied that the
North made. herself> largely res
ponsiMe for. American, slavery.
But the war came. of slavery; and
the, poverty: and desolation of the
South came of the war and
hence, to the same degree that
the North was responsible for sla7
very IS she responsible for the
sWar and for it's ruinous results to
the South. .> 49,.
!. You call my sympathy with the
South, andmy desire to- have the
North help hers& s'siekly humani1
ty." i calFitN simple honesty. If
my, ueighbor afd ] join in, get
ting each other drunk, and he in
his frenzy goes to tearing down
nay house, and in Sselfsdefenee
t.demoiish his, I am not to dis
own his claim uponmy sympathy. :,
II am to feel5that honesty requires
me to help him, rebuild.
: Would : to- God that Congress
were sojust and4 wise as, at this
very,session, to lend fifty millions
of ofdollarsto the fedefateStates
to each Of them,so, much, of it
| as. .wsuidsbe prepertionate to. her
population and to- what she has
suffered from the ravages of the
| .war! The share falling to each
State to be distributed through
out her territory in loans upon
adequate security. This, by prov
ing the love and pity Of the
/ North for her would win the
heart of the South, and would
thus produce a true and lasting
peace between them. And then
it would be worth to the nation,
if only in a financial point of view,
many times fifty millions Of dol
lars. Gold would no longer bear
among us a premium Of forty per
cent, and our government would
no longer have to pay seven per
cent, nor much more than half
seven per cent, interest on its
loans.
Very respectfully yours,
| GERRIT SMITH.