Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1867-11-05
wuATGERRITT SMITH THINKS.


Mr Gerritt Smith has written and publish
ID letter to Hcrschel V.sJohnson, the con-
clnsion of which is in a tone which arrests at
teption. We quote:
Onlv give us this peace for which [ plead,
and all danger Of our cheating our creditors
will be past. Let it, however, never be for
rotten that this is a peace, In the making OF
Which neither party must claim that itself Is
the saint and tie other the sinner; tutl the
making Of which both must be so penitcnt and
honest as to confess themselves sinners, anG
forbear from self righteous and insulting at
tiude towards each other. Having this peace,
in which North and South shall be lovingly
and Iastngly linked together, there will no
longer be fears of another breach between
them and therefore, no longer doubts of our
national credit and threats of Reputation. =
Under the reign Of such peace the North and
South, both prosperous, would, with strong
and united arms, uphold the government and
its credit Thus, through the consequent and
continued approximation OF currency to gold,
and the easy terms on which the government
could then borrow, our national debt would, In
very few years, be reduced to one-hat its
present amount What can make it impossi-
BILE for our nation, with its unequalled re-
sources, to borrow at four and even less than
four per cent? Nothing but this madly-pro-
longed war between the North and the South.
Nothing but the lack of this true peace be-
tween them.
Perhaps the impeaching Of the President
will be the first work of Congress. But that
measure, whatever it's merits, would neither
bring peace nor supersede the need OF it
Peace is the first need OF the nation; and the
making of lit should, therefore, be its first
work. If Congress should begin its next ses-
sion with voting some fifty or a hundred mil
lions to the war impoverished Southland es-
pccially if it should assign, as one of the rea-
sons for it, that the North as we'll as the South
vas guilty of the war-peace, true and en-
during, would be sure to follow this most pro
itable of all investments. For then the South,
convinced Of our honesty and traternal spirit,
would have just that conviction which is neces-
sary to win her heart and bring her into such
apeace. 9ts.i 6" .,-s4 - /.
need say no more [ have now written
another Of these papers for my writing OF which
statesmen laugh at me. For statesmen will
have it, that, in the province of craftsmanship,
there is no room tor the play of the heart-.no
room for aught but the cold, cunning, calculat-
ing intellect They will have it that even the
making of peace should be in no degree heart
work, but exclusively head work. | have
often thought how happy it had been tor our
afflicted country if our statesmen, both North
ern and Southern, had been so kind as to take
themselves outof it COR the first six months
after the fl ghting ceased in the spring otlS65
This great, hindrance to it being. thereby re-
moved, peace between the North and South
and blessed one, too-would have. become
far more probable.
1t is not the skill of craftsmanship thatyis
needed to make peace between the. North and
South, but simply sense Of justice and the
mutual forgiveness Of mutually ofendin"
brethren. [ ain, dear sir, very respectfully,
yours, rgss ~ GERRITT SMITH.