The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1867-09-04

WADE uAMHION.
1t was clear to my mind that the true
policy of the South was to remain pas
sive, observing, with the most scrupulous
fidelity, the obligations we assumed when
we laid down our arms, and making no
concessions beyond those embraced in the
terms upon which we surrendered. l
held that the United States Government
had not only offered terms to the South,
but that its faith was pledged to the OBJ
servancc of those terms Every official
act Of every department of that Govern
mcnt. during the war, declared that the
Southern States were still members Of
the Union, and Congress, by an almost
unanimous vote, in the most solemn man
ncr,
"Resolued, That this war is not waged,
on our part, in any spirit of oppression,
nor for any. purpose OF conquest or subJu-
CATION, nor purpose of ovcrthrowing or
Interfering with the rights or established
institutions of the States, but to defend
and maintain the supremacy of the Con-
stituiion, and to preserve the Union with
all the dignity, equality and rights of the
several States unimpaired. That as soon
as these objects are accomplished, the war
ought to cease"
The same body gave the strongest cvi-
dence that they regarded the Union un-
broken, even during the war, by their re-
eognition of Mr. Carlisle as Senator from
AVirgini;a-I mean the noble "Old Domin-
ion,n and mother illegitmatc and degcn-
crate child West Virginia allowing
him to retain his seat until near the close
of the war. The very paroles given to
the Southern soldiers promised the pro-
lection of the United States Government
to those holding them, SO long as they
obeyed the laws Of ''the States wherein
they resided )" thus recognizing, not only
the Southern States as States, but the
La,os of those States We had every real
son, as far as we could trust to the faith
of our opponents, to believe that the
Southern States would be received into
the Union with all their dignity, equali-
ty and rights unimpaired," as soon as
thcv renewed their allegiance to the Gen
eral Government, and acknowledged its
supremacy.
It would be foreign to the purpose OF
this communication to discuss what faith
has been kept with the South-manElnd
has already affixed to that sort of faith
the name Of Punic; | only touch on these
points to show the mistakes committed
by the South, when it conformed to those
demands of the North which were inter
polated into the conditions after our sur
render Our State Conventions were
mistakes; SO were the changes of oul
Constitutions; greater than all others
was the Legislation ratfyng the amend
ment of the United States Constitution
known as Art. l3. am we'll aware that
the action of the Southern people, at that
time, was dictated by an honest desire tc
secure the blessings of peace, and by q
high sense.of honor, which prompted
them to show that they were sincere in
their wish to do everything that would
tend to the restoration of the Union or
honorable terms | have no hesitation in
asserting that the Southern States would
then have been brought back to tho Unior
with more OF "loyalty use a favoritt
expression of the North-than had exist
ed amongst them for forty years past
had the North proved itself to be as mag