The Jeffersonian. [volume] (Stroudsburg, Pa.) 1853-1911, 1868-09-24

those great principles of our Declaration
of independence that declares 'that al
men are created equal, that they are en-
dowed by their Creator with certain
inalienable rights, that among these are
life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness, ,
must be vindicatsd in our own country
Allow me to repeat what / said in my
last letter, namely: that |, who served
my country in perspn and by substitute
from the commencement of the war with
England to its close, feel that have a
right to plead with my countrymen of
every shade of political opinion, and to
beseech them by every consideration that
can move our manhood to consider care
fully the dangers that threaten us as a
nation.
1t has been to me, for years, a source
of profound regret to find so many of
those, whom / have esteemed and honored
as friends, taking part with and forming
all kind of excuses for men who have
done all that was possible to destroy our
Union of States and now 1 regret to
find those very friends calling themselves
Democrats and, at the same time, unit
ing with those who were leaders in the
Rebellion, and striving to aid them to
build up what they are pleased to call "a
White Mans Government" by which
they mean to hold 100000 of human
beings under ban or disqualification
that will prove as destructive to their
happiness as the slavery from which they
have been delivered. | have been at a
loss to see how mind so elevated as yours
could for moment consider it possible
for democratic government to enact a
course of class Legislation that would make
one law for the white man and another
for the black man.
John Stuart Mills has said with great
propricty that "There is no true demo-
cracy where large classes of a community
are denied equality of political rights"
He further declares that "Eycry Gov
ernment which permanently diUtdes the
people into a gore'7,ing part, and gov-
erned part, is an aristocratic Government,
Iy aohatever name 1t may be called.
find that the very men who profess
so much concern for the preservation of
the Constitution, are now most laboring
to make proselytes for white mans gov
ernment, which can only be had by leg
islating for class, thereby adopting a
principle that is at war with the very let
ter and spirit of the Constitution which
they profess so much to revere. Such a
course is as inconsistent as the profession
and the practice of President Johnson
He declared at one time that "treason
against the Government is the highest
crime that can be committed" and that
those engaged in it "should suffer all its
penalties" Treason" he said, "must be
made odious, and traitors must be pun
ished and impoverished"
He went so far as to say, "Thcy must
not only be punished, but their social
power must be destroyed : if not, they
maintain an ascendency, and may again
become numerous enough for treason to
become respectable" lie said, "After
making treason odious, every Union man
should be remunerated out of the pockets
of those who have inflicted the great suf-
fering on our country"
He than said, Il hold it solemn OBJ
legation, in every one of these States,
where the Rebel armies have been beaten
back or expelled, [ care not how small
the number of Union men may be, if
enough to man the ship of State, hold
it to be high duty to protect and secure
to them a republican form of government
until they gain strength. They must not
he smothered bv inches
In reference to Convention to restore
the States, he asked: "Who shall re-
store them? Shall the men who gave all
their influence and means to destroy the
Government? Are they to participate
in the great work of re-organizing the
Government, who brought this misery on
the States? If this be so, then it is said
in truth that all the precious blood of our
brave soldiers and officers will have been
lost, and all our battle fields will have
been made memorable in vain"
He then asked, "Why all this carnage?"
and said sit was that treason might be
put down and traitors punished" He
said TRAITORS should take back seat in
the work of restoration" He said "the
hao SSdoCu w OC a SIttLSuy uuu
forming rebellion has become public
enemy, and has lost his right to vote
with loyal men,"
He said that the great plantations Of
the traitors "must be seized and divided
into small farms and sold to honest, in.
dustrious men )" also, "The day for pro-
tecting the lands and negroes of these au-
Al i
To cap the climax of Inconsistency with
all that he has since done and tried to
accomplished, he said that he had been
deeply panied by some things that had
come under his observation. He said,
"We get men in command who, under
the influence of fattcry, fawning and
earesslng, grant protection to rich trail
tors, while the poor Union man stands
ont in the cold He went on and said
hot Al.