The Portland daily press., 1868-09-05
ITO Associated Press =.
ATAI, RAILROAD ACCIDENT
WEST VIRGINIA.
THE nosEorANs-LEE CORRESPONDENT

brave, energetic and self-sacrifcing men who
after sustaining the Coniederacy for four
years, laid down their arms and swcre allegi-
ance to the government of the United States,
whose trusted and beloved leader you have
been. 1 see that interpreting Estates rights"
to conflict with national unity has produced a
violent reaction against them which is drifting
us towards consolidation, and also that so
great a country as ours even now certainly
is to be must have State government to attend
to local Details or go further and fare worse.
1t is plain to us at the West and North that
the continuance of the semi dfdtre-such as
has existed for the last three years in ten
States of our Union largely increases the
danger of centralism-swels our national ex-
penditures; dminishes our production and
OUR revenue; inspires doubts of our political
and financial stability. de2reciates the value
of our national bonds and currency, and places
the credit of the richest below that of the
poorest nation in christendom. We know that
our currency must be deprecated SO long as
our bonds are below par, and that therefore
the vast business and commerce OF the country
must suffer the terrible evil of fuctuatiug
standard of value until we can remedy the
evil condition of things at the South. We
also see other mischief quite possible, if not
probable to arise, such as from . failure of
crops, local instruction and many other un-
forseen contingencies which may still more de-
preciate credit and currency, provoke discon-
tent and disorder among our people and bring
demagogical agitation, revolution, reputation
and a thousand unnamed evils and villainies
upon us. We know that the interests Of the
people of the South are for law and order and
that they must share our fate of good or ill.
believe that every one know who reflects
believes that it the people OF the Southern
States could be at peace. and their energy and
good will heartily applied to repair the wastes
of war, reorganize their business, set the freed
men peacefully, prosperously and conten tedly
at work; invite capital, enterprise and labor
from elsewhere to come freely amongst them,
nod
tiply manifold the value of their lands, estab-
fish public confidence in our political stability,
bring our government bonds to premium,
our currency to gold standard, aud assure for
themselves and the whole nation most happy
and prosperous future. Seeing this, aud how
all just interests concerned in the work. l ask
the officers and soldiers who fought for the
Union, ask every thinking man OF the great
West and North, ask why it cannot be done.
We are told by those who have controlled the
government for the last four years that the
people of the South will not do it, that If ever
done at all it must be done by the poor simple,
'uneducated, landless freedman, and therefore
whites who, against the public opinion and
sentiments OF the intelligent white people, are
willing to attempt to lead and make their llv-
ing off of these ignorant, inexperienced color
ed people mostly men who must be needy ad-
venturers or without any of those attributes
on which reliance for good guidance or govern
ment can be placed. We are told that this
South till six or eight millions of intelligent
and energetic white people give into it or
move out of the country.
Now think the Union army thinks, and the
people of the North and West dare say be-
leves there must be or ought to be shorter
and surer way to get good government for all
at the South. We know that they who organ
, lied and sustained the Southern confederacy
for tour years against gigantic efforts ought TO
be able to give peace, law, order and protection
IN 10 vvh of tho SOutt thew have
the interest and the power to employ, protect,
educate and elevate the poor freedmen, and re-
store themselves and our country to all the
blessings of which have just spoken. The
question we want answered is, are they willing
to do it. came down to find out what the
people of the South think of this, and to ask
you what the officers and soldiers who served
in the Confederate army, and the leading peo-
pie who sustained it, think of these things. L
came to ask more. / want to ask you in whose
purity and patriotism here express unquali-
fled confidence, and as many good men as you
can conveniently consult, to say what you
think of it and also what you are willing to do
about it. want written expression of the
views that can be followed by concurrence of
action; 7 want to know If you and the gentle
men who will join in that written expression
are willing to pledge the people of the South
to a chivalIOus and magnanmous devotion to
restoring peace and prosperity to our common
country. want to carry that pledge high
above the level of party politics, TO TIE late
officers and soldiers OF the Union army and to
the people of the North and West, and to ask
them to consider it aud to take the necessary
action, confident that it will meet with a re-
spouse so warm, so generous and confding that
we shall see in its sunshine the rainbow of
peace in our political sky, now black with
clouds and impending storms. know you
are a representative man, in reverence and re-
gard for the Union, the Constitution and the
welfare of the country, and that what you
would say would be endorsed by ten-tenthS of
the whole people of the South. But should
like to have the signatures of all the represen-
tatives of Southern men here who concur in
your views and expressions of their concur
renee from the principal officers and represen-
tative men throughout the South when they
can be procured. These concurrences of opin-
ions and wills tending to peace, order and sta
bility, will assure Union soldiers and business
men who want a substantial and solid peace,
and cause them to rise above the level of party
politics and take such steps to meet yours as
will insure lasting peace with all its count
less blessings.
Very truly your friend,
Z tSigned,) q W. S. RosEcRANs.
To Gen. R. E. Lee, White Sulphur Springs,
WHITE SULPHUR SPRINGS. w. VA.
. April rs, 1868.
GENERAL:-I have had the honor to receive
your letter of this date, and in accordance with
your suggestion have conferred with num-
judgment have confided, and who are well
acquainted with the public sentiment of their
respective States. They have kindly consent
ed to unite with me in replying to your COM
municatioD, and their names will be found
with my own appended to this answer.
With this explanation we proceed to give to
you candid statement of what we believe to
be the sentiment of the Southern people in re-
gard to the subject to which you refer. What
ever opinions may have prevailed in the past
RI To A fria Gle rfrhf Of tot
to secede from the Union, we believe we ex-
press the almost unanimous Judgment of the
Southern people when we declare that they
consider that those questions were decided by
the war, and that it is their intention in good
faith to abide by that decision. At the close of
the war the Southern people laid down their
arms, and sought to resume their former rela-
tons with the United States Government
Through their State Conventions they abolish
ed slavery and annuled their ordinances of
secession, and they returned to their peaceful
pursuits with sincere purpose to fulfill all
their duties under the Constitution of the
United States, which they had sworn to protect.
Ii their atcion in those particulars had been
met III spirit of frankness and cordiality, we
believe that this old irrelations would have
passed away, and the wounds inflicted by the
war would have been in great measure heal
ed. As far as We are advised the people of the
South entertain no uDfriendly feeling toward
the Government of the United States, but they
complain that their rights under the Constitu-
ton are withheld from the administration
thereof. The idea that the Southern people
are hostile to the negroes, and would Cypress
If it were in their power to do so, is entirely
unfOunded. They have grown up in our midst,
and we have been accustomed from childhood
to look upon them wilh kindness. The change
in the relations of the two races has wrought
no change in our feeling toward them. They
still constitute the important part of our la
boring population; without their labor the
lands of the South would be comparatively
unproductive. Without the employment which
Southern agriculture affords they would be
destitute of the means of subsistence, and be-
come paupers dependent on public bounty
Self-interest even, If there were no higher mo-
tives, would therefore prompt the whites OF the
South to extend to the negroes care and pro-
lection. The imDortaDt fact that the two races
are, under existing circumstances, necessary
to Q oh other, is gradually becoming apparent
to both, and we believe that but for the infiu-
ences exerted to stir up the passions of the ne
groes the relations of the two races would soon
adjust themselves in basis of mutual kind
ness and advantage.
tbs true that the people of the South to-
gether with the people of the North and West
are Tor OBVIOUS reasons opposed to any system
OF law winch would place the political power
of the country in the hands of the negro
race; but this opposition springs from no feel
ing of enmity, but from deep seated convic
ton that at present the negroes have neither
the intelligence or other qualifications which
are necessary to make themsa Ives denos;tories
of political power; they would inevitably be-
come the victims of delnagogues, who for sell
fish purposes would mislead to the serious in
jury of the public. The great want of the
South is peace; the people earnestly desire
tranquility and the restoration OF tie Union;
thay Iaprooata disorder nd excitement the