Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1868-11-25
CHIEF JUSTICE CHASE.


The following letter was written i
April last by Chief Justics Chase to Hor
H. W. Hillisrd, of GeOrgia-being draw
out by published letter from Mr.. Hill
lard declining to be candidate for Con
gress, but giving his view of political al
fairs:
WASHINGTON, April p, 1S6S-DEAI
SIR: Some days since l received, from al
unknown hand, paper containing lettel
of yours, which read with great interest
My acquaintance with you when VI
were both IN Congress-you in the HOUSE
and in the Senate-was very slight but
slight al it was, take occasion from it tC
write you few lines, suggested by your
letter. ,..--.
Ever since the war closed have been
very anxious for the earliest practicable
restoration" of the States of the South to
their proper relations to the other States OIL
the Union. | adopt your own statement
of the problem to be worked out, because
| agree with you in the opinion that those
States have never been other than States
within the Union since they became par
ties TO the Federal government, and that
the failure to maintain their, assertion OF
Independence 10 the conflict Of arms which
followed, left them States still within the
Union"
The point on which l probably differ
from you is this: The people for whom
and through whom these States were to be
organized at the close of the war, was not,
l think, thu same people as that which
existed in them when the war began.
10 my judgment the refusal Of the pro
prietsry-class, if it may be SO called, to
recognize this fact and its legitimate and
indeed logical consequences, and the con-
victions of large msjorities in the States
which adhered to the National Govern
ment in respect to it, caused most of the
trouble of the last three years.
| have not time to go at large into this
subject but may say briefly that eman-
cipatiou came to be regarded by there
maiorilies as a military necessity; that
the faith Of the nation was pledged by the
proclamation of emancipation to maintain
the emancipsled people in the possession
and enjoyment Of the freedom it conferred;
that TO this end the amendment to the cor
stitution prohibiting slavery throughout
the United States was proposed AID ratI-
fed ; that, becoming freemen, the emauci-
pated people became necessarily citizens;
and that as citizens they were entitled to
be consulted in respect TO reorganization,
and to the means of self protection by suf-
frage. This is a very brief but, think, a
perfectly correct statement of what may be
called, for the sake of brevity, the North
ern view of this matter. 1t would, per-
baps, be more correct to call it the loyal
view North and South, using the word
loyal as Distinguishing the masses who
support the National Government from
the masses who opposed it during the war.
Now the particular matter 10 which l
wish 10 draw your attention is, whether
policy and duty do not require the class
which have called proprietary, meaning
thereby the educated and cultivated men
of the South-whether property-holders
or MOTTO accept this view fully and act
upon it.
Ia it possible to doubt that, had this
view been accepted and acted upon three
years ago, after the surrender OF Lee and
johnson, the Southern States would have
been richer to-day by hundreds OF millions
than they are, and that long ago universal
amnesty and the removal Of all dIsablll-
ties would have prepared the hearts of men
on both sides for real Union? Can 1t
be a matter of question that the colored
voters, finding in the educated classes true
friendship, evinced by full recognition OF
their rights aud practical acts of good will
would have gladly given to those classes
substantially their old Head in affairs, d.
ree:ed now, however, to Union and not ex-
clusively to the benefit Of class.
Iobserve that you say that the attempt
10 carry on the government with the prlVl-
Iege of universal suffrage incorporated as
one of elements il fall Of danger" DAnger
il the condition Of all governments; be
cause no form Of government insures wise
and benefcent admins ration. But beg
YOU TO consider, is there not greater
danger without than with universal sui
frage? You cannot make suffrage less
than universal fer the whites, and will not
the attempt 10 discriminate excite such
iealousies and ilI-feeiing az will postpone
10 distant future what seems so essential,
namely, the restoration OF general goOd
will and bringing into lead OF the educated
men and the men of property, and so seeur-
ing the beat and most beneficial admins
trsrion of affairs for all classes Take
universal suffrage and universal amnesty,
and all will be we'll. Can you, my dear
sir, devote your fine powers to better
work than complete restoration on TINS
basis?
Very truly and respectfully, yours,
S. 2. CHASE.
Hnn Honrr " Hilliard.