The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1868-08-14
JOHN MINOR BOTTS.
His Views on the Political situat,ou

Hhh NleWa On the POLITICAL SttuRtt0ns
The Brooklyn Union publishes a communIca.
tion from gentleman who a few DAYS since had
long talk with John Minor Bolts in that city,
and deemed the conversation worth reporting
We make teW extracts;-
"What do you suppose, sir, to be the ulterior
purpose of the Southern politicians II successful
in the coming canvass?" He repled:-"Repu.
diation OF the national debt, disfranchlsement
OF the negroes, and II 1t could be accomplished,
their Ie-ensavement might be attempted, and it
not then TO apply the money that should go to
the payment Of the debt, to payment for the
aDon't you think their ulterior purpose is in
mo" MIR. Bolts promptly replied; "they can
indulge in no such extravagaut hallucinaton-
though they undoubtedly would il they had the
means OF establishing or main tanning their inde-
pendeDce, but the possession of political pO wer
and the control of the country will cover every
aspiration they have"
''Suppose the North should cay to them to-
morrow, We have demonstrated to you the
power OF this government; We have vindicated
the integrity OF the Consti ution, and we see no
advantage that could result to either section to
continue together in this state of eternal hos
tility, TO which we think separation is preferable.
Therefore go; we are no longer one people; we
give you leave to go, but we do not consent to
recognize you as nation OF people, but leave
you to SHIFT for yourselves as best you can, with
o warning in ad vance that we shall mold steadily
to two of your own favorite cardinal dogmas,
the 0stend Manifesto and the Monroe Doctrine,
either or both of which we shall EN- ioTce ON very
slight prOVOCaLOn, ana II you are again con-
quered, you will be held in the condition OF
territories belonging 10 the United States.
Think you they would desire TO y"
but" replied, what does Wise mean by
saying hat the first words of the Fourteenth
street platform are lie IN saying that seces-
sion is dead; and what does Cobb, Wise, Vance,
Toombs and others mean by saying that, ii Sey-
mour is elected, all they have fought for will be
attained? Is not Seymour non COerCionist al
heartW
Mr.. Bolts replied:-"Oh, as to Vance and Wise
and Ioombs and Cobb, and that class of men
what they say does not amount 10 anything.
They cons itute class Of political malcontents
who do all their fighting before the war comes
on. Their task is to stir up the passions of the
people to prepare for war, a0d when the war
comes on, II it comes at all, they watch and
pray whilst others do the fighting"
"What 90 you think OF MIR. Seymour's rea-
tions and ai1inities to the South ?"
II have DO do lbt that Mr.. Seymour is at heart
in full sympathy with the worst enemies Of the
country; his whole course during the war
proved that very conclusively; but when you
ask me what these men meau by saying all they
fought for would be attained by SeymOur's
election, | can only say that ] never stop to
inquire or care for what men say who talk from
passions OF their own, or only TO excite the
passions of others, and all such vaporng goes
for nothing but loose talk, better suited for
years not SO mature. The men you speak of,
and who talk in this way about war;. fire,
birthstone, and last bitches, have always
proved TO be holiday soldiers -parlor
knights, who don't do much of the
fighting when it comes to the pinch, and are
not such leaders as the people are likely to
follow. You don't hear Lee, Johnston, Long
street, Beauregard or even Forrest, who is Nd "
acting the part OF man reformed to his senses,
talk in this way, ami a beautiful army they
would have with such men at its head, |
think if il were possible to cheat the people
again into desire for war, and they went TO
the field and found Lee, Johnston, aud the rest
of their trusted men not there, when you called
the roll next morning you would find the great
army would turn up missing. Why, do you
suppose Davis would ever be gotten into such a
scrape again
'This war-talk is mainly confined to the old
politicians who foo'shly threw away the
power they once held, and now ask the country
to 60 TO war to reinstate them in the high
places they chose to throw away, but can never
hold again.
/ replied to this that those politicians" led
the people into secession before, and that |
believed the desire tor separation to extend
almost universally-even among the poor and
ignorant,