The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1868-11-10
GERRIT SMITH.
Tis Letter 10 our President Elect.

His Letter to Our President Elect.
PETERBoRo, Nov. 4.-PREsIDENT GRANT,
Honored and Dear Sir:-Pardon this letter.
Pardon my irrepressible impatence to write it.
/ learn to-day that you are made President OF
the United States; and l cannot wait, even until
tomorrow, to say to you what my whole soul
urges me to cay to you. Before the election
your exhortatlon to your countrymen was, "Let
us have peace!" To this exhortation, as sub
lime as 1t is concise their reply, in the voice
of the election, is, also, Let us have peace ~
What you then asked of them, they now ask of
you. What you then called on them to do, they
have now put in your power to do and now call
on you 10 do. What however, is the peace
which you asked for and which, in turn, you
are asked for Is it of a superficial and eyanes-
cent character? Or Is it that deep and enduring
peace whose foundations are in nolhing short
of nature and reason, justice and religion?
The chief thing for which l took up my pen
was TO remind you OF the deep desire OF many
hundred thousands who voted for you to have
your administration signazed by its cordial
RECOGNITION of the equal rights of all races of
men; by its downright, and effective assertion
that no man loses rights by being born in a
skin of one color instead of another; and of its
faithful, warm hearted, and successful endea-
vors to rid our country of this low and brutal
antagonism of races. What your administration
shall be In other respects 10 of com paradgely
little consequence. Confident, however, may
all be that II right in this most comprehensive
and vital respect it will be right in every other
essential one.
saw, in your letter of August, 1863, that you
had not in your early life made human rights
one of your studies. Nevertheless, that, in the
high office to which you were chosen yesterday,
you will prove yourself 10 be their enlightened,
impartial, and successful defender, | cannot
doubt. For, like the martyred and immortal
Lincoln,. you are above the stupidity of not
being able to change. aud above the weakness OF
being ashamed to change. Indeed, while in
your letter to which / have referred you say
that formerly you had not been { an abolitonist
not even what could be called anti-savery"--
you do, in the same letter, acknowledge your
self to have advanced SO far as to insist on the
abolition OF slavery, and on there being no peace
which permits the existence of slavery. More
over, in another OF your letters written In the
same month, you reach the altitude of declaring
that "Human liberty is the only foundation of
human government" Better still is your re-
cent declaration to Mr.. ColfaX that, in your
Presidency, 1--WE shall have the strong arm of the
Executive, representing the will and male ;ty
of q mighty people, declaring and insuring to
every citizen, black or white, rich or poor, be
he humble or exalted. the safeguard of the
nation, and protecting him from every wrong
with the shield of our national strength" But
best of all, to prove your discernmept and
appreciation OF human rights and your fidelity
TO them was your acceptance of your nomina.
tion and of the righteous principles of the
Republican party. The grandest of all these
principles is not no slavery, but universal suf-
frage; for the ballot is the mightiest protection
of its possessor, not only from slavery but from
every other wrong. That universal suffrage is
one OF the principles of the Republican party, is
manifest from its being get up in the District of
Columbia. Had this party as clear q constitu-
tonal right to set 1t up in the loyal States, all
those States would also have been blessed with
1T. The action OF Congress on the question of
suffrage In the disloyal States was under the law
of war-was the exercise of the right OF the
conqueror.
Nor in your early life did you take the lead in
saving nation. But, when the time came for
you 10 do go, you did so; and did so successful r,
triumphantly. Nor In early life had you heard
the call to help drive out of your country this
mean and murderous antas onism of races.
Since, then, however, you have heard it, aud
your country rely on your wisdom and justice
for what more she requires at your hands.
These qualities, SO eminent in you, have faith
fully and fully met all the claims which your
country has, in quick succession, laid upon you.
Not less faithfully and fully will they meet all
her remaining claims upon you. And well, too,
may she trust that He who has brought you into
the Chief hagistracy "for such time as this"
will both show you your true work, aud give
you head, heart, and hand to do 1t.
cannot forbear saying that No small ground
OF my rejoicing in your election Is your charita-
Bile Judgment and generous treatment Of the
South. Warmly did l approve the easy terms
on which you allowed General Lee to surren-
der. Your subsequent report of the temper OF
showed that you were capable of forming q
charitable judgment Of even recent foe. Far
too favorable as this report was thought to be,
1t nevertheless would have been borne out In a
| leaders of the Northern Democracy held back
! the South from accepting the situation" ;" and
| pushed her forward to the indecent and preoos
| ferrous inversion Of claiming for the conquered
the right to dictate terms to the conqueror. And
] how monstrous these terms!-nothiug less than
that the nation should again put under the feet Of
the wicked white men, who had taken up arms
| to destroy her, the forgiving and magnanimous
| black men, who had taken up arms to save her
No fear need be entertained that, in your un.
| dertakings or measures for peaceable aud affec
tionate relations between the North and the
South, you Will lay all the blame of our civil
war upon the South. Inasmuch as the NORTH
is scarcely less responsible than the South fot
slavery, you will judge, and rightly, too that she
is scarcely less responsible for the war which
grew out OF 1t. Wherever there Is man WHO
because he became the enemy of his country
was subjected to political disabilities there is
man whom you would have relieved of them al
soon as there is proof that he has again becom,
lis friend. But on the other hand, you viii
regard no man as the friend of his country whC
| wars upon his neighbor because that nelghbo
is of a race different from his own, or bee aus,
that neiRhbor stands up for the equal rights o
oil hn ~ mr. lNV..nv,