The Charleston daily news. [volume] (Charleston, S.C.) 1865-1873, 1868-09-07


violent reaction against them, which is drift
ing US towards consolidation, and also that 30
great country as ours even now is, certain
" is to be, must have Stnte governments to
attend to local details, or so farther and fare
worse.
the continuance Of semi-anarchy, such as has
existed for the last three years in ten States Of
our Union, largely increases the danger of
centralism, swells our national expenditures,
diminishes our productions and our revenue,
inspires doubts of our political and financial
stability, depreciates 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 depre-
ciated 80 long as our bonds are below par, and
| that, therefore, the vast business and COM
merca Of the country must suffer the terrible
evil of fuctuating standard OF value until we
can remedy the evil condition OF things at the
| South. We also see other mischief quite pos
| s1ble, if not probable, to arse, such as from
| failure of crops, a local iusurTectlon and many
other unforeseen contingencies, which may still
more depreciate our credit and currency, pro-
woke discomfort and disorder among our peo-
pie, aud bring demagoglcal agitation, revolu
| ton, reputation, and Thousand unnamed
| evils and vilanies 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 and i'll.
9 I believe-every one know who reflects be-
lieves--thatif if the people OF the Southern States
could be at peace, and their energy and good
will heartily applied to repair the wastes of war;
| reoreanize their business, set the freedmen
| peacefully, prosperously and contentedly at
work, invite capital, enterprise and labor from
| elsewhere to come freely amongst them, they
would soon rebuild their ruined fortunes null
tiply many fold of the value OF their lands, estab
| lish public confidence in our political stability,
bring our government bonds to premium our
currency to gold standard, and assure for
themselves and the whole nation most happy
and prosperous future.
Seeing this, and how all just interests concur
in the work, I ask the officers and soldiers who
fought for the Union, ask every thinking man
of the great West aud North, why it cannot be
| done2
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 all, it must be done by the poor,
simple, uneducated, landless freedmen, and
the few whites who, against the public opinion
and sentiment of the intelligent white people,
are willing to attempt to lead, and make their
living of these Ignorant inexperienced colored
people, mostly men who must be needy adven-
turers, or without any Of those attributes on
which reliance for good guidance or govern.
ment can be placed. We are told that this
kind OF government must be continued at the
South until six or eight millions Of intelligent,
energetic white people give into or move out OF
the country.
Now, think, the Union army thinks, and
people OF the North and West, dare say, be-
iieve, there must be, or there ought to be,
sho ter, surer way 10 get good goverement Tor
ali at the South. We know that they who Or
ganized and sustained the Southern Confedera-
cy for four years against gigantic efforts, ought
to be able to give peace, law, order and protec-
ton to tho whole people Of the South. They
have tho interest and the power to employ,
protect, educate and elevate the poor freedmen,
and to restore themselves and our country to
ali the blessings Of which I have just spoken.
The question I want answered is-"Are they
willing to do it2"
I came down to find out what the people Of
the South think Of this, and to ask you what
| tho officers and soldiers who served in the
Confederate army and the leading people who
sustained 1t, think Of these things3
come to ask more. / want to ask you, in
whose purity acd patriotism 1 here express
UNQUALIFIED confidence, and as many good men
as you can conveniently consult, to say what
yon think OF it; and, also, what you nre willing
| to do about it2
I want written expression Of views th..
can be followed by concurrence OF action.
want to know il you and the gentlemen who
| will ION in that written expression, are willing
to pledge the people OF the South to chival-
rous and magnanimous devotion to restoring
reace and prosperity to our common country.
l want to carry that pledge high sboye the the
level of party politics, to the late officers and
soldiers of the Union army, and to the people
of the North and West, and to ask them to
consider il, and to take tho necessary action,
confident that it will meet with aresponse so
warm, go generous and confding, that we shall
see in its sunshine the rainbow OF peace in our
political sky, now black with clouds and I'M
1 pending storm.
I know you nre representative man in rev.
erence and regard for the Union, the constitu-
ton and the welfare of the country, and that
what on would say would be endorsed by nine
| tenths of the whole people OF the South but
should like to have the signatures OF oil the re-
preventative Southern men here who concur in
your views, and expressions of their concur
rence from the principal officers and rapresen-
tatiYe men throughout the South when they
can be procured.
This concurrence OF opinions and Wills oil
] tending to peace, order and stability, will as
sure our Union soldiers and business men, who
want substantial and solid peace and cause
them to rise above the level Of party politics
and take such steps to meet yours as will in
sure lasting peace with all it's countless bless
ings.
'''' 'i''' 'O ". s. RosECRANs.
Gen. R. L. LEE, White Sulphur Springs, West
! W. inia.
WHITE SULPHUR SPRINGS, WEST Va,
August 26, 1868.
General: have the honor to receive your
letter OF this date, and in accordance with your
suggestion, have conferred with number OF
gentlemen from the South in whose judgment
| have confded, and who are Well acquainted
! with the public sentiment of theT respective
States. They have kindly consented to unite
with me in replying to your communication.
and their names will be found with my own
appended to this answer.
With this explanation we proceed to give to
YOU q candid statement OF what we believe to
be the sentiment of the Southern people in re-
gard to the subject to which you refer.
Whatever opinions may haveprevailed in the
past in regard to African slavery. or the right
OF State to secede from the Union, We believe
we express the almost unanimous judgment OF
the Southern people when we declare that they
consider that those questions we're decided by
the war, and that il 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-
tions with the United States Government.
Through their State conventions they abol-
ished slavery, and annulled their ordinances Of
secession, and they returned to their peaceful
pursuits with sincere purpose to fulfil all
their duties under the constitution Of the
United States, which they bad sworn to sup
port. If their action in these particulars had
| been met in spirit OF frankness and cordiali-
ty, we believe that ere this old irrltations
would have passed away, and the wounds in
ficted by the war would have been in great