Spirit of Jefferson. [volume] (Charles Town, Va. [W. Va.]) 1844-1948, 1869-05-11
Gcorro.pondenoo Cincinnati Commercially
Don Piatt Travels Down the Potomac,
and has a Confab with a Virginian.
THE WILDERNESS, April %, 1869.
TIE POTOMAC.

| ington, that impresses western man, accus
toned to see in the rivers of his country huge
bitches, constructed to carry off surface water,
and therefore only full at food-time Yet
there is nothing about it in the way of scenery.
The banks, although broken and varied, are
too low, and seem to~frame in iaadequately
the wide mirror of quiet waters. At least, so
1 thought ard felt us the steamer Keyrort
snored as it foated down with its freight of
humanity, bound South. A subdued lot of
humanity it was, we'll whipped, but far from
reconstructed. And anicc mess we are making
of it in the way Of legal enactments, as n little
observation of, and talk with, the assortment
on board would convince one in q brief period
| of time.
We complain that these southern people do
not accept the situation and look the inevitable
in the face. Are we not guilty of the same
error? The differences of nationality led to
bloody war, in which we laid waste wide
fields, burned the homesteads, and killed the
best beloved and yet propose. by few crude
statutes, to wipe out the deadly antagonism,
and make the people so punished patriotic,
peaceful, loving body of citizens.
Had we attempted this in good faith, we
would yet be fighting the inevitable but feel.
ing the impossbility of such result, we have,
in fact used our power to benefit ourselves
Our so-called reconstruction acts serve New
England, ard not the South. The net purport
and upshot of the business is to have body Of
men in Congress from the southern States who
represent the moneyed interests Of Yankee
dom We call them carpet-baggers. | met
one at The opening of the holidays last winter,
carpet>bag in hand, making for the depot.
'.Whithcr bound p l cried
"IIomc, for u few days"
"What, going SOUTH ~
Devil a Bit. am making for Connecticut
to see my family"
He did not call the land Of his constituents
home. OF course not nor docs he consider
the interest of his political locality, but votes
stcadiIy with the manufacturing capital Of his
old home.
Ma make Bob have hisself; every time
I hit him with tie hammer he hotcrs,"
| had sitting near me fuii>stomached, :,
heavy -jawed specimen of Old Virginia. lie
was reading Richmond paper, and broke
into a hearty laugh He thought the matter
that contained the laughter too good to keep
to himself, so looking over his eoli>rimmed
spcctacIes at me- his nearest neighbor, he said:
Did you read that? Now, Isay that's
ID good"
As he pointed TO an extract from one of
my letters Of course | heartily concurred in
his appreciation. But to save my conscience
I said that it was from one of those paid cor,
respondents that hang about Washington aud
write sensational stuff.
GA NANCY set Of ours, expect" was his
complimentary response, "but that feIler puts
it in about right this time. These id
Yankees arc running the Government to hell
on grade without brakes"
Don't you think you are to blame for
good deal Of this 2"
"What the devil can we do. sab !"
"Accept the situation Recognize the
negro as a citizen. Go on quietly undcr the
law, and try to create u material prosperity.
instead of fighting over political differences"
My friend removed his spectacles in evident
wrath his brows corrugated, and he crumpled
the journal he had been reading into ball,
as if TO cast it at me, and then roared:
'Look here, stranger, what you say is like
kicking n man when he's down. We fought
a fair fight, and when we were whipped we
owned up like men, and all that we've got is
to be disfrauchised ourselves and then have
these id Diggers made citizens, to send
cursed carpet blggers to vote away our bread
and butter That you call accepting the
situation All very we'll for you, who may be
carget bagger for anything L know"
off were, it would be more in accordance
with Old Virginia politeness to restrain your
personal remarks. But | am not. On the
contrary, am the author of the extract you
so much admired just now. For five or six
years have been striving to withdraw from
these heated political contests, so as to look
calmly on both sides. l consider the SO called
ucts of reconstruction uuwise; not on your
account, for you are wrong headed, obstinate,
and violent, and deserve all that has come to
youin the way of puushment-but on account
of the entire country, for [ can see that they
will not bring about the peace and harmony
shat are necessary to success"
My friend regarded me with an expression
of doubt for few moments. But suppose
my honest face removed the suspicion, for he
soitened apace, and said:
"WelI, what the devil would you have US
do ?"
'Refrain from all violence. Every man,
white, and especially black. that is killed for
political difference-ev rash, violent
speech-justiies the enemy, and viii enable
them to end, where any other nation would
have begun, after such causeless, brutal war,
in hanging the leaders and ,coniiscating the
property
damn me- snorted my friend, off [
wouln't have liked better the hanging and
-confscation than this aggravating persecution
aud insult. But come, General II know you
are a General-there's no use in our quarreil-
ing about it; let's take drink. do" RAT.
PEAoE.-When Caesar was engaging all the
world in war, he wrote to TulIy, 'sThere was
nothing worthier of an honest man than to
have contention with nobody" When Grant
was writing ''Let US have. peace, was he
secretly signing to '.seize upon Cuba and
for d ''war with England ?'