The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1869-12-22


torcrnorship: and. to swedgc the bolts
% that none oC them would draw, the CO.
vernon was given absolute control over the
'egistering officers, so that no rebel could
rot on the registry even of the most rebel
iious district. If ever policy could be
lleved up and riveted, this would seem to
have been secure.
But Brownlow was chosen to the United
States Senate and turned over the govern
JrsiIip to Sentcr, who wanted to be chosen
in his own right and here he was confront
I'd by Stokes, who threatened 10 prove the
stronger with the loyal Or Republican
voters. Senter, to escape defeat. begins to
change the registering gOiiicera-appolnting
such as would rerstcr cy-rcbcis who would
vote for him. When the polls at length
opened, nearly every rebel was duly regis
tered and voted, electing Scntcr easily
enough, and With him q Legislature that
only needs Isham G. Harris for Governor
10 ir"l7c the revolution symmetrical and
complete. With the Republican party di-
vidcd. and the rebels perfectly united, this
result was inevitable.
Now. you NAV cxccratc Scntcr, or whom
socver YOU will that will not alter the
facts. The State is lost I; her vote is scored
up against the fifteenth amendment her
delegation in the next Congress will be two
thirds Copperiead: and you may expect to
see her celebrating the next anniversary Of
the battle of Chickamauga. It seems to me
that she has been fooled away. and that the
initial hlundor was the calculation that Il
pyra,rid might be made to stand on its apex
that the dstranchisement Of nearly half the
men, holding three-fourths of the pro-
pertv, could be upheld and peri petuatod
in republican commonwealth. l impeach
your policy of sweeping disfranchscment
and prescription rs leading inevitably to
such disasters. Had the Republicans Of
Tennessee, even down 10 last spring. said
tothc cX-rebcls, eve will meet you OH the
platform Of universal amnesty with impair
al suffrage, enfran"hising you al on con-
!iton that YOU unite with us in ratifying
he fifteenth amendment" that overture
would have been heartily accepted. A it
was, taking ground against Scnter simply
constrained him to enfranchise more and
more rebels in order to escape defeat, until
at last the State was completely in their
power.
V. In Georgia the rebels have broken
faith so grossly that public sentiment will
Justify resort to stern measures to restore
the rational authority. They had neither
The moral nor the legal right to eXrcl the
colorcd members from the Legislature and
install defeated Coppcrhcads in their places.
II they mad supposed the expulsion .iGStitia-
bic they would have given the people
chance to till the seats With men chosen by
maioriticS rather than minoritieS. They
irc Justly responsible for the anomalous
position Of their State, and for the general
halt III the march Of reconstruction. You
cannot say more against them than viii
iDdcrSc. But they owe their Short-iy"d
asacndancy 10 the trcaclery or pu-altniml-
~ q: Republicans in that same Legislature.
Had these all stood by their colors, insisting
that the vote Oh cXpciljng each colorcd
member should he taken separately, and all
voted No, the conspiracy must have fai!c1.
Their presiding officers and Il few other
d0u gil-tarcs have mlrt 10 answer for. Yet.
even III the ftl~iiCd Legislature rs il stands,
the fifteenth amendment would have been
ratified II i. the Republicans had voted iuf
il. Whr some did not can no more gucSs
than whytEc LEGISLATURE ofRhode Island has
acted - nlri>hly. But TOO many have idly
iancic0 that the amendment would prevail
anyhow, and nave failed TO realize the need
Ct effort and zeal 10 secure itS ratification.
VI. As t0 the other unreccrSt}Ictcd
states. one Of ~ would seem 10 be IrosSlv
in error Is TO the fact. Can mistake il
saving Tia! thn Republicans Of Virginia
clrricG their state handsomely IL choosing
delegates 10 their Constitutions! ConYen-
ton: that This convention mad" Il sweep
ii.ly ;rn-criItiy2 Constitution: and !h1t,
nrr.:iauL Grant having submitted the pro-
scripive clauses separately, they were over
Whclmingiy voted down III the p0l!-: AN
| vrory in assuming that the Republican
party. thus identified with prescription,
was beaten, While their opponents. aidcu
by many Republicans, tr!uinplicC expressly
on the platform on which | stand, the i'll
rcenth amendment Included: think !
have not misrcad the essential! ticts.
Vow turn to Mississippi. where the Re-
Duhlicans were badly beaten liz lAc!r11Imer
Httcmpt To ratjfy Il proscrptiTe Con>ltu-
ton, but where they have uD% ovcr"hcill-
inor triumrhcd, having, by General Grants
hc!n. thrown prescription oye.Do1rd, and
planted themselves Oh u platform Of all
rights lor all. Their candidate for Governor
was moi mcrclya rebel, bus fi@Etin" rebel !;
vel he is elected over the Presidents bro
Ihrr-in-aw. who was 10 rebel ut All. IN
Texas. also, prescription was cXp pressly
thrown overheard, and universal amnesty
made the cornerstone Of The new political
Fabric. You see and rejoice over the result.
viii Won not comprehend its moral:
VII. \ few words concerning repentance,
which YOU think should Drccedc cnirtu-
chisemcnt. l shall not offend you by aiiu-
din. to The fact that you were til 1861 +
pgo-sl;ycry Democrat-doubtlcss >uccD. II
50. At length great crisis, q great Ia.
.ionai peril. constrained you to cut !oo>a
from the party with which youhad 20 long
and so efficiently acted and seek Cf.c public
good through other ;t>sOciatIo.!s. ! AN
sure that some things wear Gifitrcnt a.
I,cct IN your eyes from that t,hey wore ten
or twenty Years ago il wGuld be strange
indeed il they did not. But suppose those
with whom you b ave acted since 1861 had
met you at tic threshold with the inquiry,
" DO YOU repent, cf having hitherto been Il
Democrat r S1n sure you would have re-
Sardcd thc Il -.ery as an untlmely lmpcrlt-
ncncc, and replied, "Judgc me by my
acts. II / ave been dishonest and insin-
ccre hithcr to, ii is not probable that / am
now trui .ntul and patriotic. On the other
hand,1I l have thus far in good faith acted
up to the light vouchsaled me, shall pro-
baby do so hereafter" AT all events, this
seems to me the spirit OF a true mans an
swer. So thatmy compatriot does right to-
day, and purposes to do right tomorrow, !
do not wish him to forswcar his Selt-respcct
by humiliating confessions and ahjurationS
with regard to what he thought right yes
terday.
VIII. There are passages in your letter
which might provoke u sharp retort but
nv object being to win you to klndlles
spirit / must repress the temptation. Let
me close, then, with a thought suggested
by Your plausible claim that public senti-
mcnt is overwhelmingly with you and
against me on the issue which divides us.
/ think YOU will not, on reflection, insist
that your view prevails outside ot the Re
publican party or outside Of our own coun-
try. On the contrary YOU must he aware
that it has absolutely no champions save
among those to whose passions il appeals,
whose personal grievances it proposes CATER
u t.shion) tc redress. Grant that our pollt!-
cal a,yel'sarics, whether here or abroad. are
partial Judges. YOU must have read the stir
ring appeal of Victor Hugo to Jaurez i'm
nlnrinr him To snare tie lie OF MaXilni!lnn.