New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1869-12-20
4 SECOND LETTER TO GEN BUTLER

MISUNDERSTANDING.
DEAR SIR: thank You heartily for your re-
Spouse to my former letter, and that you took
ample time to make it full and deliberate. |
am glad that you saw fit to make 1t public, so
that first saw it in print. For the questions on
which we differ are nOwise of private or per-
sonal interest but deeply concern our country
and all her people. Pardon my belief that they
also concern Humanity, and that their solution
will determine that our race has or has not
made progress since the good old days when
the gallows was always brought into free play
at the close of every civil war. In the hope
that public sentiment may be somewhat en-
lightened and corrected by our discussion, l
propose here TO review several of your more
important positions
l. Let me thank you once more for the
frankness with which the main point in con-
troversy is presented in your letter. You state
correctly that your position originally was that
"the leaders" in the Southern Rebellion "shOuld
abe punished, as examples" You and | are
both aware that no list of those "leaders"
could have been fairly made that would have
reduced their number below one hundred, in
Guiding the Cabinet Officers Members of Con-
gress, Governors of States, and Army officers
of West Point education and grades from
Lieutenant Colonel upward, who abandoned the
service of the Union for that of the Rebellion.
Yet you now suggest that "some half-dozen.
"mOre or less" would have sutficed for such
exemplary Justice. When five more years of
peace shall have interviewed, Lam quite confident
you will consider that two or three examples
would have been enough and, after the lapse
of five more years, you will be satisfied that
to have strung up in 1865 him who was your
choice for President in 1860 would have an
swered the purpose.
shall differ from you then as I differ from
you now. l believe the killing of many, or
few, or one of the Confederate chiefs at any
time after the complete overthrow and collapse of
their revolt would have been a fearful, CHASTITY
blunder, sowing seeds of bitterness and wrath
that must have borne evil fruit throughout
future ages. / dislike vcarious punishments
altogether and / realize that in this case they
would convey to the spared Rebels this moni-
ton: "You, too, deserve hanging but then
"you are insignificant, and hemp is dear" 1t
would have been patent of nobility for gen.
erations at the South to be able to claim
knship with one who was tried, convicted,
and executed, as one of the Confederate
"leaders" Their death would have opened q
deep abyss between those who fought for and
those who fought against the Union. One life
thus taken would have ranked more and
longer than hundred thousand sacrificed in
fair, manly collision on the field of battle.
The great Hebrew warrior and monarch fully
comprehended this difference when he directed,
from his death bed, the cutting off from life of
his valiant lieutenant Joab. because he had
: shed the blood of war in peace" Il. Kings
ii. 5.)
H. Let me thank you again that you pre-
ferred truth to chivalry in reminding me that
you were in 1868 Republican candidate for
Office aud succeeded By aaattering vote, while