New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1869-12-20

general fact is clear. Nay, more: had Deen,
like you, a volunteer, and not cohscrlp'eu
candidate, think still more Republicans "ouiu
have refused me their votes on TINS grounui
for am sure that the few thousands VINO
scratched NV name off their ballots by no
means measure the strength of the adverse
feeling evoked by my early, persistent
defiant efforts to prevent the ne
publican party imbruing its hands IN 'ho
blood of adyersares wholly in its power
beg you never to doubt that l fully com
pretended this from the outSet-knew that the
course | took was not calculated to make me
popular candidate for office or extend the
circulation of my journal. We had just closed
in complete triumph a long, exhaustlng, bloody
war. which had carried mourning into nearly
every household; and fully realized the peril
invoked by him who interposes between an
irate, bleeding victor and his PROSTATE, de1ehse
less foe. / assure you, General, that IL hao
deemed it the chief end of man to obtain ONCE,
enjoy popularity. and bask in the sunshine OIL
power, | should have taken very dl1erehU
course. If | had not loved my country ana
the party which had her honor in keeping,
more than | loved office and hOnors, | should
have chimcd in with Andrew JohnsOn's sing
song "Treason is a crime; traitors must be
punished and called with you for examples
to be made of the leaders of the crushed-out
Rebellion.
But had read some history, and one OF the
lessons | CLEANED from it was the duty OF re-
sisting and if possible restraining the passions
of party completely triumphant in the Issue
of desperate civil war. | did not find that
the seventies of Philip III. and his licutenants
had saved the Netherlands to Spain-that the
"bloody assizes" of Jeflreys after MOnmouth's
overthrow had buttressed the throne OF James
| H. | saw that the execution OF Louis AFl'
and his Queen had not saved the French re-
| public-that the execution OF Marshal Ncy
did not perpetuate the throne OF the B0urDOhS
that the hanging of Macy Sander and twelve
! more Hungarian Generals after GOrgcys sur
| render did not prevent the recovery OF
their country's ancient liberties. In short,
if there be one lesson written all over the
| face of history, it seems to me that pride
&" goeth before destruction that the conquerOr
in n civil feud who has glutted his vengeance
stands often very near his final DOWNFALL
| should have known, if Shakespeare had not
said it, that bloody Instructions quite COM
monty "return to plague the inventors
| And AZ had stood by the cradle OF the Re
publican party, and fondly believed that its
mission of benefcence is not yet exhausted,
sought to save it from a fatal bundcr, even
though at some personal cost | judge that
the hanging of jeff Davis would have cost
| that party One Hundred Thousand votes, while
! il would not have saved it even that OF the
original mouth piece of the vindictiye policy
Mr.. Andrew Johnson and | did not believe
| it had so many voters TO spare.
| H. | regret that you should misunderstood
me as regarding this matter in the light OF party
policy alone. Such was never my thought, nor
my expression. | opposed the policy of ven
geance because | deemed it intrinsically wrong
and pernicious | advocate the XVIII Amend
ment because | deem it essentially just and
bencfceut If the former were not wrong 1t
would not be impolitc; If the latter were not
emincntly right, we might survive its failure
| presented the party aspects of the case in my
former letter. not as the most vital, but rs
those in which the error of your policy could
be most clearly demonstrated. If ! were ever
SO good Grecian might not talk Greek to a
Choctaw My objection to your policy rs sui
cdal by no means precludcd nor bcllttlcd other
objections; it simply affirmed that, if there
were no other this would suffice To condemn
it. Let us review the ground in the light Of
accomplished facts
". Tennessee was thoroughly reconstructed,
under the sway of Andrew johnson and Of
Parson BrownlOw, on the principle onunciated
by the former, that Loyal men, White and
BLACK, must govern America" No one who
| ,r,l,t OH 10 la.
bellion was allowed TO vote or hold office. In
some Counties, sevcn-clghths OF the Whites and
two-thrds of the adult males of all colors were
under the ban. The Constitution was con-
formed to this programme; loyal delegation
sent to Congress; BrownlOw succeeded to the
GovernOrshp; and, to swedge the bolts so
that none of them would draw the Governor
was given absolute control over the registering
officers, so that no Rebel could get on the reg
istry even of the most rebellous district. If
ever a policy could be keyed up and riycted,
this would seem to have been secure
But Brownlow was chosen to the y. S.
Senate and turned over the Governorship to
Senter who wanted to be chosen in his own
| right; and here he was confronted by Stokes,
who threatened to prove the stronger with the
loyal OF Republican voters. Senter to escape
defeat, begins to change the registering Off
GERS; appointing such as would register ex-
Rebels who would vote for him. When the
polls at length opened, nearly every Rebel was
duly registered and voted, electing Senter
easily enough, and with him a Legislature that
only needs Isham G. Harris for Governor to
make the revolution symmetrical and complete.
With the Republican party divided and the
Rebels perfectly united, this result was inovi-
table.
| Now Won NAV execrate Senter or Whomsoever