The Charleston daily news. [volume] (Charleston, S.C.) 1865-1873, 1871-07-05
JOHN QUINCY ADAMS.
another Letter to q southerner-He
Urges that Southern Self-Control Is q
Prime Requisite.

Some short me since Mr.. J. T. Trezevant,
editor of the Augusta (Arkansas) Bulletin,
wrote letter to Hon. John Quincy Adams, OF
Massachusetts,, upon political matters, express
ing, among other things, the apprehension
that, as he puts 1t, "with Grants vast patron
age, most unscrupHlously used, he would not
Weld the Presidential chair, even If defeated
before the people in 1872; and that our Repub.
lie, like Its predecessors Of old, Is 80 rapidly
drifting into the channels of corruption, that
the people, In despair, may look to one mill
tary leader as the only means of saving them
from the utter ruin threatened by another"
This was the general scope of the letter, to
which the following is reply:
QUINCY, Mass, June S, 1871.
Dear Sri cannot pass over, silently, let
ter which gratihes me az much as yours, which
! received to-day; and yet, feel shy of speak
ing to you or any citizen OF the "su6ject
States.' I dislike TO earn the retort, "Oh, 1t
is yery easy to preach; but, suffer as we nave,
and then tell us how you feel, and we Will lis.
ten" I do try to take 1t home TO myself; and
do not doubt tlat In similar circumstances,
should be to-day an '1nrepentant reoeL,M ,.,,
sore, angry, beaten and defiant. And, with
me, 1t would doubtless have been as It has
been with YOU, that "the tender mercies OF
reconstruction had been harder to bear than
all the horrors Of invasive war;" L
should have been CALLED by mIsgovernment,
robbed by imported knavery of the pittance
which the war had spared, exasperated by
wilf1i and persistent Misrepresentation. and
cruelty condemned to hopeless impotence lor
the imputed guilt of cowardly crimes 40.
horred. should have been condemned, 100,
to hold my personal liberty at the nod OF
mercinary carpet.bagger or the whim OF q
military satrap. say that I tear l should
have been an s.lrreconcllable." In sucn q case
think I should be suky, but KNOW snoulo
he siIv If Welded to the feeling, for whence
must nv reiiet come il my last estate Is not to
hecome worse than the frst 2. Is there man
outside an asylum who thinks by such q
course the 'slost cause" can be regalned BY
| whom. then If by the North, believe me
that the experiment. of secession has SATISFIED
MS that no cause is worth civil war. That
| war has confirmed, beyond shadow OF 9
turning, the destiny which decTeeo tnas seese 81
shall be but one confederated people OF the
North American Union. No. "Rebellious
might be: but weak enough to await the resur
rection of secession do not think could be-
You and I and your friends and nei9n.
! bors and mine are of one oioodi We
were once s'fellow-cltlzens;" and the olo.Lme
kindness must llnger yet In spots. Our fathers
L
something. The whole political problem o
| the future turns upon the answer TO the Ques
tIon. ttSball we live together as friends o
| enemies2 ?" Now, the whole Internal policy o
the present administration says war. kecon M
struction meant war. and the ku-KluX Dill DE
clared war. This Union IS now helo Iogetas.
by force. Certainly, II this is to be permanent
it would have been better to have parted
frst. II Che struggle to cast out slavery over
threw the constitution, what chance Is tner
II for "freer government. ifthe North is 10 rul
the South? South Carolina is to-day the mos
shameless parody on Republican INSTITUTION
since Republican Rome bestrode all the na
tions Of the ancient world, put tue sWora I
their throats, stripped them bare, ana lhe
lacked words to laud the lcyeliness OF liberty
You cannot be su5ject, and we be long Tree
The untrammeled exercise OF local self-goVerI
ment by the people of the States is the sal
which preserves our system: Take that awe
and our frame of pollty will rapidly TOT lnl
despotism. Therefore, ills, that, not as pa
tsan, but wholly as felloWeltlzea etals tats
will frankly and honestly accept the revolt
tlonary changes which have been forced uAo
the constitution, and with them, cheerful
, adopt the new relations OF amity and polltlcs
and civil equality toward the emancpated cla:
which these changes Involve. And, theretor
I am glad when see the noble spirit OF you
, letter pervading the Southern people as 1t doe
despite the mallgnity of o partisan press, Will
the sterling sense of Mr. Vallandigham has +
formed the Northern Democracy. and 1t ma
+ ters not what man may be chosen to lead
so long as his heart is large enough to hold. d
whole country; his soul brave enough, NJ 10 e. 81
t brace Confederate as brother, ana MS pls
form Wide enough for every American cltlzt
, to TO- stand ID upon. 70 Compass this end somethil
7 of sacrifice Is required of US all; much OF Sc
, control is demanded OF the South. You and
E I hear assure me that the attempt will
made; and II made honestly and In earnest,
: cannot fail. Again thanking you for your Il
i letter, 1 am, very respectfully, your ooeale
E To +. Trezevant, ESQ.,, Augusta, Ark.