The Cairo daily bulletin. (Cairo, Ill.) 1870-1872, 1871-07-02
JOHN QUINCY ADAMS.

LETTER FROM THE MASSACHUSETTS
STATESMAN TO AN ARKANSAS EDITOR.
QuIscY, Mass, JusE s 1871.
DEAR SIR | cannot pass over, silently,
letter which gratifies me as much rs
yours which l received to day and yet, l
feel shy of speaking to you or any citizen
of the "subject States" / dislike to earn
the rctort-- "Oh 1t is very easy to preach;
but suffer rs we have, and then tell us
how you feel, and we will listen" do
try to take IL home to myself; and l do
not doubt that, in similar circumstances,
/ should BIO to day an "unrepentant rebel
sore, angry, beaten and defent. And,
with me, it 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. should have been CALLED BY mis-
government, robbed by imported knavery
of the pittanco which the war had spared:
exasperated by willful and persistent mis-
representation, and cruelty condemned to
hopeless impotence for the imputed guilt
of cowardly crimes abhorred. / should
have been condemned, too, to hold my perso-
nal liberty at the nod Of a mercenary car
pet-bagger or the within of a military
satrap. say that fear / should have
been an "irIeconclable." In such case
think should be sulky; but know should
be silly if yielded to the feeling For
whence must my relief como If my last es-
tate is not to become worse than the first?
Is there man outside an asylum who
thinks that by such course the "lost cause
can be regained2 By whom thenY If by
the North, believe me that the experiment
of secession has satisfied us that no cause
is worth q civil war. That war has confr-
med, beyond the shadow of turning, the
destiny which decreed that there shall be
but one confederated people of the North
| American union. No. Rebellious might
be; but weak enough to await the resurrec-
ton of secession, do not think could DO
You and and your friends and nelghbors
and mine are of one blood we we're once
"fellow- ci.izens;" and the old-time kind.
ness must linger yet in spots. Our fathers
were "brethren," and that must count fol
something. The whole political problem
of the future turns upon the answer to the
question :"Shall we live together as friend;
or enemies ?" Now, the whole international
policy Ct the present administration says
war. Reconstruction means war; and the
Kuklux bill declared war. This Union i.
now held together by force. Certainly, i
this is to be permanent it would have
been better to have parted at first. 1ftht
struggle to cast out slavery overthrow the
constitution, what chance is there for {
"free" government, If the North is to rul,
the South? South Carolina is to day thu
most shameless parody on republic institu
tions since republican Rome bestro lie all thu
nations of the ancient world, put the sworc
to their throats, stripped them bare, ane
then lacked words to laud the lovelincsi
of liberty.
You cannot be subject, and We be long
free. The untrammeled exercise Of loca
seif-government BY the people of tn
States is the salt which preserves GU
whole system. Take that away, and GU
frame of polity will rapidly rot Into despot
ism. Therefore it is, that, not as part
isan, but wholly as fellow-citizen of tn
4 seeded States will frankly and honestl
] accept the revolutionary changes whic
n have been forced upon the Constitution
and with them, cheerfully adopt the ne
u relations of amity and political and civ
= equality towards the emancipated cla
n which these changes involve. And Their
!. fore / am glad when l see the noble spir
of your letter pervading tho Souther
people as it does, despite the maligni,
W of the partisan press; while the sterlir
ID sense Of Mr.. Vallandigham has reform,
the Northern Democracy. And it ma
81 tiers not what man be chosen to lead us,
" long as his heart is large enough to no
he his whole country his soul brave cnou.
~, to embrace Confederate AS II brother, al
~. his platform wide enough for every Amt
.o' lean citizen to stand upon. To comps
TIC this end something of sacrifice is requir
we of us all much of self-control Is demt
ded of the South. You and all / he
assure me that the attempt will be mad
on and if made honestly and in earnest
The cannot fail. Again thanking you
It'll your letter, am, very respectfully, y
ion obedicnt servant,
-. j. Q. ADAMS,
'"z- To J. 7. IRRELEVANT, Esq Augusta. A
asst
va now DICK scurIL FAILED WITH Johns
of AND SUCCEEDED WITH GRANT