The Valley Virginian. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1865-1895, 1871-07-20
National Issues-Letter of Hon. Jno. Quincy
Adams.


want, editor of the Augusta (Ark.) Bulletin
wrote a letter to Hon. John Quincy Adams
Of Massachusetts. upon political matters, ex
pressing, among other things, the apprehen
sion that, as he puts it, with Grants vas
patronage, most unscrupulously used, he woul'
not yield the presidential chair, even i
defeated before the people in 1872; ant
that our republic, like its predecessors o
old, is SO rapidly drifting into the channel
of corruption, that the people, in despair
may look to one military leader as the onl,
means Of saving them from the utter ruiz
threatened by another" This was the gen
eyal scope of the letter. to which the follow
ing is reply, dated at Quincy, Mass, Jun,
5, 1871:
Dear Sir: cannot pass over, silently, =;
letter which gratiGes me as much as youls
which l received to-day; and yet I feel shy
OF speaking to you or any citizen Of the
subject States.'' Idislike to earn the re
tort-"Oh, it is very easy to preach bu
suffer as we have, and then tell US how yov
feel, and we will listen" [ dc try to take il
home to myself: and do not doubt that, il
similar circumstances, I should be to-day ar
"unrepentant rebel"-sore, angry, beaten
and defiant And with me it would doubt
less have been as it has been with you, that
'-the tender mercies Of reconstruction had
been harder to bear than all the horrors oil
invasive war" should have been CALLED
by misgoyernment, robbed by imported knav-
cry of the pittance which the war had spar
ed; exasperated BY wilful and persistent
Misrepresentation, and cruelty condemned to
hopeless impotence for the imputed guilt OF
cowardly crimes [ abhorred [ should have
been condemned, too, to hold my personal
liberty at the nod Of mercenary carpet-bag-
ger or the within of military satrap.
[ say that fear [ should have been an
"rreconclable.' In such case, think |
should be sulky but know | should be sill
ly if yielded to the feeling. For, whence
must my relief come if my last estate is not
to become worse than the first Is there a
man outside Of an asylum who thinks that
by such course the 'ost cause" can be re-
gained By whom, then If by the North,
believe me that the experiment Of secession
has satisfied us that no cause is worth civil
war. That war has confirmed, beyond shad-
ow of turning, the destiny which decreed
that there shall be but one confederated peo-
pie Of the North American Union. No.
Rebellious might be; but weak enough to
await the resurrection of secession [ do not
think could be. You and | and your friends
and neighbors and mine are of one blood );
we were once "fellow citizens ;" and the old
time kindness must lingcr yet, in spots. Our
fathers we're ''brethren" and that must count
for something. The whole political problem
Of the future turns upon tho answer to the
question, ''Shall we live together as friends
or enemies ?" Now, the whole internal poll
cy of the present administration says war
Reconstruction meant war; and the Ku-
Klux bill declared war.
This Union is now held together by force
Certainly, if this is to be permanent, it would
have been better to have parted at first. 1t
the struggle to cast out slavery overthrow the
constitution, what chance is there for s'free"
government, if the North is to rule the
South +? South Carolina is to-day the most
shameless parody on republican institutions
since republican Rome bestrode all the ma
tions Of the ancient world, put the sword to
their Threats, stripped them bare, and then
lacked words to laud the loneliness Of iber-
ty. You cannot be subject and we be long
free The untrammelcd exercise of local
elfgovernment by the people Of the States
is the salt which preserves our whole system.
Take that away, and our frame of polity will
rapidly rot into dcspotism. Therefore it is
that, not as partisan, but wholly as fellow
citizen, [ trust that all the good citizens of
the seeded States will frankly and honestly
accept the revolutionary changes which have
been forced upon the constitution, and with
them cheerfully adopt the new relations Of
amity and political and civil equality towards
the emaucipated class which these changes
involve And therefore I am glad when [
see the noble spirit Of your letter pervadng
the Southern people as it does, despite the
malignity of a partisan press, while the ster-
ling sense Of Mr.. Vallandigham has reform
ed the Northern democracy. And it mat
tiers not what man may be chosen to lead us
50 long as his heart is large enough to hold
his whole country, his soul brave enough to
embrace Confederate as a brother, and his
platform wide enough for every American
citizen to stand upon. To compass this end
something of sacrifice is required Of us all
much of self-control is demanded of the
South You and all hear assure me that
the attempt will be made; aud if made hon
estly and-in earnest, it cannot fall Again
thanking you for your letter, I am, &c,
J. Q. ADAMS.
THE HOMESTEAD PRIVILEGE young
man, who lives not thousand miles from
Charlottesville, has been loa6ng on his old