The Ouachita telegraph. [volume] (Monroe, La.) 1865-1889, 1871-05-27
Letter from john Quincy Adams.
Q,,INCN. Man 6, 1871

<|ft| t>D - nave tHt' HtRtE 10 ttt-
/ knowledge the receipt of Il conimuni-
cation from you enclosing two extracts
! from newspapers upon which you re.
, quest my criticism and l infer from
your letter that you wis, to learn my
opinion upon the public questions dis
| cu-Scti in those articles.
! You arc quite welcome to know them
if you are willing to accept them as SIM
ply the speculation of an individual.
l represent nobody and do not boast 4
follower in the world nor do know
that my notions are shared by amy con-
siderable portion of any party.
The people of the United States feel
instinctivcly that they are going wrong,
but they are told that it Will be dangrr-
Gus to rctracc their steps. They know
; that the path upon Whir! they have
entered is brsct with pitfalls but even
| a bad pass is better than the prccipicc.
! The sweep of reaction, is stayed by the
dread of revolution. Tho policy of
shrcwd Democrats and the duty of good
! citizens is to diSpcl this apprehension,
no matter how foolish it may seem to
them. Short of honor and good faith
no sacrifice should be deemed severe
which would suffice to lay that haunt
ing spectre. For that reason ] drplorc
the Democracy is sncaking up To its
inevitable position. For this cause
share your regret at the StudiouS ambi-
! guilty which seems to search for !, sally
; port through which to dodge it's dcs-
: tiny. And whilc better like the spirit
l equally condemn the policy Of those
who openly proclaim their purpose OF
| revolution. Such Indications OF Scnti-
ment annoy me, simply because they
proioI,g Il situation traught with great
danger to- tho dearest interests of us all.
! The dominant party can retain Il power
which has grown too great for the pub
lie welfare only by an indefinite cXtcn-
sion of the moral conditions of the civil
| war.
The Republican organization can ral-
~ to no cry but q slogan and conquer
under no standard but Il spear. That
party needs strife to insure its success,
but good feeling is necessary for good
government.
! Now the hostility to the Fifteenth
| Amendment is the stock in trade of tho
! fomcntors of strife; is it wort h yratify-
ing at the risk of permanent suhicction ::
! The South is CALLED to-day not hy the
presence of that amendment to the con-
stitution, but by the utter absence of
tho constitution itself. They feel Il con-
gresS which assaults them. but they
| find no constitution to protect them.
Is it not silly, then, to suualhcab
an amendment which would cease to
! be obnoxious if it was not detached
from its context:
1t is 4uibbling upon a t,p.hnicality oi
law and rclinuuishing the substance OF
liberty. The constitution was struck
down by the assault upon Sumter, :,S
all constitutions must necessarily fall
before the force of tho supreme arhitra-
| mCnt OF war. 1t can never be lifted up
| while war is ilagrant. Tho people will
mover resign the attitude ofhostile viyi-
! lance, which. is the real Significance of
I the present administration, until they
! know that not one Of their war trophies
! is longer disputed. Then they will
| gladly resume the habits which they
love and the good nature which they
rcprrSS. What then is the meaning of
! the grOt"SIuc contortionS of those who
profess u 1ondn"sS for camrlS and yet
strain so Enthusiastically ut this Snat? For
the essence of all Democracy is equality
nothing but the equality of all men
| before the law. Equal and exact jus
ticc to every man, and each to share in
! the government Ofall. That is tho only
genuine Democratic doctrine. But " ho
darcs face an intelligent people with
that testimony upon his lips. and do
| nounrc Il measure which Is too demo-
| cratic for Democrats only because the
| cnfranchiSCd are black! Surely the
Northern Democracy should not b"
| forced into such StupiditirS hN the con-
~cicHtiouS ScrupleS of their Southern
! brethren. Difference is doubtless due
, to their constitutional HunlnlS, and vet
some lcnitN towards revolutionary pro-
ccSSeS of amendment mi ight be reason
ably expected from supporters OF scccS-
sion. If W" can con,lOuc the fault, is it
too much to ask parolcd prisoners OF
war TO pardon it:
No! You have given our crv, ..I'ni-
vcrsal amnesty and univcrsal suffrage >
I would only add the constitutional
Union of the States. For the old con.
=titution is Just ~ good rs ever it was
for South as well as North. in spite OF
the marks Of the mailed hand which
must remain upon it for u warming L
those that come aficru-. There is moth
ing in it now which is not perfectly
compatible with the happiness, wcllar,
and liberty of all tho people of all tn.
States. 1t j.; only the administrator,
that j. II, fault. it is the intcrprctatio,
which il violent. DoN you imagine tha
Th"naaS J"ff"r-un--'lo YOU think tina
james MadiSon-w would say that thri
OH organic frame permits n protrctiv
tariff or paper money authorizes ma
tional banks or presidential diplomacy
count"nanccs military tribunals, ccI
tralizatiun and IN" crnwning and pci
feet int;uny Of the Ku-Kluv bill?