The Orangeburg news. [volume] (Orangeburg, S.C.) 1867-1875, 1873-04-12
EXCHANGE HOTEL,

i.AChANfE HOTEL,
MONTGOMERY, ALA, Feb. 22, 1873.
To HIS Eaceilcncy, President Grant:
Nm FRIEND The pleasing re
hec'lon of th- sympathy shown inc when
last met you at Gallona, ILL.,, in 1868
prompts lie to address you this note
s'e BY the heassociated press dispatch
hat you have in contemplation tour
over the Southern States. Uavinu
travelled in the South for the last few
months aud knowing the feelings of the
Southern people towards you as the
'hicf Executive OF this nation, can
assure y"u th't Il cordial reception await
,ou aud tl.at your presence her. will
hvc - beneficial effect tow ,rl, rcconci
ling tlic prrjuilces which has been On
gendcird du,ing The war. have dur
ing my rc>cnt tour. made a great man,
appointment. to address the peopl. uI
ri this scc'i"n On nay principles of Truth
aud Reconciliation, but re lizng that
views which do Justice to the mutiyrs
AMI atrlutism Of the Southern people
f''nst resist the geacral prejudice. of the
North prefer tn more fully explain then
there before ask full recognition by
the Press of the Svuth. 4 :. Suu.h, rn
people have truly been misunderstood in
The late conflict and they ca,luo, be re
concil-d whilst their true motives are
spurned with contempt, their patriotism
dirscgsrdeI and their ga!lAnt dead lie in
aishonored graves. '''''
1hvy ACCEPT, philosnhically, tn si'u,
ton in which the fortunes of war Inv.
placed them, AMI entertain no d., Of
conteading for what they sincerely
thought was right. They haze beau
reconstructed from basis of preiu
dice, they should now be reconciled by
thc influence of Truth Their views OF
right must be held sacred, or a union of
feeling cannot be effected. The triumph
OF the Federal Army over the Conicder
ate Army established 10 principal of
Truth. The soldiers of both armies
were fighting for 4" ashington's princ.
pies, as pure patriots with total dis
regard of each others stand point. Ienc..
they will have to change stand points.
and come to the truthful conclusion
that they were both right, the way they
viewed it wrong. And on no other basis
can reconciliation now he effected but
that of equal honor and glory meted out
to Federal aud Confederate alike. Had
the Confederate army triumphed ove-thn
Federal, (Which would have been Ger
tain had they held the resources of the
latter,) the North would not have chang
edand would have thought any less of
their noble dead, and you aud the gal,
liant Comander Of that army, would have
contendent for the sincerity Of your
principles the same AS tue South do now
Tor their Lost Cause.
The act of secession placed you in the
Presidential chair; without it, you
would now be an humble citizen in the
private walks of life. sincerely trnst
you will, in this hour Of your triumph
and exultations, feel toward the South
as the lamented President Lincoln did /:
with charity for all aud malice for
nome"
Without secession three millions Of
blacks would now be slaves, and oy the
sanction of a government which neither
thought Of their abolition on philnsophi
cal principles, that Of purchase, but
held the union of the States, With
slavery recognized as constitutional
right paramount to their liborty Their
freedom was thus compromised, and
they have achieved it b. the blood of
both armies, hence their sympathies
must be equal in respect to the dead whu
fell as martyrs to principle of mis-.
understanding by which they became
free. / have tried for the last twelve
years TO take philosophical view of The