The Orangeburg news. [volume] (Orangeburg, S.C.) 1867-1875, 1873-04-12
"J N" to the President |!
a STiRR1NG LETTER FR ON 4
LIVE PHIL OSOIHER!
LIFTING THE VEIL OF TRUTH
"PECONCILLAT TION rs MAT
IT ALL MEANS!
BOLD JTTERANCES FROM AN
INSPIRED SOLRCE!
4 true course marh,cd out tor the Presi'
dent 10 hoilo,o JfMe South are recon
cHci.
EXCHANGE HOTEL.

MONTGOMERY, ALA., Feb. 22, 1873.
To His Eaceilcncy, President Grant:
NM FRIEND The pleasing re
hec'lon of tn. sympathy shown me when
| last met you at Gallona, Ill.,, in 1868
prompts lie to address you this note.
s'e by theassociated press dispatches
hat you have in contemplation tour
over the Southern Stutrs. Having
Travelled in the South for the last few
months aud knowing the feelings Of tho
Southern people towards you as the
Chief Executive OF this nation. can
assure y"n ihHt a cordial reception await
Non aud fi,at your presence here viii
hive - beneficial effect tow rl, roconri
ling the pr'juiices which has been On
gendeird du,ing the war. have dur
lag my resent tour. made great man,
appointments to address tho people oil
"i this section On nay principles of Truth
aud Reconciliation, but re lz;mg that
views which DO justice to the motivrs
and atriotisn Of the Southern people
''snst resist the general prejud,ces of The
North prefer tn more fully explain then
there before | ask full recognition by
the Press at the South. T. {. South rn
pcrrlc have truly been misunderstood in
the late conflict and thcv canuot be re
concilrd whilst their true motives arc
srurned with contempt, their patriotism
dlrscgardeI and their galllnt dead lie in
dishon"red graves. ''''1'
Thvy ACCEPT, philosphically, til si,u.
tion in which the fortunes of war h,y.
placed them, anl entertain no id. "a of
contehding for what they sincerely,
thought Was right. They haze besn
reconstructed from basis of preju
dice, they should now be reconcied By
thc influence of Truth. Their views of
right must be held sacred, or union of
feeling cannot be effected. The triumph
OF the Federal Army over the Conicder
ate Army established no principal of
Truth. The soldiers of both armies
were fighting for I" ashinston's princi.
pies, us pure patriots with a total dis
regard of each others stand point. Henc,.
they will have to chungc stand points.
and come to the truthful cnnciusion
that they were both right, the way they
viewed it wrong. And on no other basis
can reconciliation now he effected but
thr of equal honor and glory meted out.
to Federal and Confederate alike. Had
the Confederate army triumphed ove- the
Federal, (Which would have been Ger
tain had they held the resources of the
latter the North would not have chang
ed and would have thought any less of
their noble dead, and you aud the gal,
liant Conander Of that army, would have
contendent for the sincerity of your
principles the same AS the South do now
for 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 trust
you will, in this hour Of your triumph
and exultations, feel toward the South
rs the lamented President Lincoln did ::
with charity for all aad malice for
none."
Without secession three millions Of
blacks would now be slaves. and oy the
sanction of government which neither
thought Of their abolition on phinsophi
cal principles, that of purchase. but
held the union Of the States, With
slavery recognized as constitutional
right paramount to their iborty Their
freedo 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