Year: 1863

Eln letter Of Hon. Reverdy W.
johnson. published in the National In
teligeneer Of the 91st, the following
passage occurs:


"But the errors Of the past cannot
be corrected. We can only learn from
them wisdom for the future. What
does that teach US? Is it that no
Union feeling is now to be found in the
Southern States? Is it that it is so to-
tally extinct that to revive IL is IMPOSES
bic? do not think SO. The Guthries
and Wickliffes. the Joneses. the Rod.
neys and the Bates. the Rives and the
Summers, the Ruffius and the More
heads, and the thousands and thousands
who tinted with them still have in their
hearts, as pure as ever, love Of the
Union which their fathers constructed.
Satisfy them that, the war ended, the
Union will be as IL was intended to be,
and was before treason and fsnaticism
involved us In the existing frigbtful
struggle, and much, very much, will
be done to bring the struggle to an end.
and TO restore our former nationality.
We shall then. too. know each other
the better, and value each other the
more"


The mistake Of Mr.. Senator johnson
whose high personal and political
character has never been better illus
trated than in q recent letter, in which
he declared that the only way to close
the rebellion was by force of arms-his
mistake, l say consists in the remark
contained in this extract. in which he
intimates that when the war is ended
the Union will not be what il was be-
fore "treason and fanaticism" attempt.
ed to destroy it. No nation has ever
passed through the terrible ordeal of
civil war, and endured the trial un-
changed; and whether in war or peace,
the law of constant change holds as
true Of national as of individual lives.
Laws are modified; institutions are al
tered or abolished; abuses pass away;
old forms of error are replaced BY forms
OF truth. But the storm, however vio-
lent. does not alter the face of the
country; 1t simply puriies the atmos-
phere, and leaves the mountains and
the valleys as before. Does Mr.. Sen.
stor johnson suppose for an instant that
when the storm Of war has passed away,
it will leave us a different Constitution.
or different Government, in place of
the Union for which our people have
made such noble sacrifices? have too
much confidence 10 the sagacity and
patriotism OF the American people to
conceive such q thing possible. There
Is not now single Republican or loyal
Democrat in the free States who would
not at once approve of the restoration
of the Union il the seeded States
should evince any inclination Of re-
turning to their allegiance. The per-
sons that have sought to separate the
Union and to alter the Constitution are
some Of the very men who are now
clamoriug for "the Union as It was and
the Constitution as It isP' The ultra
anti slavery men, who have always
been in minority. and have sometimes
insisted that they are for no peace which
does not include perpetual provision
against slavery. could no more resist
such reconciliation as that Of an un-
conditional restoration Of the Republic.
than they could stay the current Of Nj |
agara; nor do / believe that one man
out Of dozen Of this class would de-
sire to oppose any such settlement.-l
The men who are asking for peace
should not be the discontents and ma
lignants, and schismatics and sympa-
thisers with secession in the free States,
but the Union men of the South, when
they have strength enough to oyerpow-'