Year: 1868

Is no" maue, Will restore TO tnelr states
the republican form and also sub.
stance of government which you have
destroyed while pretending 10 guar,
antee.


Mr.. Morton casts in, with the want
of republican forn of government, the
alleged fact that they do not in the
South treat Northern men with cordial
ity and respect. This, to some extent,
is true. A large proportion of Northern
men who have come among them were
commissioned as spies, and were paid,
principally odt of the public purse, to
SANDER and villify, with the ulterior
object of misrepresenting the South in
the two houses of Congress. To these
orally not partial. In their political
nomenclature they are called carpet.
baggers;;" as chemists call, by way of
distinction, genus of gases cdoodyles;
and it is not surprising that they are
both in like bad odor. But honest men,
those who visit the South upon legiti-
mate business, are generally, not
alWdys, treated with ciyility and kind
ness; for the masses of men do not al
ways readily take note of the distinct
i've characters of men. General Lees
remarks, as reported by General Rose
Grams, are full on the point Of submis.
sion to the Union, and confirm all that
have heard on this subject from other
reliable sources. General Lee denied
that the people of the South are
inimical to the Union. They want
peace and long for it. This is their
universal sentiment as far as he has
been able to ascertain it, and his op.
portunities have been many, from fire.
quent conversations and extensive cor
respondence with representative per-
sons in all parts of the South. AS to
their animosity to the negro, nothing
could be further from the fact; and why
should there BET Said he: "There is
no rivalry between the races, but a re-
ciprocal interest, growing out of the fact
that each is dependent on the other to
great extent-one needing employ
ment and the other employees. Apart
from this, they have been reared to-
gether, aud there is q natural affection
between them"


The leading men of the South, if suf
fered to do SO without renewed insult
and oppression, are evidently willing to
await the healing effects of time. Itis,
therefore, for you to determine; and
pray you be men-be not led by impor-
tunity or driven by clamor, but deter
mine wisely and nationally whether
YOU will force the renewal of civil
war in which you will be the aggressor.
One thing is certain, if the South at
tain self. government Gas they will soon,
in whatever way it may be brought
about, for majority of the people will
it, and they will be hcard), they will
not, for they can not, restore slavery
and make it profitable; they wonld not,
if they could, for its abolition will give
them very large accession of power in
the House of Representatives and the
Electoral College,


But | must hasten to close. Until
recently had intended to support Cen
eral Graut for the Presidency, aud would
do so still, in the hope that the Democ-
racy will obtain majority in the House
of representatives, and thus hold re-
straining power; but facts which l have
shswn above render it impossible. Bad
men with more intellect and more force
of character than himself, have posses
sion of him; and if he be elected Presi-
dent will, probably, continue to rule
him, and the country with him; and
some of the worst existing abuses
can not be corrected against Execu-
.;-s oppooitiou. In looking over tue
whole ground most carefully, and
weighing consequences well, have
come to the conclusion that it were
better that the Democracy prevail IN
the coming election, and thus divide,
for the present, the Legislative, while
we restore the Executive and Judicial
powers. No evil can ensue. We shall
have a season of repose and time for re-
Election before called on again to act.
There is a profound philosophy in tine
old Scotch proverb-


"The showers fall soft when the wind is still


have already shown it will give us
season TOR inquiry and reflection, and
the same conservative power which can
now give success TO either party can,
at the end of two years, do the same
thing, and place the Government in the
hands of those who may be then found
most worthy to control it.


So far neither party has ventured to
commit itself on the disposition of the
public debt. Ny mind has long been
made up as to the principle which
should govern us in its adjustment. 1t
is this: SO far as our contracts are dis
tinct and explicit, We must abide by
them, no matter how unequal or Oner-
GUS. As, for example, where we have
promised to pay the interest, or the
debt, or both. in gold, national faith
requires, and we must so pay it; but
where the contract is not explicit, but
requires construction, We must deal
with creditors and the people precisely
as an enlightened court of equity would
deal with debtor and creditor under
like conditions. For example: the
creditor borrows forty cents, or depre-
ciated bank paper worth forty cents,
which the public calls a dollar, and
promises to pay interest, six per cent.
on its nominal, or fifteen per cent. on
its actual value in gold. The promise
to pay the interest in gold being ex-
plicit, the nation who owes the debt
should pay it, for there is no usury law
operating on contracts with soyereigns
but " here distinction is taken in the
contract between the debt and the in
terest-the interest only made payable
in gold-equity wsuld require that the
debt should be paid in that which is
equal in value to the fund received
Sovereigns have not always meted out
this even handed justice. The coin OF
nations has been sometimes debased
after a loan made, so that one
pound of silver and ono pound
of copper would be made to pay
what was two pounds Of silver whe n
the loan was made This was a gross
wrong. 1t is equally wrong, on the
other side, to take the name for the
thing, and pay an ounce of silver to the
lender for four-tenths of an ounce bor'
rowed, because each in its turn was
called dollar. Equity, if called into
action, would suffer neither one nor the
other, but require payment from sover'
eign or subject Of the just amount Dor.
rowed, regardless ofname. This should
be the rule of payment. If currency
were borrowed which was worth forty
cents on the dollar, currency or bonds
l. a l..