Year: 1867

in political affairs, and have studiously
avoided every act that might be construed
into an attempt to interfere in matters with
which "proscribed rebel " had nothing
to do. Even now | hesitate as TO the pro-
priety Of the course ! am about to take in


answering your inquiries. As | do not


volunteer my opinions, hope to escape


censurc for expressing them. To those


who think it most becoming men in my
situation to keep quiet, | am free TO say


"that is very much my own opinion"
AS speak reluctantly, you. will not be


surprised if | say IS little as possible. To


my mind it is only necessary to fix in our


thoughts the present political status of the


southern States to enable Us without an
effort to arrive ut proper conclusions as to
what these States ought to 10.


thought al the beginning, ,.Id now
| thin.., the acts Of secession were valid, and
! that .hcy took the States that Passed them


o.t. The fact that we were forced to say


these acts were void ab iIitlo did not make


them 50 in law. We fought. - think,
u.t uf tie Union, and not n it. We
| fought TO maintain ar inav pendent and
separate nationality which VIC had created.
! And when we ceased to light end gave up


our arms we laid them at the IccU of the


conqueror. From that d.y to this we
have ceased TO have any political rights


which the cOnqucror was bound to respect.
| We often confuse ourselves by thinking
| too much on the Inconsistencies Of our
opponents instead OF arguing consistently
and logically from our own premises to orr
own conclusions. What if the Radicals do
say we were never out of the Union, and
then propose to take us back on their own
harsh terms ? We know We were out, and
that on fair terms we arc willing to go
back. While / say this, utterly deny
that we committed any treason. \ TO-
reigner cannot commit treason, however
he may offend against the laws and ConSti-
tuition of another country than his own in
other respects.


By the act of secession we passed from
under the Constitution of the United
States and lost all claim on it for protec-
ton. We could not consistently demand
protection under this Constitution after we
had thrown il off and made another, and,
as we hoped, better one, for ourselves.
have said when we laid down our arms
and acknowledged ourselves conquered
we ceased to have any political rights
which the conqueror was bound to respect.
| am not to be understood in this as saying
that the conqueror may rightfuIly do with
rs as he plcaSes. He is bound to treat us
as he has treated other conquered people,
and as other conquerors have their con-
uucred in modern times. Whether he
does so or not, not we, but God and the
civilized world, must be the judges.


IL the conqucror imposes harsh and in
human terms he degradcs himself and not
his victim. 1t is 10 my mind exceedingly
absurd for conquered people to talk of
being degraded by submitting to the will
of the conqucror. Is a lone traveller,
without arms, degraded because he sub
mitS to hc robbed by bandit am not
comparing our,conQucrors to bandit, but
am saving we are unarmed, helpless, and
as completely III their power as solitary
tootman in the power Of robbers. 1t re-
mains 10 he seen whether they will honor
themselves 10y tcmpering mercy with power
or degrade themselves, not us, by con
trarv course. We have nothing to do but
submit.


1t does seem to me that some of our
people, after swallowing a camel, are now
straining at gnat. After taking down at
a gulp negro emancipation and all the at
tepdant measures, / am incredulous as to
their straining their throats by swallowing
the new batch of measures proposed by
Congress. 1t is a nauseating dose, and
would not take it if | could help myself.
But | know the doctor. If | don't take
this, and do it promptly, he will, on his
next round, give me something worse, and
very likely stand by and make me take
u. :, Of hia
sicIening doses, and in quick succession,
and make the patient take them. 1t Is
useless to grumble-the patient is in the
hospital, with both arms off, and no help at
hand-the doctor is very absolute, and we
think very cruel, but what can we do !
True, we may play the part OF sick child,
and say to ourselves if We ever do get well
we will thrash him. But guess when we
get well, if we ever do, we shall feel so
good that We won't want to thrash anybody.
After all, the measures proposed by Con
grcss, though harsh, are not 50 bitingly Sc
we're as they might have beeu. They have
been SO generally read and ably COM
mcntcd on that | shall forbear any analysis
or even criticism on them in detail. Some
of their worst features | will barely allude
to. One of these, negro suffrage, and It's
| twin sister, negro education, have been
generally commented on as extremely
harsh, and especially when taken in con-
nection with the proposition to distranchise
and forever prescribe large portion OF the


most intelligent whites.


These measures ere rendered unneces-
sarily harsh, and, as | think, extremely
dangerous to the safety and best interests
of the whole country by being made too


broad. OF this | may speak as between
ourselves, but, as | have said before on


the general subject, you and ! are not to
be Judges. For example, 1t was very harsh,


and | think altogether unnecessary, to
disfranchise so large number of our in
telligent whites as to throw the number OF
States, in all probability, into the hands OF
the ignorant blacks and vicious whites.
Surely it would have been sufficient to vim
dicate an idea TO have disfranchised enough


in each State to make an example. The


men who have done this thing will re-


member, when fear it will be too late,


that the interest of this country is init


mately blended with their own--so lntl-


mately, indeed, that it will be found i'm


nossible TO inhct permanent injury on one


without seriously damaging the other.


am. as you know, among the prescribed, put


| am satisfied. The right to vote should


never exercise unless for the benefit OF my


country. and want no office. Therefore


the law. if it passes, will give me no con-


Germ for myself, and | beg my friends not


tn include me in their thoughts when they


are considering what1to do on tins SUBJECT


As IN educating the negro and letting