Year: 1872




Dear Sir Il have seen the letter adj
dressed to me through the public
prints, and | notice especially that


while animadverting upon my support
of Horace Greeley, you say not one
word in vindication of that compound
of pretensions, known as Grantism, in
clear ontra-distinctiCu to Republican,
ism which you would mstil anew iu
the government.


You are greatly concerned about the
company | keep. To quiet your so
lIcitude, [ beg leave to say that in
Joining the Republicans who brought
forward all original abOlitionist, !
have served always, that l had not
missed you until you FASTENED to re-
port absence, nor had / taken account
of the " Southern secessiOnists, who,
as you aver, are now cooperating
with me in support of this original
ab0litionist, except to rejoice that If
among my former associates, some
like yourself hesitate, their places are
supplied i'm an unexpected quarter.


You entirely misunderstood me
when you introduce an incident of the
past, and build on it an argument on
ly, that | should not support Horace
Greeley. What has Preston Brooks
To do with the Presidential election?
Never, while a sufferer. did anybody
hear me speak of him in unkindness,
and now, after the lapse Of more than
half q generation. L viii not unite
with you in dragging him from the
grave where he sleeps, to aggravate
the passions of political conflict, and
amidst the longing for concord.


And here is the essential difference
between YOU and me at this juncture.
1 seize the opportunity to make the
equal rights. of All secure, through
peace and reconciliation but this inf
mite boon, you would postpone. Sew
Ell years have passed since we laid
aside our arms, but unhappily, during
all this period, there has been a hos
tile spirit towards each other. while
the rights of our cOlored fellow-citi-
Zens have been in perpetual question.
Seven years made a natural period of
human life. Should not the spirit
be changed with the body? Can we
not, after seven years, commence a
new life, especially when those once
our foes, repeat the saying: "Thy
people shall be my people, and thy
God my God ?n declare my prefer
ence for an original Abolitionist as
President, and you seek to create a
diversion by crying ont that Demo-
Gratis will support him, to which | re-
ply-So much the better. Their sup
port is the assurance that the cause he
has so constantly guarded, whether of
equal rights or reconciliation, is accep-
ted by Democrats and this is the
pledge of a true union, beyond any
thing in our history. 1t is a victory
of ideas without which all other victo-
ries must fail. To intensity your allie
CATION. you Insist that am ranged with
Jefferson Davis and Robert Toombs.
But pardon me, nobody knows how
the former will vote, while Robert
Toombs is boisterous against Horace
Greeley, and with him are Stephens,
Wise and Mosby. This is all very
Ioor and | mention it only to exhibit
the character of your attempt.


In the same spirit you seek to avoid
the real issue, by holding up the pos
sibility of what you call Democratic
and you have the
courage to assert as TO whether my
knowledge that, by the election of
Horace Greeley. Congress is handed
over TO the control of the party who
have positively denied the rights OF
the black man You say that l know
this. Mr.. Speaker, / know no such
thing and you should be sufficiently
thoughtful not to assert it. L am en-
tirely satisfied that a canvass like the
present, where the principles declared
at Cincinnati are openly accepted on
one side and not contested on the 9TH
er, must result liz a large number of
G Congressional Representatives, sincere
Iv devoted TO the rights of the colored
citizen than even before. The Demo>
crats will be pledged as never before
the ruling principle that all meu are
equal before the law and also to the
three great amendments with the
clause in each, empowering Congress
to enforce the same by appropriate
legislation t.'i .te4la


But besides Democrats there Will be
Liberal Republicans pledged likewise
and also your peculiar associates, who