Evansville daily journal. (Evansville, Ind.) 1863-1866, 1865-11-20


Hon. A. K. Mcclure, a prominent and
influential politician of Pennsylvania,
sends to the Franklin Repository, of
which he is editor, a sketch of an hours
interview with President johnson, which
we copy below. Those portions of il
which repeat the Presidents views are
of general interest. He says:
However reticent the President may DO ON some
issues, he seems to have reserve TO the poll
cy he ccnceives to be the true enc to bring back
the insurgent States. He discussed the position
of those States, and their people with great inter-
est and occasional warmth, aud with a frankness
that left no doubt as to his purpose. He holds
that they were never out of the Union that Sc
oasBioB, however accomplished a fact, cannot
be accomplished In law that the supreme author
ity Of the Government Ia those States was not
roverthrown by the rebslion, but simply In abey-
ance, and of IL logically followe his preln-
ses, that, since rebellion has ceased, the States
resume their proper place in the Union, and resto
ratio is acco nplished. This, in BRIEF was the
stand point from which the President discussed
the question of reconstruction for more than an
hour, and answered suggestive objections at times
with earnestnes5 that demonstrated how
IDENTIFY he is working to give success to his policy
''You haye,' added, "given as on every hand
the nations monument of Mercy-where will be
Its monuments OF Justicef Davis is O proclaim
ed assassin, as well as traitor-his agents have
died, another (Wirz) will fliow-how the
principals TO atone to people doubly bersaved in
their homes and in their chief sanctuary of pow
err" To this the President answered with much
animation, that the measures Of and time for
atonement were yet for the future to determiLe. L
shall not soon forget the emphasis with which he
declared that the south must come back to be a
part OF us, sand" he added, sit must come with
all its manhood. don't want it to come evis.l
scerated of its n Rnhood. - TT, ~
The President said that such may be tie meas
ure of punishment, that he had pardoned but
few who would come under such a rule; that
there are exceptions to all rules, and there
both civil functi0naries and ermy officers who
might be pardoned with propriety He said that
he had not yet gone as far in his amnesty, either
general or special, as Mr.. Lincoln proposed. He
explained, what is not generally known, that his
whom were Union men who must have pardons
to enable them to sell or mortgage their lands or
TO get credit IN their business operatons, and ad
ded that be had not yet reached such cases Lee,
Stephens, Longstreet, Beauregard, and others OF
that class.
He spoke freely of the proposed trial of DAVIS,
and said that as yet the Goverr ment had not TAX
en- any steps in the matter. If he is to be tried
in Richmond, the trial must necessarily be post
ponsd until the civil authority Ia fully restored,
and then IL will be a question Of consideration
under the condition OF affairs which may at that
time exist. As Virginia is still practically under
martial Iaw-certainly wholly under military
wane before we can have great State trial IF
were going to guess ON the subject, would say
that Davis is likely to be paroled during the
Re4t year than to be tried, and If he ia ever
hanged he must do 1t himself.
The President Is clearly averse to confscation,
and that question 10 practically settled. Whatev-
ever might be the views Of Congress, confiscation
Is not possible with Executive determinedly
hostile to It and with the pardohing power In
his hands.
On the future of the freedmen the President
talks we'll. he displays more sense than senti-
ment on the question, and means to solve the
problem fairly, as demanded by civilization and
humanity. OF their ability to win position
that will enable them to be incorporated into
sys tenn of government MS citizens, he Is not emil
nently hopeful, but feels that It must be fairly
tried, with open field for the negro. That
falling, he looks upon colonization as the only
alternative. -Tr
1t would be foolish to disguise the fact that the
President, both by word and deed, disclaims the
position Of partisan Executive, and that he is
not insensibls to the 1attering approval of the
administration by the Democratic party. 1 do
not mean by this that he fs in sympathy and fel
lowship with them but do mean that he ia tot
wholly in sympathy against them; and he will,
feel warranted In saying, adhere 20 the political
forum es of the Southern States without regard
to political conseq