Cairo evening times. [volume] (Cairo, Ill.) 1865-1866, 1865-10-28

construction, with the reasons for your faith
in it, will commend Itself to their candid judg-
ment, and, as I told you, inspire our whole
Northern people with confidence in your ad-
| rninistration.
The report is meagre and unsatisfactory, but
I think it conveys, for the most part, the spiri
| of our conversation. Therefore, although the
whole tenor of your words led me to believe it
was not intended to be kept private, l have
refraned from answering the specific inquiries
| of anxious friends whom l met on my way
| home, lest 1 might in some way, leave a wrong
| impression on their minds.
Truly your friend,
GEORGE L. STEARNS.
To the PRESIDENT of the United States.
THE PRESIDENTS S VIEWS.
WASHINGTON, D. c., Oct 3-ll4 A. NJ.
have Just returned from an interview with
President johnson, in which he talked for an
hour the process ofreconstructiono of the rebel
States His manner was as cordial, and his
conversation as free, as in 1863, when | met
him daily in Nashville.
His countenance is healthy-even more so
than when first met him.
| remarked that the people of the North
were anxious that the process Of reconstruct
ton should be thorough and they wished to
support him in the arduous work but their
ideas were confused by the conflicting reports
constantly circulated, and especially by the
position of the democratic party. 1t is indus
triously circulated iu the democratic clubs,
that he was going over to them. He laugh
ingly replied, = Major, have you never known
a man who for many years had differed from
your views because you were in advance OF
him, claim them as his own when he came up
TO your standpoint
Ireplied, Il have often He said, $50
have L. and went on" The democratic
party finds it's old position untenable and is
coming to ours IF it has come up to posi-
ton, I glad of it. You and 1 need no
preparation for this conversation, we can talk
| freely on this subject, for the thoughts are fa-
mlar to us; we can be perfectly frank with
each other.h He then commenced with say
ing that the States are in the Union, which is
whole and indvisible.
individuals tried to curry them out but did
not succeed, man may try to cut his throat
and be prevented by the bystanders and you
cannot say he cut his throat because he tried
to do it.
individuals may commit treason, and be pun
ished, and large number of individuals may
constitute rebellion, and be punished as
traitors. Some States tried to gel out Of the
Union, and we opposed it, honestly, because
we believed it to be wrong and we have sue
ceeded in putting down the rebellion. The
power of those persons who made the attempt
has been crushed and now we want to recon.
struct the State governments, and have the
power to do it. The State institutions are pros
trated, laid out on the grouni, and they must
be taken up and adapted to the progress Of
events; this cannot be done in a moment We
are making very rapid progress-so rapid l
sometimes cannot realize it, it appears like a
dream.
We must not be in too much of hurry. 1t
is better to let them reconstruct themselves
than to force them to it; for if they go wrong,
the power is in our hands and we can check them
at a:y stage, to the end, and Oblige them to
correct their errors. We must be patient with
them. l did not expect to keep out all who
were excluded from the amnesty, or even
large number Of them but l intended they
should sue for pardon, and to realize the enor-
nifty of the crime they had committed.
You could not have broached the subject of
equal suffrage, at the North, seven years ago,
and we must remember that the changes at
the South have been more rapid, and they
have been obliged to accept more unpalatable
!! truth than the North has. We must give
them time to digest part; for we cannot e1-
pect such large affairs will be comprehended
and digested at once. We must give them
time to understand their new position.
have nothing to conceal in this matters,
and have no desire or willingness to take in
direct courses to obtain what we want
Our Government is grand and lofty struc-
ture; in searching for its foundation we find it
on the broad basis of popular right. The elec-
tive franchise is not a natural right, but a po-
| pular rights. l am opposed to giving the States
| too much power, and also to great consolida-
| ton of power in the central Government.
If nterfered with the vote in the rebel
States, to dictate that the negro shall vote, l
might do the same thing for my own purE O, ,es
in Pennsylvania. Our only safety lies in allow
ing each State to control the right ofvoting by
its own laws, and we have the power to con-
troll the rebel States if they 60 wrong. Ifthey
rebel we have the army, and can control them
by it, and if necessary, by legislation also,
I If the General Government controls the right
to vote in the States, it may establish such
rules as will restrict the vote to a small num-
ber of persons, and thus create q central des-
potsm..
Nv position here is different from what it
would be if l was in Tennessee. There
| should try to introduce negro suffrage gradur
ally: first, those who had served in the army; !;
| those who could read and write, and perhaps
property qualification for others, say $500 or
$3.50.
1t will not do to let the negroes have uni
| versal suffrage now; it would breed war of
| races.
There was time in the Southern States
when the slaves Of large owners looked down
| upon non-slave owners because they did not
own slaves; larger tho number OF slaves their
masters owned the prouder they were, and
| this has produced hostility spetweeL the mass
of the whites and the negroes. The cutrages
| arc mostly from non-slaveholdlng whites
against the negro, and from the negro upon the
non slaveholding whites.
The negro will vote with the late master
whom he does not hate, rather than with the
| n.cl whom a
t Universal suffrage would create another war,
not against us, but war of races.
Another thing. This Government is the
freest and best on the earth, and / feel sure il
destined to last; but to sedprp this we must
elevate ard purify ,hq ballot. ! for many
years commended at the South that slavery was
a political weakness; hut others said It was
political strength; they thought we gained
three tfths representation by it: contended