Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1865-10-27
WARRINGTON, G. C., Oct. 3, 1861
"a. IL 10 NJ

4 j
with President johnson, in which he
talked for an hour on the process of re.
construction of rebel States. His man.
ner was us cordial, and his conversation
as free, rs in 1868, when | met him daily
in Nashville.
His countenance is healthy, even more
SO than when first knew him.
| remarked that the people of the
North were anxious that the process of
reconstruction should be thorough, and
they wished to support him in the al.
duons work, but their ideas were contus-
ed by the conflicting reports constantly
circulated, aud especially BY the present
position of the democratic party. 1t is
industriously circulated in the democratic
clubs that he was going over to them
He laughinsly replied, major, have you
never known a man who for many years
had differed from your views because you
wtr; in advance Of him, claim them as
his own when he came Up to your stand
point p
replied, | have often. II slil so
have |, aud went on: the democratic
p,r,y finds its old position untenabe. and
Is coming to ours if it has cone up to
our position, am clal Of it, Ioa aud
| need no preparation i1r this CONVERSE
ton; We eau talk freely on this subject,
for the thoughts are familiar 10 Us; we
can be perfectly irals with e4eh other.
lie then commenced With sayiog that the
Site ar, in Union, which Is nhe.e and
indivsi5lc.
individuals tried to carry them cut,
but did net succeed, as a man may try to
cut his throat and be prevented by the
bys,au r., and yet cannot say he eat
bis threat bee; use he tried to do it.
Individuals may commit treason, and
be pulisl cd, and large number of in
diyiduiis may constitute rebellion, and
be punished as traitors. Some States
tried to get OCT of the Union, and We
opposed it. honestly, because we believed
it to be wrong; and We have succeeded
in putting down the rebellion. The pow
er Of those persons who made the attempt
has been crushed. and now we want to
reconstruct the State governments and
have the power to DO it. The State in.
stitutionS are prostratel. laid out on the
ground, and they must be taken up and
adapted to the progress of events tlis
cannot be done in moment. We are
making very rapid progress, 50 rapid
sometimes cannot realize it; it appears
like a dream.
We must not be in too much Of a
hurry; it is better to lc, them recon-
siruct themselves than to force them to
it; for 1t they go wrong, the power Is in
o II hands AID We can check them at any
stage, to the end and obligc them 10 cor
rec, their errors We mus, be pat ent with
them. did not eX pect to keep out All
who were excluded from the amnesty, or
even large number OF them. bat ia
tended they should sue for pardon, ana 20
realize the enorm.ty Of the crime ;Aey
had committed.
You could not have braa.hel the sub
ject of equal suffrage. at tae North.
seven years ago, aud we mIst remember
that the changes at the South have been
more rapid aid they have been ebli.ei
to accept more unpalatable truth thau the
North has; We must give them time to
digest part, TO- s,.unot EXPECT suct
l.fge affairs will be comprchended auG
di -ested at once We must give them
time to understand their new position.
l have nothing to conceal in thcse
matters, ana have no desire or willingness
to take n.irect courses TO obtain what We
want.
Our government is grand and lofty
st ucture; ia searching for its foundation
we hnd 1t rests on the bro1d bas, OF
popular rights. The elective FRANCHISE is
net natural basis of popular right.
The elective franchise is not natural
right, bat politic.l right am o2pos-
ed to giving the States too much power,
aud also to great consolidation OF
power in the central government
Ii | iuterfered with the vote in the
rebel States. to dictate that the nero
shall vote, | might do the same thing ior
my own purposes in Pennsylvania. Oar
only safety lies in allowing cach State to
control The right of voting by its own
laws, and We have the power to control
the rebel States If they 90 wrong. il
they rebel. We have the army, and can
control them by it, and, if necessary, BY
legislation also. If the gcueral govern.
ment controls the right to vote in the
States, it may establish such rules as will
restrict the vote TO small humber of
persons, and thus create central dcs.
potism.
Ny position here is diff rent from what
it would be if | was in Tennessee.
There | should thy to introduce negro
suffrage gradually; first those who had
served IN the army those who could
read aud write, and perhaps property
qualification for others say 5000 or $3.50.
|, will not to let the negroes have uni.
versaI suffrage now, it would breed war
Of races.
There was a time 10 the South orn
States when the slaves of large owners
looked down upon non-slaye owners be.
cause they did not own slaves; the larc.
er the number Of slaves their master
owned, the prouder they were, and this
has produced hostility between the mass
Of whites and the negroes. The outra ges
are most' y from non-slavehelding whites
against the negro, and from the negro
upon the non-slaveholding whites.
The negro will vote with the late mas
ter whom he does not hate, rather than