The Norfolk post. [volume] (Norfolk, Va.) 1865-1866, 1865-06-28
THE SOUTH CAROLINA DELEGATIONS.
SPEECH OF PRESIDENT JOHNSON.
INTE RESTING INTERVIEW.

appointment the delegation OF gentle
men from South Carolina waited upon
President Johnson at 10 o'clock on Sat
urday morning. They entered the Pros
sidents room and were shown to seats,
which they occupied during the whole
interview.
In a few moments President Andrew
johnson entered, and Judge Frost in
troduced the several members of the
delegation, consisting of Messrs /. r.
Holmes, Geo. w. Williams, VIM. H.
Gelleland, J. HI. Steinmayer, Frederick
Richards, VIM. Valley, james II. Tay-
lor, r. H. Gill and Joseph A. Yates.
The introduction over, the President
requested the gentlemen of the delega-
| ton to resume their seats, and smilingly
remarked, as he sat down among them
himself, that in the days of old there
| used to be q class of men called auGurs,
who never met without smiling in each
others faces but that now the rebellion
was over, and they would better look
each other right in the face and speak
clearly as to the future.
The Government, said he, If it be pre-
| served at all, must be preserved on the
principles Of equality, and if we have
States therein, they must be States occu-
plying and preserving certain clear rela-
lions to the Government of the United
| States. Hence, continued the President,
/ proceed upon the idea that a State can
not 60 out of the Union; and now that
the rebellion is over and has been put
down, the Southern States must come
back with a proper understanding of
these relations, and upon proper princi-
Piles. Do you know that / believe l am
better State Rights man than some OF
you are. "a general, though subdued
laughter greeted the remark. used
always to believe that slavery could not
be maintained outside of the Constitu-
ton of the United States, and did wenot
find when the experiment was made
that slavery was lost? l was alwaysfO
the Union, always and say that when
slavery attempted to control the Govern
ment, slavery must 60 down. The insti-
tuition of slavery made the issue; it set
up to control the Government, and it
| fell, All institutiOnsmust be subordinate
to the Government, or it cannot stand.
The great object now Is to restore and
preserve the Government that we all
once loved and respected.
The present relation of slavery is
changed, and, if 20 disposed, we could
not remand it back and SO we must
dispose of it as prudent, discreet and
wise men should. You have heard me
spoken about as great peoples man, a
rabid man, and all that sort of thing
| will not disguise from you that there
are certain things to. which have al
ways been opposed. I have always been
opposed to mOnopolies, entails, &C., and
for this used to be denounced as de-
magOgue; but going back to that Magma
Charta, from which, after all, we get all
our liberties-liberty of speech, liberty
of the press, protection from unreasona-
BILE search, &c.-I believe in its doctrines,
and am not going to deceive you now,
gentlemen, when tell you that, as far
as in me lies, l intend to exert the power
and influence of this Government to de-
velop, and when developed, to place in
power the great heart of the nation--the
people--that is the heart Of the nation.
/ look upon this nation as one sent upon
| q great mission, not as thing spriDging
like an ephermeral mushroom, and L
believe we will fall short of our duty
unless we carry that mission out.
! The Constitution of the United States
says that persons shall be chosen for
| Congress by persons qualified in the sew
eral States, Congress acting for the
whole. Now, in some of the States .
portion of the people have rebellee, and
| to. some extent suspended, and even par
aIyzed the operations Of the state Cow
ernments: but there is a constitutional
oblipatiOn on the Government to sup
nress rebellions, repel invasions, and Sc
cure TO every State republican form of
government. The Government may
seem and will not undertake to emu
merate the reasons) to have been tardy
TO protect the Union men in the South,
but they are protected now, and having
reached that protection they should
come forward and stand upon an equali-
ty with the other loyal men everywhere
in the country.
When the South went into this rebel
lion, the slaves went in as slaves; they
come out as freemen of color. The re-
bellion has rubbed out the nature and
character of the institution, and the
loyal men of the South are compelled,
therefore, to bow and submit to this re-
suit, and stand simply as equals to the
other loyal men of the country every
where. There can be nothing wrong in
that.
Now, in the work of reconstruction
we have tried to begin at that point
You understand it-understand 1t per-
fectly; but understand also that am
not here to subserve any particular
clique. 1 am here simply to serve the
country and no particular interests 70
use the power intrusted to me to BRING
the country back to the peace ana har,