Abbeville press. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1860-1869, 1865-12-01
AN HOUR WITH PRESIDENT JOHNSON.

President Johnsons plan of restoration
is entirely too humane for the radicals o
the North, who would have every Sou,heri
man put to death, and every dollars worth
of his property con6scated. A Jacobir
named McClue; from PENNSYLVANIA, thus
teputts receHs Interview Which, he had
with President johnson!
However reticent he may be on some
Issues, he seems to have no reserve as to the
policy he conceives to be the truo ono to
bring back the insurgent States. He dis
; eussed the position Of those States apd
their people with great interest and occa-
sional warmth, and with a ftankness that
left no doubt as to his purpose. He holds
that they were never out Of the Union ;
that secession, however accomplished as a
fact; cannot be accomplished in law; that
the supreme authotity Of the Government
iii those States was not overthrown by re-
belliop, but simply in, obeyancc, and OF
course it logically follows his premises
that, since rebellion has ceased, the States
resume their proper place in the Union,
and restoration is accomplished. This, in
brief, was the stand point from which the
President discussed the question Of recon-
skuction for more than an hour, and an
swered suggestive objections at times with
an earnestncss that demonstrates how ar
dently he is working to give success 10 his
policy. could not but remind him that
his theory stripped all traitors Of the pro-
lection they might claim as public enemies;
that It would stamp az guilty Of treason
within the law, every man who ridcl the
r:bellion, aud Of necessity demand at his
hands commensurate punishment for what
hc must hold as unmitigated crime-as
appalling murder and desola,ion for which
thcro Is no cx'cnuation to be plead. ''>-ou
have" udJed, "giyen us On every hand,
the Natio,i's monuments Of Mercy-wherc
will be its wonuments Of Justice! Davis
IS proclaimed assassin, as we'll as \ traitor,
-l'is agents have died, another {Wirz)
will 70 low-l,ow arc tie principals to
atone to people douJIy bcrcSved in their
homes and in their chief SANITARY of
power?'
10 ti.ls the President answered with
hausl, 4 i:nati, II tI,at the measures Of, .anl
the time for, Atonement were yet for the
future 10 determine shall not soon for
get the epapl,asis with which he declared
chat tho South snu<t come back and he
txrt Of u, and "it must come" he added,
with all its msnlsoeI-i don't want it to
come esi.crated Of it's manhooda' IL.
this proposition abstractly there could be
.,o Objection made. We want the South
with .H its manhood, which /. would con
cGdvs to be the Southern people with their
.1reason abantonrd anil their crimes nuns
sshed-not punished revengc!ully; not "in
stnitatiou of the guillotiueof FEnce or the
Inquisition Of Spain; but my making the
leaders who conspred 10 overthrow the
Goverasaeut strangers to its honors and its
o!tizensbip, and thus through ifa.the mon
nments Of tie power, the justice and the
tnsguani'nity Of tho III CHEST nation of the
ear!h.- The President said that such may
BE the measure Of punishment; that he
had parloned but few who would come
ssnder such rule; that there are cxcep-'
tions to all rules, and thero were both civil
functionaries aud army officers who might
be Pardoned with propriety. lie said that
he had not yet gone as far in his amnesty,
either general or special, as Mr.. Lincoln
proposes. lie explained what is not gen.
orally known, that his pardons are mainly
of business men, many Of whom were
Union men, WHO must have pardons to
ansble them to sell or mortgage their lands
or to get credit in their business operations;
and added that he bad not yet reached tho
consideration Of such cases as Lee, Ste
Phsn', Longstrest, Beauregard, and others
Of that class.
He spoke freely Of the proposed trial of
Davis, aud said that as yet the Government
Rad not taken any stsps in the matter. If
he is to be tried in Richmond, the trial.
must necessarily be postponed until the
civil authority is fully restored, and then
It win be question Of consideration IN.
det the condition affairs which may at tha.
tisss exist As Virginia is still practically
under martial law, certainly wholly under
military rule, I Judge that mary moons
may wsrapd wass before we can have a