Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1865-10-24
The Alexandria Gazettf
TUESDAY EVENING, OCTOBER a.
PRESIDENT JoHNsoN's OPINIONS.

the report of the interview, Mr.. Stearns sent
the manuscript to the President, who returned
it with the following endorsement: u nave
read the within communication ana nnu IL
substantially correct. | have made some yer
bal alterations Mr. Stearns's account IS as
follows:
iAfter remaking that the Democratic party
finds it's old position untenable ana IS colnlns
to ours, he commenced with saying tnaI Cne
States are In the Union, when IS "no'e anu
indivisible: o,,+ h,,t
did not succeed, as man may try to cut his
throat and be prevented by the bystanders
sna Won cannot say he cut his throat because
he tried to it.
ssInd1viduals may commit treason and be
nnnished, and large number OF lne<vlduals
NAV constitute rebellion and be punished as
traitors. Some States tried to get out OF the
Union and we opposed it honestly, because we
believed it to be wrong and we have succeed
ed in putting down the rebellion. The power
Of those persons who made the attempt mas
been crushed, and now We want to restore the
State governments, and have the power to 90
it. The State institutions are Frustrated, ana
thew must be taken up and adapted to the pro-
gress of events This cannot be done IN
moment. Weare making very rapid progress,
so rapid sometimes cannot realize It. 1t ap-
pears like a dream; g ,,,u.,,
Il IS better to 1T them reconstruct themselves
than to force them to 1t; Tor II they 60 wrong
the mower is in our hands and we can check them
At any stage to the end, and oblige them to
correct their erlor We must be patient with
them. I did not expect to keep out all who
were excluded from the amnesty. or even large
number of them, but | intended to let them
sue for pardon and SO realZe the enormlty OF
the crime they had committees.
ssYou could not have preached the subject OF
enual 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 expect such
large affairs will be eomprehundea and dlgested
at once. We must give them time to under
stand their new position.
''Our Government is grand and lofty struc
ture in searching tor It's toundation We mo 1t
rests on the broad basis OF popular rlghts'
The elective franchise is not natural right,
hut . political right. anl opposed to giving
the States too much power, and also to a con-
soIdation Of power III the central government;
uTf interfered with the vote in the rebel
States. to dictate that the negro shall vote,
m;obt do the same thing for my own purposes
IN PENNSYLVANIA. Our only safety lies IN allow
;ro each State to control the right Of voting BY
it's own laws, and we have the power to control
the rebel States if they go wrong 1t they
rebel, we have the army and can control them
hv and, if necessary, by legislation also: Ii
rhe General Government controls the right to
vote in the States, 1t may establish such rules
as will restrict the vote to q small number OF
nersons. and thus create a central despotlsm.
INV pcsition here is different from what 1t
would be if was in Tennessee.
ttYhere I might try to introduce negro SUI
frage gradually, first, those VINO had served IN
the army; those who could read and write, and
perhaps property qualification Tor others,
say 5000 or $3.50
ut will not do to let the negroes have uni
yersal suffrage now; it would breed war OF
races. ),
suThere was time in the Southern States
when the slaves OF large owners looked down
nnon non. shareholders because they did not own
slaves. The larger the number OF slaves their
masters owned, the prouder they were and
4b;s has produced hostility between the mass
of the whites and the negroes, The outrages
ora mostly from non slayeholding whites against
tlo negro and from the negro upon the non
slavehoiding whites.
ssThe negro will vote with the late master,
whom he does not hate, rather that with the
non slaveholding white, whom he Goes nate
Universal suffrage would create another Wal,
not against us, but war OF races.
sAnother thing This Government IS the
freest and best on the earth, and | teel sure IS
destined to last but to secure this, we must
elevate and purify the ballot. for many years
contended at the South that slavery was a