The Norfolk post. [volume] (Norfolk, Va.) 1865-1866, 1865-10-11

| BosToS, October @, 1865.
| Having received n letter al Washing
| ton from Judge John II. Reagan, late
| rebel Postmaster General under Presi-
dent Davis, in which he expressed q de-
sire to see me, T obtained a pass from the
Secretary of War and extended my visit
| from New York to this city.
Yesterday morning | went down in
| the government boat to Fort Warren,
where / spent the day with Judge Rea-
gan and late Vice President Alexander
| ii. Stephens. AS this latter gentleman
and myself grew up i'll the same neigh
| bOrhoOd in Georgia, and as Judge Rea-
gan and myself had served in the same
canvass against the Reopening OF the Al
e-trade-secessi0n issue, could
not have remembered subsequent politl-
cal differences against them ii | would.
| I was politely received by the officer
in command of the powerful fortress,
which will not pause to describe, and
conducted Immediately to the room Of
Judge Reagan, without other question
than to know if / would return in the
! early boat or spend the day. Having
answered that | would not return until
| evening. the officer left me in undisturb-
| ed intercourse with the unfortunate pris-
| oners the whole day. . found Judge
| Reagan in excellent health-l may say
| robust. His face is q little bleached by
| close confinement before his enlarge
| ment; but his frame seems to have ex-
| banded, and his whole physique to have
gained new strength. He was cheerful
| and took n more philosophic view of his
| situation than could one man in q thous-
and under like circumstances. ques-
ton whether so many months of his
! ..ra,. ar .tr n
tabIy employed as those during his
solitary confinement, He has read a
great DEAL which he seems to have ma
tured well has written out his early
memoirs, which, as a man who had to
buffet against misfortune and the want
of early opportunities, cannot fail to be
interesting has written some essays
( upon government and an address to the
people Of Texas, which he forwarded
through the authorities to Governor
Hamilton. AS 1t may have reached the
public prints, or may yet do so, ! will
not do Judge Reagan the injustice OF
trying to repeat the contents FROM mem
! Dry. I cannot be mistaken howeveE
when say, that Judge Reagan takes |;
more comprehensive view than thous
ands who have retained their liberty
He not only cheerfully accepts the sit
uation," but he recognizes andaccepts al
the logical conclusions deducible from
that situation. He maintains that the
, contest of opinion had assumed that form
when the arbitrament of war could moi
. be avoided that the South claimed the
, right to secede; that he was not one o.
those who thought it peaceful remedy
but expected @ terrible war, and adhered
to his section, intending to abide the
consequences. He makes no technical,
constitutional or legal bubbles, but says
eve staked all and lost all" The gov.
rnment offers to restore to the great
masses their rights, minus their slaves.
While he thinks this hardship to the
loyal Union men, no one else has the
right to complain. He advises all to re-
gain citizenship and a restoration OF
their rights under the constitution, in
good faith, as soon as they eau. And he
advises that in future they accept the
logic of events, and do at once what he
thinks it inevitable will have to be done
ere long-that is, to change the organic
law to suit the altered situation; to adopt
free State constitution, and to ratity
the emancipation amendment of the
constitution of the United States, and to
leave no room for further agitation
While he would disfranchisc no one now
| ellLlllGtt W NOtc, llt NOui'i III
tend the privilege to every intelligent
man of every color who could read and
write. He would also extend to the
freedmen equal rights in courts. He
does not think it possible that that these
measures can be long avoided, and he
would have them adopted at once. He
proposed other minor amendments OF
not so great Importance. This latter
view understand to be purely for quiet
and repose. -..----.
, While Judge Reagan claims to have
, always been q conservative man, and
homes, ere long, to be pardOned, or at
least released from prison, he does not
propose to enter into political life, but to
exert himself for q support for depend
ent family. He has found public life
the road neither to wealth nor happi
ness. Indeed, he thinks that those wht
were active in the secession movemen
. ought to yield public affairs TO the bet
ter Judgment of those who opposed it
t He says the doctrines of secession, ant
all political claims founded upon them
have been conquered and must be sur
rendered.
NV conversation with the Judge wa,
long, frank and free. T stated to him
frankly that / could not have embarked
, lin the work of resistance, because
would have had consciousness that
was violating the supreme law of the
laud.u In our running conversation
the Judge gave me many an inside view
of the workings of the rebellion, about
which will not say more than that the
mental hallucination was as greatin high
y quarters as low.
I found Mr. Stphens the same feeble,
ouocioted frame which he always was