Bedford inquirer. [volume] (Bedford, Pa.) 1857-1884, 1865-10-27
A CONVERSATION WITH PRESI.
DENT JOHNSON.

A CONVERSATION WITH PRESI-
DENT JOHNSON.
His Policy on Reconstruction
on Negro Suffrage.
MEDFoRD, Mass, Oct. S.-My Dear Sir:
ri was so much impressed with our conver-
sation of last Tuesday that / returned inn
medlately to my room and wrote down such
OF the points made as [ could remember,
and having pondered them all the way home,
am to-day, more than ever, convinced that,
| if corrected by you and returned to ne for
either public or private use, it will go far to
promote good understanding between you
and our leading men.
1t will also unite the public mind in favor
of your plan, so far at least as you would
carry it out without modification.
! You are aware that / do not associate with
men in political life, but rather with those
who, representing the advanced moral sense
of the country, earnestly labor for the good
OF our people, without hope of or even de-
sire for Office or other immediate reward
The latter class desire earnestly to under
stand your plans, and, if possible, support
your administration.
| think the publication of your process of
reconstruction, with the reasons for your
faith in it, will commend itself to their can
did Judgment, and, as i told you, inspire
our whole Northern people with confidence
in your administration.
The report Is meagre and unsatisfactory,
but | think it conveys, for the most part
the spirit of our conversation. Therefore,
although the whole tenor of your words led
me to believe 1t was not intended to be kept
private, L have Tefrained from answering the
specific inquiries of anxious friends, whom
l met on my way home. lest | might, in
some way, leave wrong impression on their
minds Truly, your friend,
GEORGE j.. STEARNs.
The President Of the United States.
WASHINGTON, ID. c., October 8, III A.
/ Nj have just returned from an interview
| with President johnson, in which he talked
tor on iIvur ON the prOCess Uf reconstruction
| of Rebel States. His manner was as cordi-
al, and his conversation as free, as 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 reconstruc-
tion should be thorough, and they wished
/ 20 support him, in the .arduous work, but
their ideas were confused by the conflicting
reports constantly circulated, and especially
by the present position of the Democratic
party. 1t is industriously circulated in the
Democratic Clubs that he was going over to
them. Helaughingly replied, Major, have
you never known man who, for many
years, had differed from your views because
you were in advance of him, claim them as
his own when he came up to your stand
point"
replied, | have often. He said, So have
|, and went on:-The Democratic party
finds its old position untenable, and is com
ing to ours; if it has come up to our posi-
ton, / am glad of it. You and | need no
preparation for this conversation we can
talk freely on the subject. for the thoughts
with each other. He then commenced with
saving that the States arc in the Union, which
is whole and undivisable.
Individuals tried to carry them out, but
did not succeed, as man may try to cut his
throat and be prevented by the bystanders;
and you cannot say he cut his throat because
he tried to do it.
individuals may commit treason, and be
punished, and large number Of individu-
ais may constitute a rebellion and be pun
ished as traitors Some States tried to get
out of the Union, and we opposed it honest
ly, because we believed it to be wrong; and
we have succeeded in putting down the Re-
bellion The power of those persons who
made the attempt has been crushed, and
now we want TO reconstruct the State Gov
ernmcnts and have the power to do it. The
State institutions are prostrated, laid out on
the ground, and they must be taken up and
adapted to the progress Of events; this can
not be done in moment We are making
very rapid progress, so rapid | sometimes
cannot realize it; it tappears like dream
We must not be in too much of a hurry;
il is better to let them reconstruct themselves
than to force them to it; for if they go
wrong, the power is in our hands, and we
can check them at any stage, to the end, and
obliga them to correct their errors; we must
be patient with them. | did not expect to
keep out all who were excluded from the
Amnesty, or even a large number of them,
but intended they should sue for pardon,
and SO realize the enormity of the crime they
bad committed.
You could not have broached the subject
of equal suffrage at the North seven years
ago, and we must remember that the chan
ges at the South have been more rapid, and
they have been obliged to accept more un-
palatable truth than the North has; we must
give them time TO digest part, for we can
not expect such large affairs will be compre-
hended and digested at once. We must
give them time to understand their new po-
sitioH.
| have nothing to conceal in these mat
tiers. aud have no desire or willingness
to take indirect courses to obtain what we
want
Our Government is a grand and lofty
structure; in searching for its foundation we
find it rests on the broad basis of popular
rights. The elective franchise is not nat
ural right but political right. / am OPP
posed to giving the States too much power, |
and also too great consolidation OF power
in the Central Government
If interfered with the vote in the Rebel |
States, to dictate that the negro shall vote, |
might do the same thing for my own pur /
poses in Pennsylvania. Our only safety |
lies in allowing each State to control the |
Rebel States II they go wrong. If they re-
bel, We have the army, and can control them
by g. aud, IT necessary, by legislation Also.
# the General Government controls tho
right 10 veto in the States, il may establish