The Nashville daily union. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1862-1866, 1865-10-26
AcOnpersation with President John
His Policy on Recanstruction.
views on Negro sufrare.

His Policy on Reconstruction.
Views on Negro Suffrage.
WAsHIxGTox, D. C., Oct. six q. MI
have Just returned from an interview with
PRESIDENT johnson, IN ahich he lsiked fof
an hour on the process % recOps trut4iOu n
rebel States. II mannef was Is cordial.
and his conversation Is bee, e n 1883.
when I met him daily u Nashvilie.
his eouutenanee Is healthy, even more 50
han when fret kneE him.
remarked, that the people Of Che North
were anxious that the process Of reconstruc-
ton should be thorough, and they wished
70 support HIM in the arduous work, but
their ideas were confused by the conflicting
reports constantly circulated. and especially
bF the present position Of the Democratic
party. Il is induHriously circulated IN the
democratic Clubs that he was going over 10
mem ne laqghinglY replied MAJOR,
nAfe y gu never Known a man who Tor msuy
Yeas had difered frora your vie7gs because
5ol we're ~ adrance 81 him, claim them Is
ins.ovsn When be came uPto yonr stand
point pc
replied, have often. He said, So have
\, ana went On; the Democratic party finds
Ste old pesition untenable, aud Is coming 20
ours Il 1t has come up 70 cur position, am
glsd Of il. You and iced no pre9aration
fer MS c0nFersaii0n; We can tax freely on
this subject, for the th lights ars familiar
10 usi We cen be perfect frank with each
other- he s.hen eOnmencedr with saving
thar the States are in the Union. which &
whole and indivisible.
individuals titled 10 carry them q but
did not succeed - a man may try % cnt his
throat and be p evented by the bysianders
afd you carn0t Say be cut be throat be-
esnse he tried % do IT,
individuals may commit treason, aud .
punished, and large number Of individuals
ms = eoRstitute rebellion and 81 pouished
as traitors. Some States tried 70 get out Of
he UnNp, snd we opposed it, honestly, be-
cause ~ bslieged & Wrong and we have
succeeded 10 putting down the rebellion
The power Of those persons who made the
attempt has been crpsheds aud now We want
70 reconstruct the state Governments and
have the power 10 dost. The State instiui-
tons are prosirated, laid out on the ground,
aud theg must be taken ~ snd adapted 20
the progress q events this cannot De dOLo
IN a IN ment. We are making very rapid
progress, 90 rapid sometimes cannot realize
y s1tapp ars Ike 3 dreafn
We must no. BE- in too much Of hurry
Il Is better 10 let them reconstruct them
selves Than % force ID N 10 IL for il they
20 wrong, the power is in our hanes and
We can check ihem at any stsge, 10 the end,
and oblige them 10 corr Ct their errors We
mast be psfient with them. did not ex-
pect TO keep out all who were excluded rom
the amnesty, or even large number Of
them, tut | intended they should sue for
pardon, and so rea izs the enornity Of the
crime they had committed
You could not have preached the subject
Of equal suffrage, Of the North. Sc 60 years
ago, and VIC must reminder that the
chunges at the South have been more rapid,
and tuey h I'VE been obliged 10 accept more
aupaia abe truths than the North hiss we
must give them time 20 digest part, Tor we
eannot expect such large Affairs VIII be COM
prehend q and digested ~ once. We must
give them time 20 understand their ew
posit on.
have nothing to conceal ia these mat
tiers, snd have 10 desire or willingness TO
take ind rect courses 10 obtain what We
want.
Our Governu ent is q grand and lofty
structure; in searching for j foundation
we find il rests 90 the broad basis Of popular
rights Tue elective fraochise Is not
natural right, bat a political right / am
opposed 10 giving the st-tes TOO much
power, and also 10 9 great consolidation Of
power IN The Central Government.
ii interirred with the vote IN thu
Rebel States, TO dictate that the negro shsll
vote, ] might do the same thing Tor my
own purr ose3 ia PenusylYania. Our only
safety lies 10 allowi' each Slate 10 ntrol
the right Of voting BY its owu laws aud we
have no p1Wer control the Rebel Sta'es if
they 60 wrong. IL they rebel, We have the
army, and can control them by IL, and, ii
nece sary, by Legislation also. Ii the Gen
eral Government control the right 20
vote in TIE States, it may estab.i.n such
rules as viii restrict the vote to 4 smell
,.sts,, H..r a. rteraanr ard fhue eraefa a eco
trail despotism.
Nv pot ON here Is dih, rent from what it
would be il ! was ia Tennessee.
There ] should try T. introduce negro
suffrage graiually; frat those who had
served IN Che army tho-e who could read
aud write, end perhaps 8 proyer quslidfa-
tion for hers, say $500 or S25o.
70 would not 90 70 let the negroes have
universal suffrage now it would breed a
war Of rsces.
There was q time in the Southern States
when the slaves of large owRera loot cd
down upon non-slaveowners because they
did not own slaves the larger the number
Of slaves their ma tiers owned, ihe broader
they were, aud this has produced hostility
be Neer the mass Of the whites and the re
! groe'. The outrages are mostly from moo
flaveholding whites against the regro, and
f'om She negro upon the non slayeholdiug
| whites.
The negro will VOC with the lsts master
whom he does not hate rather than with the
non -slaveho ding white, VII IA he does bate.
1 Universal sui age would create another
/ war. not against "a, but war of races
Auothe- thing. This GoseTnment is the
l freesl and best "a The osrth, and feel sure
| Is destined 10 last but 10 secure this. we
NUT eyate end purify the bsllog. / for
1 many avs contended at the South that
slavery was politiesl weakness, but others
ssid ii ives political strength they thought
We gained three -dlths representation by il
oontsnded that we lost two-Giths.
| II we had no slaves, we should have had
twelve Representatives q ore, according %
the thtn ratio Of representation. ngress
| apportions representa- ION by States, MOI dos
tricts, and the State fppo tons By districts
Many ysars ago, moved m the Lsgisla-
turc that The apporioien n of Representa-
tivesto Congress, 10 Tennessee, should be By
qualified voters
The apportionment is nov fixed until
1879. before that time We might change the
basis of representation from population TO
qualified voters, North as well as Sou'h,
and, la due course Of time, the States, '0iN-
| ont rCgard 10 color, might extend The cleo
tive franchise 30 all who possessed certain
mental, moral, or such other qualifications,
- might be determined by an enlightened
public Judgment
BcsI6N, Oct. Is. 1865.
The above report was retarned 20 me by