The Norfolk post. [volume] (Norfolk, Va.) 1865-1866, 1865-08-05
caa aiaelat-seeine--w feh the,.=Were.usea.

IL. EalU Tile t'ut Hts IIScH |
very fast, from the lowest among US, but
is the peoples servant, and that be is
but doing their work. | asked HIM II
he had known the President when ne
worked at the tailor's trade "Oh, yes, <
said he, land tile little shop where be /
worked is now standing, just by Nash
Vile, and the old sign is still over the
door, "A. Johnson, Tailor LIS partner
once in the business was Browning, the
father of his private secretaEy. Brown
Inc. too, was poor uiah, and after
q Andy, came to holding office he took
his son into his family, and he has re-
manned evefsince. u -. ....,.-s.,-- -
So [ whiled away the, hour listeningto
my new acquaintance, who, il seemed,
would never tire IN hispraise of ANDY |
for so hepersevefcd in calling him, and I
antil the. dOer-keeyer ia formed nae the
President was at leisure to see nly.party;
SO we entered the private Office and were
introduced. One of us was memberof /
Congress, and Iinferthe Presidentiudged |
our Grand was q political one, for, after |
the usual coltrtesies had passed, hepro-
ceededto remark upon someofthe leading |
public questions of the day. His remarks |
had nothing the character of speech,
but were the off-hand suggestions which
arose uppermosts by reason of the close
attention his mind had already givenl
the subjects which he touched upon.
think my friends We're quite-as delight
| ed as myself to find MIN so thoroughly
prepared for the exigencies OF the times,
| and then, too, it appeared to us alt that
| there was something in what he said or
else the manner he said It. Witch re-
minded us he had heard or seen the same
| before. We should have felt titus had
we not seen the fine portrait of Andrew
Jackson which hung over the mantle,
but now it seemed the old hero himself
| suade myself he did not smile an appro-
val at the discourse which AIN able to
give in, I think quite the language in
which it was spoken.
The President. said he should do his
duty in the light which Providence had
given him; that he had noparty to build
up. no favurites or cliquest to serve; that,
to be sure, he had always.heldAto certain
fundamental principles, and these he
s should never abandon; thar he had
risked everything of personal or pecu-
MARY nature for the Union of States,
and he should not now abandon a prin-
ciple he has fought 50 long for and risked
: so much, so that, when he was asked, AS
he so frequently was, sswhat is Ito be
your policy with reference to the seeded
States ?r there could not, in his mind,
be but one answer: THAT the recent
struggle had been to preserve the Onion
: of States; to prevent tiisinteSratlon, as it
were, and the effort now was 10 restore
1 the States to, the status which they held
e before the rebellion. '-='s'"t'-' ,'.e''"' ~
Much had been said about the elective
= franchise. So far as he was concerned
:, he should be glad TO See every man exer
L else it, if it could properly edone; but
1 he asked the question, il it We're proper
: for the Federal government, or its Exec
: utive, to interfere in'the matter? The
I. position assumed by us had been that
the acts of secession were void; that the
States claiming to be out were stillinthl
:. Union. This was not only correct but
the only position we could safely assume
: Now, if in the Union, those States were
: to be recognized as possessing the rights
l of States, what should be done? What
would the State of Pennsylvania say il
: he were to attempt to dictate as to who
:; should exercise the elective franchise ii
J that State? He presumed such inter
u. ference would not be agreeably consider.
ed. He did not think, either, that it was
{ enough to say that the slave had served
l the country. Boys of sixteen had faith
: fully served the country, and many la
!; dies had, in their sphere, rendered valtt
u able aid. There must be some control
!, ling principle, and what was that to be-
Il He had been in favorof the Union with
: slavery; he was now for the Union with
: out slavery. The white man had gone
/ into this war possessed OF certain powers
: and he had come out of the contest pos
!, sessed of no more power thun when ht
entered it, and had even, in certain
: cases, forfeited his right impair to'thdst
he then possessed; the black man enter
: ed the service as Il slave, he came oot q
s. freedman as he was termed-t hat is, .1e
u was possessed of the power 10 cohtro
: his own destiIg, which he has not NTH
:. erto possessed. He could nov act io'
: Ehimself,so far as Il human being may DO
/ for absolute liberty did not EXIST for any
5 one. in fact, there was no fibefty with
u out law. Was the black man any tht
: less free because he did not vote? 10 b'
i sure he had to obey the law but tha
Il law had been provided to preserve lib
5 berty, and if the man OF color had no
5 taken part in preparingth the law, lnlgh
he not wait, at least for while, until Ia
4 should exhibit ability to appreciate HI:
I new-found liberty, before he shouio
I claim the law be amended? lie Woulo
not require the States to grant the elec,
e tive franchise. If the executive might
: confer that privilege in one particular
he might subtract it in another, ant
o finally he might determine who mlghl
: or might not vote, and that would bt
' the worst kind of Capitalization o.
+ power. A consolidated government nc
never would consent to in any form
: We were likely to be led astray by terms
e for instance, the term elective iran
r chise. He said that when this govern
. ment was formed it was let down, as II
/ were, from above among the nations OF
e the earth that it was necessary iofallna-
1 tions to have some foundation on which
D to rest, and our government i'll settling
3 upon basis finally rested upon that OF
! popular representation, as shown in our
House of Representatives, whose mem
7 bers were elected directly by the people
I every two years. TWAS also recognized
I that the people of the several States
"a should determine who might choose
y !, these representatives.. The casewas not
= altered now; it was the basis on which
our Government rested, and could not
5 be changed without disturbing the
: whole structure. His duty appeared en-
/ tirely plain and he should pursue It,. 90
!, When the President had finished, aho
e some conversation followed, we traI
| -, onI lapnrtpd. AS