The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1865-12-02

returned.p ELApplause.l IlE'I
INTERVIEW WITH PRESIDENT JOHNSON.
. About utthereconstruction OF the South,
one thing TINT occurred to him in his
visit TO America was his interview with
Ihe sHres1dent.1 He WAS a man who, if
once they were brought into contact
WITH him, they would never forget, He
was one of natures true nobility. He
had not only talent and mind, bnt,
thank God, heart as we'll. CCheers.l
Andrew, Johnson was almost a South
erner. though he Ind not been treated
very, well by his countrymen on account
of upholding the Union. But it was a
good thing zfor the South that Andrew
Johnson knew how, to forget and for
give, ana he was meeting his brethren
In sSouth in q way, that such men
should be met. He did not refuse to
take them back to his confidehcs. If
they only said, ST am sorry for what i
have done; am ready to take the OATH"
the residents answer would be simply,
my good friend, you are pardoned.', >,
| [Cheers.lI He (Sirt AIorton) had read
-one OF those pardons, and the condition
was that If the party having that par
don should have Slave, or abet sla-
| very, that pardon would cease. Loud
eheers'lI L. ~ a-lL Efr la.H
SIR MORTON AND A SOUTHERN MINISTER.
\ ID And now let him ask them for a mo-
ment what was the result of that policy
Ito the blacks. BE wrote to a friend
whom he knew very, we'll. He was a
minister, very highly respected and re-
| garded, and he (Sirf Norton knew that
lhewRsa Southerner, and he was going
to read them an extract fromia letter
Of his. Sir Morton Peto then read as
follpys; ' i...r. ..,-ss1-,.f=5S
Born in Louisiana, on my father's
sugar plantation, near New Orleans, i
had known slavery in all its phases,
4 Il VNF,
4 1t for twelve years. Two years ago i(af-
4 ter the emancipation of the slaVest one
of my fathers plantations in Louisiana
cameintoG my hands. There were one
hundred and fifty negroes on the plan
tation. From that day to this I have
4 not heard of one instance of difficulty
among tho workmen.7 The gentlemen
who leased the property for a. series of
years is southerner, and was q yerY
Ordent seCessionist. Heis also a truly
4 lChristian; man. Hewrites. me that he
has no difficulty with his workmen that
was not very easily arranged by con-
hversatiop. They have been paid regu-
larly every month their fun wages
Their children go TO school, and the
\ work of the plantation goes on with
Egrsatef nlacrity than when the negroes
were slaves. The same may be said of
\ several plantations in the lleigh hborhood,
where the workmen are regularly paid
| and Kindly treated. i have no fears for
the future of the freedmen, unless they
tare driven by harsh laws to array them
selves against the whites. And If. the
South produces less in the future than
she has done in the past it will be be-
cause she does not legisiHte wisely. The
barrenness of Jamaica to-day is due to
the harsh legislation which drove the
negroes from the plantations to- their
mountain patches where what they
produce was their own"
I
/ hi- THE FREEDMEN. 'sIfsli
Sir Morton next gave an instance of
slaves receiving their freedom, and he
said he would mention the nk me he
cause it would show that the facts could
be inquired into. Colonel Driry, one
of the most promising men of the
southern army, on the day that Lee
| surrendered, called together his slaves,
about one thousand in number, and ad-
| dressed them to the effect that he had
done the best for them hitherto, and
henCeforth they were free men. IF thew
would continue to work for him he
.wonld give them as high wages asany-
body else, and would put their children
to schoOlsl They We're only three who
left. o [Cheers.l He (Sir Morton) came
home in the Scotia with one OF those
esttmabIe men, like theirgdear friend,
Geo. Thompson. prolonged cheering
! He was member ofthe Society or
Friends, and told him that he was com
| ing home from the South, where he had
1 been on a mission of mercy, and when
he (Sir Morton) told him that he had
taken from the Society of Friends fif-
teen thousand pounds sterling and had
disseminated 1t in the most iudicious
manner among the freedmen of the
South, they would feel ready to wish
thatsome others would ego and dolike-
wise" lCheers. He thought it would
be graceful and right and proper thing
that the whole church, without any re-
striction and of every denomination.
should join together and do something
in that work. They recollected perfect
llyLwell what the North did in regard to
our starving operatives during the cot
ton famine. [Cheers.l The North
bYa4ted no help from England, but it
ISould be a graceful thing, right thing
for them to do in lhe work of mercy to
which he had referred. u5FH
Erf an, al THE SOUTHERN WHITES. SIT sfs..
He had no fear of the South, and he
would tell them why. 1t waSttat the
South were not handed over to the at
torneys and middle men, as Jamaica
had been, but that the owners of the es-
tates were looking after their own
| workmen, SO that they would be treat
ed fairly and if they were not, the
President had constituted a commis-
\ sion In the South, and to that commits
sion every question'was referred. With
I w
that certain masters did not give them
suthclent wages, q notification, came to
the effect that unless the employed re-
ceived right rate of wages the govern
ment would withdraw all the men from
the employ of those masters who refus-
ed to properly compensate them. There
was desire in the North to treat the
South in spirit of equity. Sir Morton
related anaHeedote of u large capitalist
who had informed him that he should
not press his debtors in the Southern
States if they would take their coats of
apd go to. work. II such state of
things were the case he had no fear of
South1T America would moi, do. what
England had done in respect to Jamaica
l-emspcipate theoslaves and LET them
take tlieir chance [cheers;l but America
would rule them iDequity and fairness,
andthey must do their part. teheers.i
THE FESIAEs.i .ies7-art /
He would say a Word-on, one or two
other matters: first, with regard to
Fenianism. Laughter and cheers. I
/ What did Fenianism in America mean?
|, Well it meant this, that a number of
| foolish Irishmen, having more money
tnan thay KNEW what 10 do with, allow
ed other people to pick their pockets
Laughter and cheers.l The Irishman
I'M america was a different being to
what he WAS In his own country. He
had there cast aside the influence of the
! priest, and was to<a certain extent his
own master. He received two dollars a
day. II he only took the position of the
merest laborer. The honorable baro-
net went on to remark that when he
talked to some friends in America re-
speeding the matter they laughed at it,
| ana said, t'Why does not England put
her own strong hand upon it and put
an end to Il? Applause,l They were