The Cleveland leader. [volume] (Cleveland [Ohio]) 1865-1865, 1865-08-26
The PardoninE Business.
IopeolaI Ul5patchel % the Nov IofA tIn1sl
WASHINGTON Tuesday. Aug. y.

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WASHINGTON Tuesday, Aug. %.
In consequence of the Presidents action
yesterday, IN directing the Attorney-Gen-
ersl TO issue no more warrants for pardon
at present, the crowd to the rooms of the
latter, to-day, vas largely increased, and
much anxiety was manifested by those
present in regard to the condition of their
applications. The clerks of the office were
besieged by the applicants without mercy,
b appeared much chsgrined at the &C.
ton of the President. The President will
examine at his leisure those cases which
the Attorney General has passed upon, but
no new applications will be entertained
at present. In regard to the scene at the
Presidents reception, yesterday, the Re.
publican of this evening has the following:
"Some fifty persons were present, most
of them seeking psrdons. a Mr.. KeItt,
Of South Carolina mot Lawrence NJ, he
having been killed by q loyal bullet at
Fort WagnerO approached the President,
and informed him that be desired 8 par
don. what have you lone p asked Mr..
johnson. i opposed secession until my
State decided to go out of the Union, and
then I determines TO go with it. I never
joined the army. I did nothing to bring
on the rebellion was the reply. you,
reioined the President, ARE like all the
rest; you lid nothing. Now he added
my experience is, that the men who didn't
join the rebel army, but who acquiesced in
the rebellion, were the most mischieVous
and dangerous men we had. 1 cannot par
don you, SIR Mr.. Keitt made several other
efforts. Among other things he reminded
the President that he had come all the
wsy from South Carolina and had been in
Washington some time; that hotel living
here was very high, and that altogether his
daily expenses were -extravsgsntly large,
and that he would like to get away As
soon as he could 60. The President re-
sponded that the hsrdships of which he
complained were the direct results of the
rebellion that he did not bring on, or con-
tribute to the rebellion that he WAS not re-
sponsible for and could not extricste Mr..
Keitt from the difficulties he complained
of, nor hasten his pardon on account of
them. The President was firm. His an
swer wss q haslty. Exit Keitt. A Mr..
Birch, member of the late rebel Legisls.
ture of Virginia, next approached the
President and applied for q pardon. SINH
lar questions were put to him by the Pres
ident as were asked Mr.. Keitt. From the
answers it appeared that Birch did moth.
ing; only, as 8 member of the Virginia Leg
~islsture, in obedience to instructions, he
voted that Virginia should secede from the
Union of the United States. That is all
he did, that was nothing The Presi-
dent refused to pardon him. Exit Birch.
Next came q rebel clergyman, who asked
the President TO grant him q pardon.
What great sin have you committed thst
you come here in clerical robes and crave
Executive psrdonP Il was 3 REBEL was
the answer, land 1 desire you. Excellency
to pardon me that 1 may be restored to
citizenship and be able to support and
live under the government of the
United States You rebel preachers,'
responded the President shave done
the government 8 great deal of harm. You
have proclaimed devilish doctrines and
misled the people. You forgot that it was
your duty to yield obedience to the powers
that be. Yon must rest awhile upon the
stool Of repentance. 1 decline TO grant
your pardon Exit reb. clergyman.
The President then remarked addressing
the entire crowd in the room, that it WA .
little singular that most of the non-com-
batants who had come here from the South
for pardon assert that they did nothing,
were opposed to the rebellion at the begin
ming, only acquiesced, and thought the
rebel government ought to have surrender
ed earlier and stopped bloodshed; yet not
one of them took advantage ofthe amnesty
proclamation offered by Mr.. Lincoln, an act
which would have shown sincerity on their
part, and contributed so much towards
saving t~he,enormous expenditure of life and
treasure. I will grant no more pardons
for the present. wa the emphatic conclu-
sion of the President aud turning to Col.
Browning, he directed him TO issue the order
to the Attorney-G General"