The Norfolk post. [volume] (Norfolk, Va.) 1865-1866, 1865-08-25
The Mortulk 2ost.
FRIDAY, AUGUST %, 1865.
y PARDONING SUSPENDED.
Ill Pardoning of Rebels Suspended The Pre-
sident has put his Foot Down.
From the Washington Republican

President Johnson yesterday announced
his purpose to quite IL crowd of Rebel
applicants for pardon, that he should
grant no more pardons for the present,
and directed his Secretary, Colonel
Browning, to notify the Attorney-Gen-
eral of the United States to recommend
to him no more persons for pardon UNI
der the Amnesty Proclamation until he
SO ordered.
Quite a scene occurred in the Presi-
dents room yesterday. Some fifty per-
| sons were present, most of them seeking
pardons. A Mr.. Keitt, of South Caro-
lima, mot Lawrence NJ, he having been
| killed by loyal bullet ut Fort Wagner,
approached the President and informed
him that he desired II pardon. "What
have you done?" said Mr.. johnson. 81
opposed Secession until my State decided
to go out of the Union, and then de-
termined to go with it, Iaeoer joined
the army; | did nothing to bring on the
rebellion" was the reply. 81 see,n re-
joined tho President, "yOu are like all
the rest--you did nothing. Now" he
added, "my experience is that the men
who didn't join the Rebel army, but
who acquiesced i'm rebellion, We're the
most miscellaneous and dangerous men
we had. | cannot pardon you, sir.n
Keitt made several other efforts Among
other things he reminded the President
that he had come all the way from South
Carolina; had been in Washington some
time; that hotel living there was very
high, and that, altogether, his daily eX-
penses were eXtravagantly large, and
that he would like to get away a. soon
as he could go. The President respond
81 hot tn vJah ,.fx
| planned were the direct results of the re-
| bellion; that he did not bring on, nor
contribute to bring on, the rebellion
that he was not responsible for, and
could not eXtricate Mr.. Keitt from the
difficulties he complained of, nor hastel
his pardon on account of them. TIL,
President was firm. His answer was
finality. Exit Keitt.
Mr.. Keitt retired, evidently satisfied
| that Mr.. Johnson was President, and
| that treason was a stain not removed by
| the mere asking for signature.
| A Mr.. Birch, member of the late Rebel
Legislature of Virginia, next approach
ed the President and applied for a par
don. Similar questions were put to him
| by the President as We're asked Mr..
| Keitt. From the answers it appears
that Birch "did nothing,n only as q
member of the Virginia Legislature, in
obedience to instructions, he voted that
Virginia should secede from the Unioi
of the United States. That is all Ii,
did; that was "aOthing." The Presi
dent refused to pardon him. Exit Birch
| Next came rebel clergyman, who
asked the President to grant him q par
don. "What great sin have you com
mitted that you come here in clerical
robes and crave Executive pardon ?p
| ~ was a REBEL" was the answer,
"and desire your Excellency to pardon
me that may be restored to citizenship,
and be able to support and live under
| the Government of the United States.n
"You rebel preachers responded the
| President, have done the Government
q great deal of harm; you have pro-
claimed devilish doctrines and misled
the people. You forgot that it was your
duty to 'yield obedience to the powers
that be- You must rest awhile upon
| the stool of repentance l decline to
grant you a pardon at present." Exit
rebel clergyman.
The President then remarked, adj
dressing the entire crowd in the room,
that it was little singular that most of
the n0n-cOmbatants who had come here
from the South for pardon assert that
they did nothing, were opposed TO the
rebellion at the beginning, only ac-
quiesced, and thought the Rebel Gov
eminent Oughtto have interlered earlier
and stopped bloodshed; yet not one of
them took advantage of the Amnesty
Proclamation offered by Mr.. Lincoln,
which would have shown sincerity ON
their part, and contributed so much to-
wards saving the enormous expenditure
of life and treasure I aCW grunt no
more portlOns for The present was the
emphatic conclusion of the President.
and turning to Colonel Browning he
directed him to issue the order to the
Attorney General referred TO above.
This was a glorious days work for The
country, and the people will not forget
to thank A ndrew Johnson for it,
A Washington despatch to the New
York Herald says:
The Presidents door was thrown open
at the usual hour, and the room was soon
filled with a motley crowd OF both sexes.
| AS usual, two-thirds of those present de-
sired pardons for themselves or friends,
| but the bearing of the President towards
such applicants has been noticeabiy
! changed of late His sense of Justice re-
VOLS Nv Tie Bdft lIttt VI DIiDtIN HiN ttI
| ruption being instrumental in obtaining
the pardon of any one The Herdtds
exposure of an instance last week in
which five hundred dollars, paid TO Hon.
Thomas CorWin, secured what the APP
plicant seemed otherwise unable TO OBJ
tain, appears to have first called his at
tention to the subject and aroused his
suspicious. 4 He is now determined TO
exercise the greatest caution in the mat
ter, and to give each individual case his
undivided personal attention. His first
step, therefore, was to suspend action in
the Attorney Generals office upon all
applications for pardon until some dis
position has been made of those already
accumulated. No more acquisitions are
to be made on the State Department for
pardon until further orders.
The President is reported TO have been
severe in his remarks to those who APP
preached him on the subject of pardons
to-day. One old gentleman had letter
in his possession stating that his pardon
could be obtained for nine hundred dol
lars. The President desired to know
who offered to obtain it. for that sum-.
He wanted above all things to ascertain
who the men were that accepted brides.
He said he had been notified that unfair
and dishonest influences were used to
obtain pardons, but he desired specific
| information instead of generalities, and
| declared that his office was the pardon
/ Ii 4. IL.