Daily Richmond Whig. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1865-1869, 1865-06-28
RICHMOND VA WEDNESDAY MORNING, JUNE %, 1865
RICHMOND WHIG.
WEDNESDAY MORNING. JUNE 28, 1865
From the Washington Chronicle Of June % h.
THE PRESIDENT AND THE SOUTH
CAROLINA DELEGATION.
AN INTERESTING INTERVIEW,

In accordance with preyi0uslY.nade appoint
ment, the delegation OF gentlemen from soutl
Carolina waited upon President johnson at ten
o'clock yestaTday morning. TIE great press o.
business forced the President 20 defer the inter
view until three o'clock, at which time they Wer'
Ictciycd They cuicici the Presidents room apd
were shown TO seats which they occupied durnF
the whole interview, and whence they could set
over the Inautiepiete TIC lrn, calm face ui An
drew Jackson, done in oil, PORTRAIT which EJa
kept pos, ,eSs.On OF that post OF honor slrcc taC
Death (f The original.
lna lew moments President Andrew johnson
entered, end was introduced by Judge Frost tu
the several ~, mbers OF the delegation consisting
OF Mcssrs. !. l.. II lines, Geo. W. Williams VIM.
II. Gcllcland, j. II. SieinmsYcr, Frederick Rich.
ards, VIM. Valley, James II. Taylor, Il. II. Gill
and Joseph \. Yates
The introducticns over the President requested
the gentlemen Of the delegation to resume theiI
seats, and smIlingly remarked as he sat down
among them himself that 10 the days Of old there
used 10 he class Of men called Augurs who
never met each other without smiling in cacl
Others faces but that now the rebellion Is over
and they would better look each other light ~
tie face and speak clearly rs 10 the future.
This Government if It bc preserved az ~, mus
be preserved on the principle Of equality, and i
we have States therein, they must be States occu
pynG and prcscrving certain clear relations TO tlC
Government q the Ulitcd states. Hence, con
tinued tic President proceed upon the idea that
a state cannot so out Of the Union and nu@
that the rebellion u oven and has been put down
the Southern States must come back with q pro
pcr understanding of thcsc relations Snl upul
pr, Ter principlcs. DO you kIGw that believe
am a better state rights man than some OF yJt
are ( A general though sublued laughter greet
cd the remark. ! used always 10 believe IN u,
al L.. alfft N nod 10.
Constitution of the United Stl'es and did We no
find when the eXper.mens was made ,la- slavery
WAS lost / was always for the Union. always
and saw that VIXEN slavery attempted 10 contro
the Government, slavery must 20 down. The in
sttuton OF slavery made the issue it set up e
cout!ol the Government and II fell. All insttu
tions must lie subordinate 70 the Government o.
il cannot stand. The great object nos is to re
store and preserve the Government that we al
once loved and respected.
The present reLallQn OF slavery il changed, an,
If so discosCd we could not rem md il back and ?,
we must spose al IL - prudent, discreet and wis
men should. You have heard me spoken ab5u
as great peoples man, Iabld man, and a.
that sort OF thing. will not disguise from yol
| that there are certain things to wDish have al
ways been opposed. hlye always been Opp1fe,
10 inonopolies entails &c.i and for this ! used &
| be denounced as a Gemagogue; but ing bacl
| to that Magma Cba,ta, from which, ate. all W
get all our !ibertie,-lbetty Of slcnch, lb.riy @
| the press protection fOm unreasonable Sc ,rch
Sc.-l bellsSe in its doctrines AMI am not goin.
| 10 deceive You now, gentlemen, when tell yOl
| taat, as far rs in ne lies, ln;end to exert tn
power and influence Of this Cove nment to de
yelop, and, When dege.oped, to plac- in power th
great healt Il the natiOa-jtle peOp.e-tlat is ti
heart cf the nation. LOOK upon this nation e.
one sent Inon q great niissit n, not as a thin
sprngiu Skp an ephemeral mushroom and be
lieve we 'Ntall shor. OF our duty unless we caI
~ that misS pa out
The Constitution of the United States says tha
persons shall bs chosen for Congress by person
qualified in the teVeral St ties, Congress actin,
Tor the w ole. Now in some OF the states pOr
ton of the people have rebeiled, and 70 some eX
tent suspeLdel, and even paralyZed the operation
of tie Sta'e gcvenuent,; but there is a Constl
tutional obligation on the Government TO sup
prefs rebelIons, refel invasions and secure 4
every State a republican form OF government
The Government Day seem land will not under
take 10 tnumerate the reasons) to have been tard,
TO protect the Union men in the south, but the
are protected row, and having reached taat pro
lection they should come Tor yard and sssnd upol
an equa!ity With the other loyal men eyerywhea
in the country.
When the South went into this rebellion, tht
slaves went In as slaves, they come out az free
men of color. The rebslliou has rubbed ont th
nature and character Of the institution, and IN
loyal m3n Of the South are compelled therefore
20 bow and submit TO this result, and stand sin,
ply as equsls 10 the other loyal nen Of The coui
icy everywhere. There can be nothiag wrong I
th9t.
Now, in the work OF reconstruction we hay
tried ID begin at that point. You understand /
understand it perfectly; but understand OILS
that ] am not here TO subserye any pariicula
clique. ] am here simply to serTe the countr
and no particular interests to use the power ca
| trusted 10 ne 10 bring the country back to tn
| peace and harmony it owned before the rebellio
| commenced.
| will again soy to you that slavery is gone.-
| lie status is changed. There is no hope you ca
entertain of being admitted 20 repIesentatio
either in the Senate or House OF Represent alive
| till you give evideHce that you, too. have aC
cepted aud recognized that that institution
gone. That done, the policy adcpIel is not {
restore The supremacy OF tie Government at th
point Of the bayOnet, but by the action of th
peop.e. While this rebellion has emsCciDated
great many negI0es, Il has enancip&tel sii
more white men. The negro in south Caroln
| thlt belonged TO a man that owned from one /
five hundred slaves thought himself better tina
| the white man who oHDed none. lie iclt th
white mans SUPERIOR | know the position O
| the poor white MAJ at the South, cOmpcilc
| 10 till the barren, sandy, and - p01
| soil for q subsistence You cannot deny how IL
was, in your eyes, OF less value than the negro
Some here in the Moth think they can cCutr,
| and exercise greater influence over the negr
| than you can, though his future must material
| depend on Ou. Let us speak painyon this sub
jcct | too am a Southern man; have oWne
slaves, bought slaves, but never sold one. lo
and understand this better; we know our friend
arc mistaken, there the President rose up and con
| tinued empEat;cay and tell you that don
has 4 hn arlI gl NJ Affr
votes against the vote Of this poor white man
] / repeat, our friends hero are mistaken, as yor
| and 1 know, as TO where tie control OF that nc
| gro vote would fall. When they come to tall
| about the elective franchise, say let each Stat
| Judge for itself. / am Tor free government 10
emancipatiUn and / am for emancipatins ID
white man as well as the black man.
A Delegate. see you ara for maintaining tn
| Government and the Constitution.
The Presi ent. Yes sir, intact.
Delegate We are az this present moment with
ont law. You have the power.
| President. Don't let Id proceed upon the idei
of power, but up;n that Of right My opinion
| that, for Il e present, you must have an agent
| the Governments military or civil Governor
call it what you will Then have convention
amend your Constitution, abo!ishing slavery
adoptinc the amendment to the Constitution o
| th United States.
After that. as far as whito and black man ar
concerned, they come into the market as laborert
subject 10 the same general law OF supply an
| demand.
Delegate. But is it necessary to have q con
yentio1 mass upon the question
President. Certainly and then il remain
with the Government to receive thon, or "leay
| them out in the cold" to use a common expres
| sion.
Delegate.-Then our admission or rejection
would depend upon our adopting OF not adoptin
| VIII 1t you think right
Presdent.-NO; only advise | wOuld hav
| you understand me mOre correctly. In the frs
instance we proceed upon tbs idea, that the Con
stitution guarantees to every State repubiica
form of government. Now, there comes rsbe
lion which has suspended the functions OF tn
State Government. in order TO restore TO the Stat