Delaware State journal and statesman., 1865-10-27
way leave wrong impression on their
MINDS Truly your friend
GEORGE L. STRARNs.
The President of the United States

President johnson, in which he talked fol
an hour on the process of reconstruction OF
Rebel States. His manner was as cordial,
and his conversation as free, as in 1868, when
l met him daily in Nashville.
His countenance is healthy, even more so
than when first knew him.
remarked, that the people of the North
were anxious that the process of recon.
7truction should be thorough, and they wish.
ed to support him in the arduous work, but
Their ideas were confused by the conflicting
reports constantly circulated, and especially
ny the present position of the Democratic
party. 1t is industriously circulated in the
Democratic clubs that he was going over to
them, He laughingy replied, "Major, have
you never known a man who for many
years had differed from your views because
you were in advance of him, claim them as
his own when he came up to your stand
point2"
replied, have, often. He said, 80 have
and went on:-The Democratic party find,
its old position untenable and is coming Il
ours it 1t has come up TO our position am
glad OF it. You and need no preparation
for this conversation; we can talk freely On
this subject for the thoughts are familiar tc
u.s.; we can he perfectly frank Will
each other He then commenced with
saying that the States are in the Union,
which ID whole and indivisiblc.
individuals tried TO carry them out but
did not succeed, Il man may try to cut his
throat and be prevented by the bystanders;
and you cannot say he cut his throat because
he tried to do it,
individuals may commit treason and be
punished, and large number of individuals
may constitute rebellion and be punished
rs traitors Some States tried to get out OF
the Union, and we opposed it, honestly, he
cause we believed it to be wrong, and we
have succeeded in putting down the Rebel
lion. The power of those persons who
made the attempt has been crushed, and now
we want to reconstruct the State Govern.
ments and have the power TO do it.
The State institutions are prostrated, laid
out on the ground, and they must be taken
| hp ohh ahhBtSN w AhO BlDbltSS vi tNtulSi
this cannot be done in moment. We arc
making very rapid progress, so rapid some.
times cannot realize it; it appears like a
dream.
We must not be in too much of hurry; il
is better to let them reconstruct themselves
than to force them to it; for if they go wrong
the power is in our hands and we can check
them at any stage, to the end, and obligt
them TO correct their errors; we must be pa
tient with them. l did not expect to keeI
out all who were excluded from the amnesty
or even large number of them, but in
tended they should sue for pardon, and SC
realize the enormity of the crime they hat
committed.
You could not have broached the subjec
of equal suffrage at the North seven year
ago, and we must remember that the change
at the South have been more rapid, and they
have been obliged to accept moro unpalata
bic truths than the North has; we must Civ,
them time to digest part for we cannot ex
pect such large affairs will be comprehende
and digested at once. We must give then
time to understand their new position.
have nothing to conceal in these matters
and have no desire or willingness to take in
direct courses to obtain what we want
Our Government is grand and loft.
structure; in searching for its foundation W
find it rests on the broad basis of popula
rights The elective franchise is not a mai
ural right but political right. am OF
posed to giving the States too much power
and also to great consolidation of power i
the Central Government
If 1 interfered with the vote in the Rebt
States, TO dictate that the negro shall vote
/ might do the same thing for my own pun
poses in Pennsylvania Our only safety lie
in allowing each State 10 control the rigl
of voting by its own laws and we have III
power to control the Rebel States if they &
wrong. If they rebel, we have the army
and can control them by it, and, if nece
sary, by legislation also. If the GenerI
Government controls the right to vote in III
States, it may establish such rules as wi
restrict the vote to small number OF pc
sons, and thus create central despotism
My position here is different from what
would be if was in Tennessee.
There should try to introduce negro su
frdge graduallyj first, those who had serve
in the army; those who could read an
write; and perhaps proper qualification IL
others, say 1900 or $3.50
, 1t would not do to let the negroes hay
~ universal suffrage now; it would breed aw'
of races.
> There was a time in the Southern Stat
when the slaves of large owners locke
/, down upon non-slave owners because the
" did not own slaves; the larger the numb
of slaves their master owned, the proudt
they were, and this had produced hostilit
between the mass of the whites and the n
grOes. The outrages are mostly from no
slaveholding whites against the negro, al
from the negro upon the non-slaveholdiI
whites.
ss The negro will vote with the late mast
whom he does not hate, rather than wi
the non-slaveholding white, whom he do
II hate. Universal suffrage would create a
ir other war, not against us, but war of race
ID Another thing. This Government is Il
n freest and best on the earth, and feel su
n is destined to last; but to secure this, v
" must elevate and purify the ballot.
ID many years contended at the South that 81
le very was political weakness but othe
ar said it was political strength; they thong
IN we gained three-fifths representation by it