Daily State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis, Ind.) 1861-1865, 1865-10-26

What Mr. Johnson Think of the Hes.
toratfon OF the southern states-The
Punishment OF Treason-stafus OF
the Negro.
rTEEvIEw WIN xR. JszssOS.

rSTEEvIEw WITH kR. JeESsoS.
MEDFeRD. Mass, Oct. 8.
Nh DKAR SuK. was so much impressed with
,ur conversation Of last Tuesday that | retsrned
Immediately to my room and wrote down such
81 the points made IS ] cosld remember. and.
having pondered them al the way home, sm to-
iay more than ever convinced that. If corrected
BY you and returned 10 me. for either public or
use, il will 20 far to promote a good un-
3erstanding between you and our leading nea.
Ii will also unite the public mind in favor of
your plan. so far. at least, ss YOU would carry il
without mobilization. |
You are aware that l do 40; associate much
with men in political life. but rather with those
who. representing the advanced moral sense of
the eoHniry, earnestly labor for tho good Of our
without hope of or even desire for efhce
or other immediate reward The latter class
desire earnestly TO understand your plans, and. if
possible. support your Administration
think the publication Of your process OF re-
construction, with the reasons for your faith 10
il, will commend itself ID their candid judg-
nent, and, as ! told you, inspire the whole
Northern people with confidence in your admin
The report is mesger and unsatisfactory. but |
think II conveys, for the most part, the spirit OF
our conversation. Therefore, although the whole
tenor OF your words led me to believe il was not
intended to be Kept private, have RETAINED
from answering the specific inquiries Of anxious
friends, whom | met en- my way home, lest |
might. in some way, leave a wrong impression GA
their minds.
Truly, your friend, GLo l.. SrEARNs
To the President of the United States.
TIKI PRESIDENTS VIEWS.
WASHINGTON, d. c, Oct. 3-lIL p. NJ.
| have just returned from an interview with
President johnson, in which be talked for an
hour on the process Of reconstruction OF rebel
States. His manner was as cordial. and his con
v~ersation as free, ss in 1863, when | met him
daily in Nashville.
HE countenance is heslthy-even more SO
than when / first knew him.
| remarked that the people Of the South
were anxious that the process OF recsnstrac-
ton should be thorough, and they wished 10
support him in the arduous work; bu, their
ideas were confused by the conflicting reports
constantly circulated, and especially by the pres
cnt position of the Democratic party. liz lie in
dustriously circulated IN the Democratic clubs
that he was going over to them. Ne lsughingly
replied, Major, have you never known a man
who for many years bad differed from your
views because you were in advance of him claim
them as his own when he came up TO your stand
pOinli'
replied, IL have often " He replied. 80
have " and went on-"The Democratic party
finds its old position unteneble, and is coming to
ours II il has come up to our position, l am
glad of it. You and | need no preparation for
this conversation; we can freely talk on the sub
ject, for the thoughts are familiar to US; We can
BIZ perfectly frank with each other" He then
commenced it by saying that the States are in
The Union, which are whole and indivisIble.
Individuals tried to carry them out, but did not
succeed, as a 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 1t.
Individuals may commit treason, and be pun
ished, and q large number Of individuals may
constitute a rebellion, and be punished as trail
tore. Some States tried to get out of the Union
and We opposed il, honestly, because We believed
is to be wrong; and we have succeeded in put
ting down the rebellion. The power of those
persons who made the attempt has been crushed,
and now we want to reconstruct the State Gov
ernments, and have the power to do it. The
state institutions are prostrated, laid out on the
ground, and they must be taken up and adapted
TO the progress OF events; this cannot be done in
a moment. We are making very rapid progress
Sc rapid | cannot sometimes realize il; it ap
pears like a dream.
We must not be in too much Of a hurry. 1t is
better to let them reconstruct themselves than to
force them to il; for if they 60 wrong, the power
IS IN our hands and we can check them at any
stage, TO the end, and oblige them to correct their
errors. We mast be patient with them. | did
not expect to keep out all who were excluded
from the amnesty, or even q large number Of
them; but | intended they should sue for pardon
and so realize the enormity Of the crime they had
committed.
You could not have preached tue subject OF
equal suffrage, at the North, seven years ago,
and we must remember that the changes at the
south ha va hppD moro rarid and tbav bo va ham
obliged to accept more unpalatable truth than the
North has. We must give them time TO digest a
part; for We cannot expect such large Affairs will
DO comprehended and digested at once. We
must give them time TO understand their own po-
sition
| have nothing to conceal in these matters, aud
have no desrsi or willingness to take indirect
courses TO obtain what we want.
Our Government ia a grand aud lofty structure;
in searching for its foundation we find il rests on
the broad basis of popular rights. The elective
franchise is not a natural right, but a political
right | am opposed to giving the States too
much power, and also to a great consolidation Of
20 wer in the Central Government.
If I interfered with the vote in the rebel
States, TO dictate that the negro shall vote, |
might do the same thing for my own purposes in
Pennsylvania. Our only safety lies in allowing
each State 10 control the right of voting by its
own laws, aud we have the power to control the
rebel States if they go wrong If they rebel,
We have the army, and can control them by il.
and, if necessary, by legislation also. Ii the
General Government controls the right to vote in
the States, il may establish such rules as will re-
strict the vote to 4 mall number of persons, aud
thus create a central despotism.
NY position here is different from what il
would be il | was in Tennessee.
There | should try TO Introduce negro suffrage
gradually first those who had served in the army.
those who could read and write, and perhaps
a property qualification for others, say $500 or
$3.50
1t will not do to let the negroes bave universal
suffrage now. Ii will breed a war of races.
There was a time in the Southern States when
the slaves of large owners looked down upon
non Shareholders because they did not own
slaves. the larger the number OF slaves their
masters owned, the prouder they were. and this
has produced hostility between the mass of the
whites and the negroes. The outrIges are mostly
from non-slaveholding whites against the negro,
and from the negro upon the non-slsveholding
whites.
The negro will vote with tie late master
whom be does not hate, rather than with the
non slaveholding white, whom he does hate.
Universal suffrage would create another war, not
against us, but a war Of races.
Another thing: This Government is the iree.t
and best on the earth, and, | feel sure. is des-
tined 10 last; but TO secure this we must elevate
and purify The ballot. 1 for many years contend
ed at the South that slavery was a political weak
ness, but others said il was political strength.
lhav fhnuphi No gained threa-6fha rarro,ac,a-