Mineral Point weekly tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1859-1868, 1866-10-03
Greeley on Johnson.


the recent Beecher letters, appears |
over the full signature of Horace |
Greeley. in the New York Tribune:
Il was one of the many who early |
apprehended and anxiously deprecated |
a breach between Congress and Presi- |
dent. Soon after our last State cleo |
ton. and before tire. assembling of the |
present Congress, / went. not uninvit- |
ed. to, Washington. expressly to guard |
against such a difference Being adj
mitted to an interview with the Pres
dent, | urged him to call to Wash f.
zslgton three CT the most eminent and |
trusted expositors of Northern anti
slavery sentiment, and three equally |
eminent and representative Southern
ex-rebels, and ask them to take up
their residence at the White House
for a week or fortnight, so long as they
might tina necessary, while they, By
free and friendly conference and dis
cussion, should earnestly endeavour to
find common ground wherein the
North and South should be not mere
" . reunited" but made evermore fra
ternal and harmonious | suggested
that the President should occasionally.
as he could find time. drop IN on the
conferences and offer such suggestions
"a he should deem fit rather as a mod
orator or common friend. than as
party to tie discussion; and sucges-
ton OF names being Invited. proposed
Gov. Andrew of Massachusetts. Ger
rit Smith, Of New York, and Judge
r. p. Spauldiug Of Ohio-as three who
seemed to me fair representatives. Of
the antl-slarery sentiment Of the
North while neither were specially
obnoxious to nor disposed TO deal
harshlv with tie South and | added
that | hoped they would be net 10y men
ike Gen. Robert T. Lee, Alexander
II Stephens, &c, who wonld be rec
ognizcd and needed by the South as
men IN whose hands their honor and
true interests would be safe But I
added that | had no special desire that
these or any particular men should be
selected, wishing only that those
chosen from either section should be
such as to command their peoples con
tidence and support, to the extent Of
my power, any adjustment that should
thus be matured and agreed upon
Some two months later, after the
meeting Of Congress, and when the
political SKY had been darker, / went
to Washington on the assurance Of
mutual friend that the President de-
sired to see me-. The Joint commit
tee on Reconstruction had been APP
pointed. At an interview promptly
acceeded, | urged the President to in
vite this committee to the White
House, and discuss with them from
evening to evening, as friend with
friend, al the phases Of the vexed
problem Of reconstruction. with a fix
ed resolve to find a basis Of agreement.
If possible. l urged such considera-
tions as occurred to me IN favor of the
feasibility of such agreement, if it
were earnestly sought, as / felt sure
1t would be, on the side, Of Congress
The vast patronage iii the Presidents
hands, the reluctance of the majority
of Congress to see their friends. sap
porters and nominees expelled hv
wholesale from Office, and their places
supplied by bitter adversaries, the ma
tural anxiety of every party IN power
TO maintain cordial relations with the
head cf the Government, chosen by
its votes-these and thousand kind
red considerations, rendered morally
certain an agreement between Con
grcss and the President, without a sac
rifce of principle on either hand, if
the latter should sincerely seek 1t.
I speak only Of what | said and
proposed, because l have no permis-
SIa, and no rioht IN crpai- fnrt b1r
That my Suggestions were not follow
ed, nor any thing akin to them, the
public sadly knows; and the conclu-
sioEs, TO which have been reluctantly
forced are that the President diI not
want harmony with Congress. that he
had already made up his mind to break
with the party which lad elected him,
and seek further lease Of power
through the favor ana support Of i'm
placable enemies"