, 1866-05-31
GEN. GRANT ON THE SITUATION.
General Grant does nnt see thinua dn,ur,

1 IL
thinks TINT the present temper of the cx-
rebels Is much worse now than when actual
hostilitics ended, and that large classes Of the
population, especially those who were not
subjected personally TO the horrors of war,
arc bitterly hostile 10 the National Govern
mcnt. and that the Influence of Gen. Lee Is
decidedly pcruicious, and welded In CONTRA
! tentlon u assurances given ut the time Of
us surrender. Referring to the temper Of
the cS-rebels, he says that year ago they
were willing to do anything required OF them.
! Now, however, they have changed their tone
| and demeanor, and regard themselves as mas
tefs Of the situation. Gen. Grant announces
the fact Of the present bad condition Of
ai'alfs IN the South. lie says that the sslcad-
ers have somehow got The idea into their
heads that treason, after all, is not very bad
OF criminal. and that the Southern cause, as
they phrase il, will yet triumph by war,
but by politics." "1n my Judgment" said
Grant, the tone Of ccrtain men md ccrtai,.
papers i'll the North are doing ,ncalculablc
mischief in mckina the rebels btliere that tAey
2" are jnts as much estitled 10 rue as ertr, and
THAT if they will ouly stand by what thev
"arc pleased to call their rights they viii
harc help FROM the North.'' THIS, s,rniG-
cantly added Grnnt, 't is only playing over
again tue inciplrnt stages of tho REBELLION"
While the President aud his supple Secre-
tary Of State declare that the entire South
should be Immediately restored to pristine
power in the Union, Gen. Grant says that
parts OF the South "necd to feel the bli.h,in-
elects Of the war, in order to bring tht;r ,,e9-
1:lc I" reaisin1 sense Of their crimes and tic
necessity efu THOROUGH HErESrAScE"
All Intelligent and dispassionaic observers
have perceived this change for the worse that
Is taking place in the South" It is made
apparent in thc tone Of their press, In The
resolves Of their meetings, in tue acts Of their
assemblies, IN their daily conversation and in
their behavior towards Northern men who
live aznou. them. What is the cause oil this
remarkable chanPe within years There is
but one answer that can truthiully be wiyen,
culy one reason that can be assigned for this
change for the worse, viz: Johnson's mis-
chfevons policy oil reconstruction. and the
Conservative and Copperhead endorsement
thereof. When the rebel armies surrendered,
the South" was wholly at the mercy Of
their conquerors. This was felt aud under
stood by every rebel They were ready to
accept the best terms Of Instrumentation they
could get. The loyal people we're complete
masters Of the Situation. Their will was law.
Their orders would be obeyed.
johnson was elevated TO the Presidency by
the revolver Of IN assassin. At first he held
tight rein over the rebels. Instead of con-
yening Conpress together as It was his sworn
duty to hare done, be proceeded without
warrant in the Conslitut- on or laws to dictate
conditions Of reconstruction and adjustment.
HIS language ut first was rs imperious as that
Of m oriental despot. What lie demanded Of
the rebels WIS yielded what lc ordered was
obeycd. lie commenced by declaring that lie
would make treason odlous, md teach the
rebels that they were guilty. wrctches, whose
leaders hc would severely punish. Shortly
afterwards he began 10 change Ills mind and
to abate from his demands. lie relinquished
first one point and thfn another, aud COM
menced pardoning Mt wholesale, and restoring
leading rebels to Office, and making treason
rs respectable as possible. When Congress
assembled, he had progressed "southward
30 far as to deny the right ol the law making
branch OF the Government 10 fix or determine
Inc conditions Oh which the rebel Stases
should again participate in The Government,
or to impose any terms Of restoration upon
the rcvolted States, or their trlitorous iuhabi-
sants. He held that Congress had nothing
10 do except to Inspect the certificates Of
election Of the claimants to scats. and see
that they were made out in due f:<m and
then if the claimauls could or would take
.hc test oatli, they must be admitted to
seats, and their names entered on the rolls Of
the House and Seuatc. OF coursa the whole
Copperhcad' party rociferously applauded
This scheme OF reconstruction. It suited
their purpose to Traction, as 1t would reinforce
their lem ranks in Congress by twenty-five
votes in thu Senate, aud sixty in the House,
and With the aid Of such apos.ates rs Doc
little, Dixon, Cowan and Norton, give them
contrul oi The Government and all the Offices,
| Ill the appropriations and the future policy
! Of the nation.
Tic change in Southern feeling and opinion,
10 which General Grant points, was thus
brought about by johnson, and the
rebels havc kept even pace with
his change of purpnsc. As fast as hc
''lct up" they got up, aud they arc now
Oh Their feet almost rs Iulpudcnt and malis-
! nant as before the war. They feel that the
President Is on their side IS completely as
was the "Old rublic Functionary." The
rebels have reached that point where they
confidently hope. under the leadership Of the
President, aud i'll alliance with the Copper
heads and conservatives, to be again masters
in the Government and lord It over the men
by whose wisdom and val0r tho rebellion was
put down, mud their traitorous schemes frus-
t1ated. They know what they arc about, mud
well.