Daily union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1865-1866, 1866-05-29
VIVA GEN. GRANT THINKS OF THE
G0TTH


The editor Of the Lewistown, Maine, Jour |
nal processes to have had an interview with |
Gen. GRANT, the result of which he pub
fishes in his paper. The report which he
makes Of the conversation, is given by tele-
graph as below. If Gen. GRANT has given
expression to these opinions, which We can
scarcely believe, We regret it In some re-
spects they might have some remote founda-
ton in fact-for, we have seen expressions
from newspapers that are supposed to repre-
sent opinions prevailing in the localities in
which they circulate. But there has been
no such utterance by the Southern people
themselves There are some persons con-
nected with the Southern press who are gui-
ded more by impulse and passion than by
reason. We protest against their being ac-
cepted as the opponents of the opinions and
feeling. Of the body, or even respectable
minority Of the Southern masses.
Gen. GRANTS opinion of Gen. LEES con-
duct is scarcely justified by any act or fact
that has come within our knowledge. But
occupying a different standpoint, General
GRANT may have seen something calculated
to change suspicion into optE6On. We hope
! his CONVICTIONS have not gone so far. Cen
eral GRANT and the world may rest secure
that neither General LEE nor the Southern
people have any purpose, or could be IN
duced 10 offer obstruction or violence to the
legitimate sway and just execution of the
laws of the land. The enemies of the Union,
as it now exists, are not to be found IN the
South; and it were better that the controll-
ing minds of the North should understand
and know this truth-for misapprehension
Is the mother of misunderstanding con-
stantly bad feeling, and obstructing the cor.
dial amity, which, otherwise, would be al
once attained.
We call the especial attention Of oui
Southern contemporaries to their duties ii
the premises:
"Gen. Grant said that there were som'
parts of the country where our armies hat
never tread, particularly in Texas, which
needed to feel the blighting effects of war t.
bring their people to a realizing sense of tn
enormity Of their crime, and the necessit.
of a thorough repenting. l find that thos
parts of the South which have not felt tn
war, and particularly those which hav'
been within our lines, and have, therefore
escaped the rebel CONSUMPTION, that they ar
much less disposed to accept the situation il
good faith than those persons which hav
been overcome with fire and sword.
Referring to the temper of the Southern
people, he remarked they are much less dis
, posed now to bring themselves to the prope
frame of mind than they were one yea
since. One year ago, said he, they wer
willing to do anything; now they regar
themselves as masters of the situation
, Some of the rebel Generals, he added, ar
behaving nobly, and doing all they can t
induce the people to throw aside their oil
prediudices and conform their course to til
changed condition of things.
Johnston and Dick Taylor, particularly
are exercising a good influence, but, h
added, Lee is behaving badly he is conduct
ing himself very differently from what ha
reason, from what he said at the time of tn
surrender, 70 suppose he would. No man {
the South is capable of exercising tent
part of the influence for good that he il
But, instead of such, he is setting an exampl
of forced acquiescence as pernicious in its e
fects as to be hardly realized. The men
the rebel armies, said Grant, acquiesce in tn
result much better than those who stayed ;
: home. The women are particularly bite
4 | against the Union and Union men. {
course. he added, there is some bitterness
feeling among all classes. But l am satl
fled it would soon die out if the leading me
had not somehow got the idea that Treason
i after ALL was not very bad, and that tn
5 Southern cause, as they phrase 1t, will "
triumph, not in war, but in politics. In m
Judgment, he said, the tone of certain me
and certain papers in the North Is such
: to do incalcuable mischief IN making IL
+ late rebels believe that they are just as niue
r entitled to rule as ever; that If they WI
y only stand by what they are pleased to ca
/ their rights, they will have help from Il
# North This significantly added Grant,
o only laying over again the inclplent stag
of the rebellion. He was confident that Il
j large majority of the Southern people wouI
e smother their resentments and become GOO
d citizens, if these mischief-makers at Il
i North, the Copperheads, would only ]
| tnem alOnc. TOT HllllSeli, II hS nav "
3 power, the first thing he would do would
, to seize the New York Ne,cs and kindrC
l. sheets which are moving the South to
o dangerous an idea of their~Own position al
rights. Grant said troops must be kept
! all the principal points in the South f
i; some time to come.
t. This will be necessary to repress the tn
:, bulence of class of the South very DANCE
, :, Gus to all well disposed persons, and also
q protect the rights Of the freedmen, who a
IF looked upon with deep hatred by ver
It large proportion of the people.