Baltimore daily commercial. [volume] (Baltimore, Md.) 1865-1867, 1866-02-27
THREE CENTS.
HIGHLY IMPORTANT,
"A som EtonVerssiion Between Governor COX q
VIE. ;iIO, anu me ePresident-The PresiGenf.

Ohio, and the PresisIentGTS1nSa Stlsor ,s'' S0N Gi
views ON Reconstruction.
WASHINGTON, Feb. 25.-The following Io+to. MO-
read tonight by Gov Cox. of Ohio, to tbe frnicT,
Representatives in Congress from that State:
| WASHINGTON Monday Fob oe
Gen. Geo. b. Wright Chairman Of the H. ne9' 20.
C3mmittee, Columbus, o.: '' ''''"'
MY DEAR SIRIOn Saturday last. had the honor or
an interview with the President, which REGARDED @
| OF sufficient Importance to make it proper that
| should reduce to writing my remembrance of his
STATEMENTS whist they were fresh in my lpemory-
since he seemed to me in perfectly free and Int,,c
medltated conversation 10 elucidate with peculiar
clearness, the processes of his own mind i'm rc9cbi
some OF his opinions and to express them with such
| manifest candOr and entire freedom from urrs,n 4
feeling, that could not but think that if he would
| consent to 1t, good might be done by making his
| statements public.
| Accordingly | again waited upon him this morn
| ing to make known what had done and +, ae; Iis
verfcstion of the truth of my report and his con
| sent to make the same known to the country. Al
| though he was entirely unaware of my purnosa r.,
reduce his remarks to writing, ana myself ha, ua
Such intention when first called upon him. he most
frankly gave his consent and asScnted TO the arrt-
| raGy Gy OF my report, which is as follows:
lie SAID he had thoughts which he was ne: Will
| 10 4yOw. That his policy had simply aimed ai the
| loyalty. No Congressional policy had ever bocrs
adopted and therefore, when he entered upon the
uueS OF his Office he was obliged to adopt one of his
He had in some sense inherited that of Mr.. Lin
com, with winch he thought he agreed and that was
SUBSTANTIALLY the one which he had carried out
congress had no Just ground for complaint that hG
had done so, for they had not seen fit TO declare their
| views or adopt any measures embodying what couil
| be called policy of restoration lie was satisfied
i tnai no long eontingance of military government
| could be tolerated. That the whole country would
properly demand the restoration Of a truly civil gov
srnment, and not to give il to the lately rebcinar
Admin ntstrntion and of the party which had carrie.
through the war to prove themselves equal to the
eAiGeHcy now ma! the work Of destruction over.
| ment alone would pacify the South
AT the end of long period of such government We
| b lb1 rprs #E..
| end as now and would have the same work to i6
henGe, there Is real necessity Of adopting policy
| which should restore Government fully iHst ge
soon as the rebellion should be thoroughly ended and
these conditions accepted by the South which wsr..
70 be regarded as absolutely necessary to the OF
One central idea had controlled him in the whole
matter ana tins was that the proper system Of pacii
cation should leave which tended everywhere 10
! stimulate the loyalty of the people of the South
themselves, and make it the spring of loyal conduct
ana proper Legislation. rather than to inn Oss upon
them laws and conditions by direct external force
Thus, in the case of the Freedmen's Bureau no
was not against the idea of the bureau in toto for ho
had used it. and still using it, 1t might continue
| Tor period of more than year yet. III had con-
templated that either by proclamation of his own or
by some action of Congress, condition of peace the
technical end of the rebellion would probably be
clared at some period perhaps not very remote and
as he understood the present law, the bureau MigAE
| continue IN year from that time.
Meanwhile he could say TO the South:-'It depends
upon yourselves to whether the Bureau shall
discontinued at an earlier day, for will put an end
to 1t Just as soon as you by proper action for the pro
|
sald ne, the hope OF getting rid of the institution
stimulates them to do what is right, whilst they are
not discouraged by the idea that there no hope 1t
an ehd 10 What they regard as sort OF military Gov
ernment. If on the other hand the Bureau were to
| be made a permanent thing by legislation, which in
Its force appears part OF the fixed law of the land all
OF the objections he had urged in his message applied
IN full force to it, and instead of encouraging the
south 10 loyalty. tend to drive them to desperi-
| tion and make their hatred Of the Government in
! veterate.
| The same principle of stimulating loyalty was
shown in the manner in which he held martial law
| over them Wherever they should show so peaceful
and law abiding condition of their community tbnt
| martial law was not needed it should be removed
Their own conduct would thus determine the matter.
and the desire and interest of nil tbe heSf nao,S IN
creased to put down disturbances and outbreaks to
protect men and obey the laws. because by 50 doing.
they would hasten the withdrawal of the direct inter-
terence OF the military arm in their affairs. In pre-
clsey the same way and under the influence of tho
same idea he had acted in regard to civlaars gene
rally in that section regarding it as necessary and
| proper to impose upon the re6eOus States cOndi-
uOns which would guarantee the safety Of the couu-
try, ana regarding the then existing affairs OF tho
local governments, as having disqualified themselves
by ther treason for continuance i'll power he depOsed
them and established provi isonal governments
Then he asked himself what conditions ou ght 10 La
demanded of them, and how their disposition to ..-
cept them in good faith might be stimulated THe
conditions, VIZ: ne amendment of State Coustis,-
tions, excluding slavery the acceptance of the same
amendment of the Constitution, the repuliiatio Of
the rebel debt and the admission GI The irprI,nn m
various rights, &c., everybody 5 familiar with g.
stimulate them TO accept these conditions being such
as using his best judgment and in the absence of a
congress- onal plan, he thought the nearest rights Of
any he could frame. be engaged, that on their ac-
ceptance with evidence of good faith he would per
mt them to organize their State governments elect
Legislatures, Gc and far as Executive acts could
10 10 so, would restore them to their position in the
They had so far accepted his conditions that he did
not regard the experiment failure hut a sucrrss
lie hau accordingly reorganized the Postolice De
| parmcnt everywhere among them: had rcups. go
trade and re moved restrictions thereon through tna
treasury Department. and in like manner in all the
executive Departments recognized them as States I'M,
the Union, only keeping enough of a military h.ls
TO protect the freedmen, he had before stated ar
that direction.
Now, but one thing remained in which roese S+,tss
did not exercise the fun right of State aj Iba T.
representation In Congress. In this he had advised
that the same principle of stmuiH ,,nc I.yay h. r-
glled as IN tne other respects witch he had named
| TACT loyal men.
o. Giving satisfactory evidence Of this, whenever 90
Nta'e OF aistTlc sent loyal man, properly elected
and qualified, he would think il righf to admit him
lh9 same as isom any other State and he would ad-
% .e o sucl loyal men, so that other States or
IS,;ii~ts hlght thus be induced TO elect and send
similar men. when they had all done this. their
EePresentatlon would be full and the work would be
! p"ng SuGh was ms plaln plan. lie did not ask 10
| be the judge of the elections and qualifications ~
members OF Congress, or Of their loyalty. Congress
| W.: llS Gym Judge and he had no dream of inter
Iering with ITS Constitutional right. But he fels like
| urging upon them and upon the country that thi3
mode Of finishing the work so nearly com plGted in
other respects, the only feasible one which had
been presented, and that it impossible to ignore
the fact that the States were excrcisinr their iabs
and enjoying their privileges nithin the Union ip
short, restored in all other respects and that n is Too
Iae TOO question the fundamental right Of represent
| alton.
then remarked 70 him (the PresidenN that had
heard 1t suggested that legislation could properlv h
lnade by congress, purely civil in character. prov-
ding Tor the protection Of the freedmen by the Uni4
states courts OF inferior jurisdiction in alf c.zrs
where the States did not do so themselves T. P.r.-
| ~ inIu @ t1at SHoh an ldes would run exactly Parallel
to his Plan, but he had not thought il yet Il me t
M: M own @ IDEAS oi the precise mode of accJmpshue
TINS end, because We had margin of time lasting tiJ
after the next session Of Congress- during which Ee
| present tTeedmens Bureau could continue in orcr~
atl9h, and before that time if tho Southern States
recognize the necessity of passing proper laws Them
selves, and providing proper system of protertnn
ior the freedmen, nothing further on our part would
If they did ros do what they ought. there would
pe ume enough to elaborate plan. lie zen refer
req hTlsty to the fact that men who have been dis
i4yat were rejoicing over his veto message saving
that II these men, in good faith adopted the views Of
oIicy ne mad himself and acted upon, and which he
had so fully elaborated in his annual message and
| explained to me- the country surely could have no
cause for sorrow in that. If the dislOyal men and
TGDGGis everywhere North and South, should cor
daily give IN their adherence to the conditions Of
| restoration he had uniformly insisted upon he
houEht ulat was precisely the kind of pacifcatio1
| loyal men everywhere would rejoice in
/ A. me more tGey were committed to such cour o.,
inc better lie would like it, for if they wer, r3
sincere, they would at least diminish their !,
dangerous opposition in future. Ills whole reart 80 W
win the hody ol the true men who had car-isI ~
country through the war, and they ear oeetiI ds;f
10 MAINTAIN cordial and perfect tii,r,itF
them This sentiment and pur' ESQ he I @ s
entirely consistent with deerr oJ nc ftIGCI H @
instruction P9licy OF those extremists who as he be-
| ruin might come Gp, N MS ~ " ' ' 'O''''''O
e ~ my utht Sr Is the conversational statements
VI tle PRESIDENT in this important matter and If YOU
C2utd meet his straightforward honest look and hear
lao hearty tones of his voice as | did | am well as
| Surcd that you would believe with me that although
ne may not receive personal assaults with the eaua-
| nlmlty and iorbearance Mr. Lincoln used to show
ihere is NO need to fear that Andrew johnson is not
nearly and sincere in his adhesion to the principles
! upon which he elected.
! Very truly yours, J. D. Cox.
! Major Orlof Stadden was killed by a SIN
! gular accident at Ttusve, Pennsylvania on Satur
| day. The horses of stage became frightened ana
dashed furiously the street, and brought tb
stage in collision with the BARRIERS sign post tandi
! on the opposite corner. The violent coDors.io,
threw the whole of the passengers orr, Maior Stal
den was almost instantly killed, being hurled with
great violence against the corner of the house,
breathing but a few momGnts after and then expired
The driver received two or three severe cnfs on tho
nead and the othe5 tro passengers were more or less
| injured.
five bales of cotton, bought lately by one
I hn Low No.