Raftsman's journal. [volume] (Clearfield, Pa.) 1854-1948, 1866-07-11
P0RNEY AND THE PRESIDENT.
a Scrap OF Political History.

"tcfCstt, thd0 ooHH W. Gorney nau, WITHIN
six months written begging letter to the
President, indorsing his policy, etc For
aey promptly denied this. The matter ex-
cited some interest, aud the Pres ident
finally consented to the publication of the
letter in question. AT the request of the
President, the name of the gentleman al
luded to in the letter is suppressed. 1t is
not bad guess, however, to say that it is
Henry Stebbens, formerly member from
New York
New YORK, January ID, 1866.
My DEAR Mr. president | have been
in this city tor two days, and now write un-
der an impulse which [ cannot restrain, be-
cause [ feel it to be for your own good and
that of the country. | take it for granted
you are resolved not to be unmindful Of your
own fame, and that you will not allow your
friends, who heartily sustain your policy, to
feel that they are without your aid and en-
couragement. Whether you are a candidate
for President or not-ard ii you are not, |
shat be greatly surprised, with the wonder
ful favor that has crowned yopr restoration
poiicy-you should not allow the great of
nee - 80 10 Indifferent men, or those clearly
in the interests OF your foes. l need not
repeat to you that | am now, as ever, for
twenty years shown in nay writings, and
since your great act OF patriotism in 1860
especially, your open and avowed friend
Where | am to-day my two newspapers
both daily show to the world. Hence, in
what | now say, | speak no idle words, but
mean all | say. The collectors S Office at
New York city is a post that you should
dispose of outside OF all the politicians;
not [ mean, to defy them, but to select
your own man, who should be free only to
help you and serve the Government-one
they could neither attack nor use. Such
man is Of this city. He was elec-
ted to Congress IN as Democrat,
but, like y0u, refused to follow the party in
to treason. He served a short time with
great distinction, and resigned on account
of i'll health. he was member of the
Committee Of Ways and Means, and won
great applause. He is a very able man, ed
ucated to finance, intensely national, honest
and independent, and could furnish millions
Of security. He has an organizing mind,
would make you party or fight your bat
ties singie-handed. lie is an Andrew John
son Democrat, in short. [ write in the
knowledge that be would accept, and that
his appointment would be hailed with Joy
by this whole community.
ours truly, j. W. FoRNEY.
To the President. &c, &c.
In letter, under date of July ID Forney
replies to the President After inviting the
publication of any of his letters, he says
When this letter was written there was
scarcely Union Republican in the United
States who did not believe that your restO-
ration policy included impartial suffrage to
the c0lored race, full guarantees before the
return of he rebels, and such a change in
the basis of representation as would prevent
the murGerers of American liberty from re-
sunlnS their former power. The only real
difference between you and the radicals was
whether the rebellion destroyed the State
organizations or not. I write with the files
Of the Washington Chronicle before me;
aud find that two days after the above letter
was written Dir. IrumhUlts two bills for
''the enlargement Of the powers of the
ffeedfnen's bureau" and the other ''for
the protection Of civil rights, were intro
duce1 into the Senate in the full expecta-
tion that they would receive your sanction.
1t was only when the Copperhead and trail
tor organs here and elsewhere hegan to
speak IS if by your authority against the
Union maiorities in Congress, that the sus
picion OF the treason, subsequently indica-
ted in your veto of the freedmen's bureau
bill, and your disgusting 22d of February
speech, began TO pervade and finally to pos
sess the loyal mind of the country. So fix
ed was the belief of the Republican party
that you could under no circumstances CO.
operate with your slanderers and theirs, and
SO willing we've they to overlook your sus-
picious Indifference previous to the coming
elections in Ohio, Pennsylvania and New
Jersey, that at the period when | wrote the
above letter hundreds Of thousands cheer
4 Loo,
and supposed you intended to stand firmly
by the substantial principles of their organ
ization. My own conviction was so strong
upon this subject that | need only to refer
TO the pages of The Chronicle and The
Press to prove how steadily | resisted the
idea that you were plotting to betray your
friends, and how earnestly [ endeayored to
convince the country that you had no sym
pathy with the common enemy. In all my
visits to the Presidential mansion, and they
were frequent, it was not until late in Jan
uary that | began clearly to perceive you
were conspiring with the copperheads and
traitors. Before that time, not word had
ever fallen from your lips to excite the sus-
picion that you We're preparing to become
the prosecutor of the colored race, or that
you were preparing to bring back into full
power the red handed traitors whom you
had so bitterly denounced during four long
wears But when, with an amazement that
[ can never forget or faithfully describe,
these facts appeared too plain for doubt,
feariessy discharged my duty, regardless Of
and fully prepared for all the CONSEQUENCES
I did not stop to calculate whether in des-
nouncing the dangerous conspiracy OF which
you were then proved to be the chief, Twas
helping or harning the distinguished gen
tlernan in whose behalf / wrote the above
letter.