Cleveland daily leader. [volume] ([Cleveland, Ohio]) 1865-1873, 1866-02-09

Yesterday sRepOrt
THE PRESIDENTS VIEWS.
Continuation Of his Remarks
to the COlOred Delegation
The VIII Of the People to be Re-
Speeted.
Equal Suffrage Would Breed
q War Of Races.
Spirited COllOquy between Andrew
Johnson and Frederick Douglass.
The White Man Wants NO COntrO.
trOVsrsy with the Negro.
BUTLER VS.. GRANT
The BOttled-up General UnbOt-
Ting his Wrath.
Butler Refuses to Have Anything to
Do With Grant.
. DUEL AT RICHMOND, VA.
. Hotel Keeper Wounded in the
Stomach.
Butler Refuses to Have Anything to
Do With Grant.
A DUEL AT RICHMOND, VA
A Hotel Keeper Wounded In the
Stomach.
From Washington.

From Washington.
The President and the COIOred Dele
Cation.
1.-THE following ia a continuation of the
conversation between the President and
the oOlored delegation, sent last night
The President continued: The abolition
of slavery has come as an incident. To the
suppression of the rebellion as an incident
we should give proper direction. The col.
ored man went into this rebellion as q slave.
BY the operation of the rebellion he came
out a freedman, equal 10 q freedman in
other portions of the country. There Is 9
great deal done for him on this point The
non-slaveholder who was forced into the re.
bellion, and was as loyal es those that lived
beyond the limits of the States, was carried
into it, and his property, and, in a number
OF ~instances, the lives of such were sacrificed,
and he who has survived has come cut of it
with nothing gained, but a great deal lost.
Now, on the principleof justice, should they
be placed in q condition different from what
they were in before? On one hand one has
gained q great deal on the other hand one
has lost a great deal, and in q political point
of view, stands where he did before. Now
we are talking about where we are going to
begin. Wshave got at the hate that existed
between the two races. The query comes
up whether these two races, situated as they
were before, without preparation, without
time for passion and excitement to be ap-
peased, and without time for the slightest
improvement, whether the one should be
turned loose upon the other, and be thrown
together at the bsllot-box with this enmity
and hate existing between themi The
query comes up, will we not there commence
q war of raeesf Think | understand this
thing. Especially is this the case when you
force it upon a people without their consent.
You have spoken about the government;
where is its power derived 'FRONT.' We say
it is derived from the people. Let US take
it 30, and refer to the District of Columbia
by way of illustration. Suppose, for instance,
here in this political community, which to a
certain extent must have government, must
have law, and putting 1t now upon the
broadcast basis you can, take into considera.
ton the relation which the white has hith-
erto borne 10 the oolored race. Is 1t proper
to force upon this community, without their
consent, the elective franchise without re-
gard to color, making 1t universalf Now
where do you begin TIL Government must
have a controlling power, must have slodg-
ment. For instance, suppose Congress
AOAAA Raoo q INV ElAR uh ClCCllgu |
be held at which all ever twenty one years
ofage, without regard to color, shonld be al
lowed to vote, and g majority should decide
at such election that the elective franchise
should not be universal. What would you dor
Admit iti Who would settle it1 Do you
deny that first great principle, of the right
Of the people to govern themselves Will
you resort to an arbitrary power, and say a
majority Of the people shall receive . state
af sbTA-a kka- - 4n1oaaI k |
Mr.. DOuglass-Thst was said before the
war.
The President[I am talking about . prin-
aiple-not about what somebody said.
Mr.. Downing-Apply what you lave said,
Mr.. President, to South Carolina, for in
stance.
The President-suppose you 20 to South
Caroline or Ohio, that does not change
the principle at all-not in the least
The query to which l have referred still
comes up thea the government is undergo
ing a fundamental change, The government
was commenced upon this principle and
existed upon it, and now you propose
to incorporate an element hat did not exist I
before in it. say he query comes up in
undertaking the thing-whether WI have a
right to make a change in regard to the
franchise, in Ohio, for instance. {
Whether we shall not let the people in that
State decide the matter for themselves
Each community is better prepared to de-
the depository of political power !
anybody else, and it is for the tegis- ,
lature or the people of Ohio to decide who
shall vote or not. I might go down here
to the ballot box tomorrow and vote di-
rectly for universal suffrage; but a great +,
majority of the people say, l should con- =
slider, that it would be tyrannioal and arbi-
trary in me to attempt to force it upon
Them without their will. 1t is a fundamen-
tai ext in my creed that the will of the
people must be obeyed when freely sx-
Is there anything wrong or un-
in thatf
Mr.. Observation-Disclosures great deal
wrong, MI. President, with all respect. :
[ The President-The people mnst de- :
that for themselves. do not want I
to be engaged in a work that will commence 6
3 war between the races. In zach com- '
munityif q man conducts himself well and
that this new state of affairs will
operate well, he will be protected in all his
rights and given every possible advantage
by that community when they have be- O
reconeiled socially and politically to q
certain things Then will this new order Of a
affairs work h~armoniously, but forced upon e
the people before they are prepared for it, it r
will be resisted and work inharmoniouslY.
feel a conviction that forcing that matter q
upon the people will result in the injury of /
both races and the ruin of one or the other. t
God knows ! have no desire but the good of o
the whole human race. ] would it were 30
hat all you advocate could be done in the
twinkling OF an eye, but it is not in the Ms G
Of things, and l do not assume or pre-. i
tend to be wiser than Providence, or stronger
than the laws of nature. Let US now seek
to discover the Law governing this question. a
. . = n ~-aaf 1a- a1nE-11lT-. 81 1t a.. =
sndeavor 70 find out what that law ia and
our action to it. All the details a
will then properly adjust themselves and 4
work we'll in the end. God knows that a
I can do in the mighty process by 4
the great end is to be reached-any-
hing / can do to elevate the races and z
10 soften and amelierate their condition, / y
will do; and to be able to do 50 is the sim r
,ere desire of my heart.
I am glad to have met you and thank s.
you for the compliments you have paid me.
Mr.. Douglass[I have to return you our II
Mr.. President, for 50 kindly grant
.ng us this interview. We did not come u
here 70 argue this question with your Excel
but simply to state what were our
views and wishes in the premises. If we c
we're disposed to argue the question, and you G
grant US permission, Of course we b
would endeavor to controverI some Of the
you have assumed. Il
Mr.. D~owning-Mr. Douglass, ! take it
hat the President, by his kind expressions
md his very full treatment of the subject,
must have contemplated some reply to the
Jews which he has advanced, and in which
We do net concur, and I say this with due T
aspect. d
The Presidential thought you expected y
ne to indicate to some extent what my
news were on the subjects touched in your
tatement. }
Mr.. Downing-We are very happy indeed b
o have heard them. C
Mr.. Douglsss-H the President will allow
ne I wculd-liks to say one or two words in
The P~resident-Al 1 have done is simply s
o indicate what my views are, as l suppos- n
d you expected me to, from you address. :
Mr.. Douglass-My own impression is that {
he very thing your Excellency would avoid .
n the Southern States, can only be avoided I
y the very measure that we propose, and ] el
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