Evansville daily journal. (Evansville, Ind.) 1863-1866, 1866-03-01


to the Representatives in Congress from
that State, .....s.-.-s.s..si aIfs Il y
WAsHIseros, Monday, Feb. 26
General George b Wright, Chair
man UaioH Central Committee. Col
unbus, Ohio: aaerfa ce
IDEAS SIR:--On Saturday last had
an interview with the President which i
regarded as Of sufficient importance to
reduce to writing my remembrance of
his statements while fresh in my memo
ry.s, ] waited upon him this morning to
make known what had done, to ask
his veri6cation of the truth Of my re-
port, and his consent To- make the same
known TO- the country. He frankly gave
his consent and assented to the accura-
Icy of my reportI .ag
"The President said be had no
thoughts he was not willing to avow;
that his policy had simply aimed at the
earliest possible restoration OF peace on
the basis of loyalty. No Congressional
policy had ever been adopted; and,
therefore, when he entered upon the du-
ties of his Office he was obliged to adopt
one of his own. He had In some sense
inherited that Of Mr. Lincoln, with
which he thought he agreed; and that
was substantially the one which he had
carried out. Congress had no ajust
| ground Of complaint that he had done
so, for they had not seen fit to declare
their views, or adopt amy measures en-
bodying what could be called policy of
restoration. He was satisfied that no
/ Il &c
ment could be tolerated; that the whole
country would properly demand the
restoration of truly civil governIn ent;
and not 10 give il to lately rebelIious
| States, would be an admission of the
failure of the administration of the party
which had carried through the war TO
prove themselves equal to the exigencies
now.
The work Of destruction was over,
and rebnil ing had begun. Military
government alone would not pacify the
South. At the end of a long period of
such government we would be no nearer
and probably not so near the end as now,
and would have the same work to do.
Hence there is real necessity for the
adoption Of policy which should restore
J civil government just as soon as the re-
bellion should be thoroughly ended, and
those conditions accepted by the South
which were to be regarded as absolutely
necessary to the peace OF the country.
The, proper system Of paci6eation should
be one which tended every where to
stimulate the loyalty Of the South rather
than to impose upon them laws and con.
ditions by direct external force. hGt
films in the case of the Freedmen 8
Bureau. he was not against the idea of
the bureau in toto, for he had used it,
and was still using it Knight continue
for period of more than q year; but he
had contemplated that either as a pro
ciamation of his own, or hyssome action
of Congress, the condition of peace and
technical end of the rebellion would
probably be declared at some period not
very remote; as he understood the pres
sent law, the Bureau might continue O.
year from that time Meanwhile, he
could say to the South: 1t depends on
yourself to say whether the Bureau shall
be discontinued at an early day, for /
viii put an end to it just as soon as you,
by protection Of The freedmen, make it
unnecessary Thus the hope of getting
| rid of the institution stimulates them to
do right, while they are not discourage d
by the idea. that there ia no hope of aid
from what they regard as sort of mill
tary government ii, on the other hand,
the Bureau were made permanent by leg
islation, all the objections he had urged
in bis message applied in full force to it
and instead of encouraging the South to
loyalty. would tend to make the hatred
| of the Government inveterate.
&" The same principle of stimulating
loyalty was shown in the manner he had
held martial law over them. Whenever
they should show that martial Law was
no longer needed. it should be re-
moved. Their own conduct would then
determine the matter, and the earnest
desire and interest of all the best people
be increased to obey the law, because by
90 doing they would hasten the with
drawal of interference Of the military
arm in their affairs In precisely the
same way he had acted in regard to civil
affairs generally in that section. Re
garding il as necessary to impose con-
ditions upon the rebellious States WHICH
would guarantee the safety of the ooun-
try; and regarding the existing affairs
OF the Government IS having disquali-
fed themselves by treason for continu-
ance in power, he deposedp them, and
established Provisional Governments.
Then he asked himself what coudi~
| tioBs ought to be demanded of them.
and how their disposition to accept them
inegood faith might be stimulated by
those conditions, namely Amendment
of the State Constitutions, Excluding
slavery, acceptance of the same amend.
ment Of the Constitution OF the United
States; repudiationi of the rebel debt.
and admission of freedmen to various
rights DC. To stimulate them to ac-
cept these conditions, being such az,
using his best judgement, and in the
absence of any Congressional plan, he
though the nearest right 81 any he conld
frame, be engaged that on their accept
ance, with evidence Of good faith, he
would permit them TO reorganize their
State Governments, elect Legislatures.
&c. and, so far as Executive acts could
do. would restore them to their posi-
tione in the Union of the States They
had so far accepted his conditions that
he regarded the experiment a success.
He had accordingly recognized the Post
Office Department among them, and re-
opened trade and removed the restric
tons thereon, through the Treasury De
partment, and in like manner in all the
Executive Departments, reorganizeC
them as States in the Union, only keep
ing enough military hold to protect the
freedmen, and to induce them to d.
something more thorough in that direc
ton.
"Now but one thing remained il
which those States did not exercise the
full rights of States, and that was rep
resentation in Congress. In this be hec
| adv;sad .h.t .ha earna rrincinle of atm