The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1866-02-10

did not come here expecting to argue
! this question with your Excellency, but
simply TO state what We're our views
and wishes IN. the premises. five were
disposed 70 argue the question, and yQu
| would grant us permission, of course
/ we would endeagor to controyert some
| of the positions you. have, assumed. B "
| a. Mr., ,DowningTMr. Douglass, i take
1t that the President, by his kind ex-
pressions and his very full treatment
some reply to the views which he has
ad;yapeeds and in. which we eeEtainly
DO n9t concur and 4 say this with due
aIhe Presto ent-I thought you expect.
ed me TO Indicate, to soms extent, what
my views were pm the subjects touched
| in your statement. ,it,,..i. issCs lsstGT
| Z, Mr.. .DoYningTT1VYe are very happy
| indeed TO. have heard them. s.l fll5fGui
| Mf. Douglass the President will
aal1llow ~ ms, 4 would like to say one or
two words in reply, ss.itaus., o. .otI !. "a
/ IRresIdsn sntT;Atlll have, done is simply
toihd dicate what my. views are, as Isup-
posed you expected me 70 from your
!, Mr., pougla vi own impression
| Is That the very thing your Excellency
| would avoid in the Sonth thern States, can
only be AVOIDED by the very measure
that We propose, and. would state 70
/ k44dIsTLcEA4SG- a
| Pefceive the President has taken strong
gtpund IN favor of a given policy and
| distrnsting my own ability TO, remove
| any OF those impressions which he has
expressed, / thought we had better end
the Interview With an, expression of
thahks Addressing the Prestdent-(
| But II your EScellency viii be pleased
| TO hear, 4 would like 20 say word or
| two in regard to that one matter of the
enfranchisemenE of ,thef blacks as a
nleans of preventing; the very thing
which your Excel llelcy seems TO appre-
hend, that Is conflict of races,
your add Eess,. and not to enter into any
general controversy and could not
l-weIl do so under the circumstances
| Your statement was q very frank one, }.
and i thought 1t was due to you to meet
| 1t in the same spirit. sIi.iI s-22. tii lt
Mr.. Douglass-Thank you sir.
| The Prest1ent-I think you viii find,
so far as the. North is concerned, that If
all will inculcate the idea inconnection
with the one you urge, that the colored
people canLliYe andiadvancei in ciViltza-
|tion to better advantage elsewhere than
crowded oeether in the South, 1t would
be bettetifor them. tttI1 u 4g.JLJG =
Mr.. Donglass-But the masters have
the making of the laws, and we cannot
get away from the plantations. Isi 1
The President-What prevents your
Mr.. Douglass-we have not the sim
pie right of Tlocomotion through the
States. .....,l..I -,, -i, srr -..fr,e
The President-If the masters now
control the freedmen, would he not COM
troll his voter - on's .s.5 -i'= 49, i-'
Mr.J Douglass-Let the negro once
understand that he has right to vote,
and he will raise up a party in the
south among the poor who will rally
with him. There is this conflict that
you speak of between the wealthy
Stakeholder and thepoorman.
The President-You touch right up-
on the point there. There isthe conflict,
and henceE suggest emigration. If he
fcannotoget employment in. the south,
he has il in his power TO go where he
In parting, the President, said that
they were both desirpusi OF accomplish
| ing the same ends; but proposed TO do
s6by following different roads.
Mr., Douglass, on turning TO leave, re-
marked 10 his fellow. delegates: The
President sends us to the people, and
The President:-Yess sir, have great
faith In the people. I believe they will
| do what's just, and i have no doubt
| they viii settle this question right, and
hope it will be submitted to them for
| final action sa i.iii fss-1.ly i--,f
The delegates then bowed and with
drew. q q. 81 . "a 81 @ b
Reply OF the Delegation to the Presi.
dent.
ewAsHtNaToS, February sAThe fol-
lowing is the published reply of the
colored delegation to President John
son, prepared after they had their in
tervieW with. him Yesterday: IN 4
Mr.. President-In consideration of
delicate sense of propriety, as well as
your own repeated intimations of in
disposition to discuss, or to listen to a
reply to the views and opinions you
were pleased to express to US in your
elaborate speech today the nndsrsign=
ed would respectfully take this method
of replying thereto. Believing, as we
do, that the views and opinions .ex-
pressed in that address are entirely uh-
sound and prejudical to the highestin-
terests of our race, as we'll as of our
country, We cannot do otherwise than
expose the same, and, rs far as may be
in our power, arrest their influence.
1t is not necessary at this time to call
attention to more than two or three
features of your remarkable address.
The first point to which we feel espe-
cially bound to take exception is your
attempt to found a policy opposed TO
our acknowledgements upon the alleged
ground OF an existing hostility on the
part of the former slaves towards the
poor white people, of the South.,iW
admit the existence OF this hostility,
land hold that It is entirely reciprocal,
libut you commit an error by drawing
| an argument from ,aniincident of a state
of slavery, and making 1t a basis for a
lIpolicy adapted TO a state OF freedom.
The hostility betweenith the whites and
blacks OF the South is easily explained.
It has its root and sap in the relation of
slavery, and WIS incited on both,sides
by the cunning of the masters. Those
masters secured their ascendency over
both the poor whites and the blacks, by
Iidfvided both to conquer each; there was
no earthly reasons why the blacks
should not hate and dread the poor
whites, when in a state of slavery, for
it was from this class that their masters
received their, slave catchers, slave
Iidriyers and oyefseers. They were the
men called in tnpon all occasions, by
the masters, when any fiendish outrage
was to be committed upon the slave.
Now, SIR you cannot but perceive
that the cause of this hatred removed,
the hatred must be removed; as slavery
IS abolished, the cause of antagonism Is
removed; and you must see that it Is
altogether illogical-putting new wines
ments with old cloth-to legislate from
ses, for people tsThom you have de-
clarsd your purpose. To maintain in
freedom. Besides, even IL it were tTue,
as you aIlege, that the hostility OF the
blacks toward the poor whites must.
necessarily be the same In a state of
freedom as in n state of slavery, In the
name of heaven, we reyerentially ask,