Daily Ohio statesman. [volume] (Columbus, Ohio) 1855-1870, 1866-10-30
The DISunIOn Programme for
Starting n Civil War.

The New York Herald has the following
startling announcement:
When President Johnson was on his late
| trip In the West, United States Senator
and two Major Generals of the army, who
belonged to his party, were approached at
Indianapolis by prominent conservative.
Republican. who had been Colonel of an
Indiana regiment during the late war, and
who is now Captain in the regular SER
vice, and who made the following state
ment: He had been making speeches for
the Republicans in Indiana in August last,
and at the request of Gov. Fletcher, of Mis-
souri,, visited that State and made one or
two conservative speeches. He was told
by Gov. Fletcher that his speeches were
too tame; that the most Radical of declar-
ations were wanted in Missouri; that the
people must be told that the Republicans
had decided that the rebels should not vote,
and that the State was to be carried by force
OF arms If necessary. Governor Fletcher
also told hin, that he had thirty thousand mus
kets in the State in loyal hands, and that they
should be used i necessary TO carry The State.
The Indianian told Gov. Fletcher that he
was Republican in principle, but did not
approve of such measures and would not
advocate them. Governor Fletcher thought
him merely weakened, and answered him
that he would come into the harness after
awhile.
A few nights subsequently he was pres
ent on invitation at q secret meeting of
Radical leaders at the Lindell Hotel.
About fifty prominent Radicals were pres
ent, including Governor Fletcher, of Mis-
souri,; Governor Oglesby, of Illinois, and
Senator Yates and john A. Logan, of Illi-
nois. The whole plan OF the impeachment
Of the President was discussed euen to the
11.rU af
an armed force Of the Boys in Blue"
10 protect Congress, and also to de-
eide who should succeed johnson In case
Vice President Foster, as his successor,
should not prove equally positive, and Dlia-
BILE to the will of the JacObins. Butler,
Governor Morton, of Indiana, and others
were discussed Butler was looked upon as
lacking In courage, and Morton was feared
as being too ambitious for the purposes of
the conspirators. Gen. Grant was men,
toned as too conservative, aud Sherman
was secuted as copperhead. Finally
Senator Yates was decided upon as pos
sessing more stamina and less scruples than
any other available man. If President
johnson offered serious resistance, and
Foster did not act vigorously, Yates was to
be put in to control affairs.
When he was about leaving st. Louis the
informant in the case was requested by
Governor Fletcher to ask Governor Morton,
of Indiana, what number of arms he could
spare to Missouri. Governor Morton re-
piled, when the message was delivered, that
he could not say that he had any to spare !;
that there were about one hundred thousand
stand, with plenty of fammunition, in the ar
senal; he would see what could be spared,
and confer with Governor Fletcher. Out of
thtS correspondence gre,o the conference Of the
Governors at Philadelphia, aohich it tods a1eH
knO,on aods for the purpose, among others, Of
distributing arms throughout the country. Out
side of the statement of this officer there Is
indubitable evidence in the hands of Presi-
dent johnson of the secret distribution of
large quantities of arms throughout the
Northwest on various pretexts, all of which,
however are legal and plausible enough.