The western Democrat. [volume] (Charlotte, N.C.) 1852-1870, 1866-05-29
VIEWS OF PRESIDENT JOHNSON.


son wiM the London Times Correspondent
Under date of April l6h, the Times Ameri-
can correspondent gives the following account
OF an interesting interview he had recently with
President johnson
The President first adverted to the condition
In winch he found the country on his accession
to othce, and pointed out that ever since that
time the Radical party, which now has the con-
troll over Congress, had been preparin:, for the
issue forced upon him Their object mani
fest, aud it was one which, from their point of
view, they could scarcely be blamed tor pur
suing so eagerly. They knew perfectly well
that when the South came back iEto Congress
their day of power would be over-the Southern
representatives would stand as a unit they
would probably fall into alliance again with the
Democratic party, the old issues of slavery and
State soverei gnty would be dead and buried,
and the party which now ruled would be strip
pea of its power. Their talk about phlanthropy
and 'benevolesce to the negro meant nothing
more than desire to work uponthe feelings of
the North, so that they NIGH be enabled to
carry everything their own way 1t Was a re
newal of an old conflict. The TWO sections of
the country were ready to 60 to war before the
rebellion broke out-the one to preserve slavery,
the other to destroy it. Each side was willing
to sacrifice the Government order to gain its
object The South struck first. The rebellion
was subdued at the Southern end Of the line,
and now it Is swinging round 10 the other end
''These men," continued the President, aud he
always used these words to denote the Radical
party-"are almost ready to 90 into rebellion
again rather than have their supremacy destroy
ed by the re-introduction of the South. They
know nothing practically Of the real state of the
South. The very man who had drawn up the
Civil Rights bill, what are his means of judging!
left him in the Senate during the war, aud
welt out to Tennessee and saw it ALL and bore
my share of the troubles He stopped at home,
and now endeavors TO make his theories square
into the events of the war, and legislate ideas
which he has never put to the test"
The President then went on to speak of slave
ry and the negro He had been brought up,
he said, under the. very shadow of the institu
ton of slavery. He had bought and owned
slaves, but still! he had always been for abolish
ing slavery upon any basis which could be
adopted with safety to the country. When it
came to the question whether slavery should be
abolished or the Government broken up he
never had a doubt as to the course which he
ought to pursue he decided to give up slavery.
and he abded by that decision But the South
now would treat the negro with greater kindness
than the North, if it were let alone aud not ex-
asperated. ''They talk of justice to the negro"
continued the President, "God knows my heart
yearns toward him when | think OF the end
which these men are preparing for him see
that end clearly enOugh-they are going the
way for conflict of races When that occurs
we all know how it will fare with the negro
How has such contest always ended When
the time comes there will be struggle The
result will be decided without that Now, then,
what do Ne find The very thing which we
said these Southern States could never do
which We fought these four years to prevent
them doing-these men affirm that they have
actually done-naney, been out Of the Union.
The Southern States ready to cou,e back
upon our 1erme, take loyal oaths, and acknowl-
edge their allegiance, but these men say they
shall not. Why, if they had offered to come
back, or any of them. during the rebellion,
should we have turned them away on the ground
that they had placed themselves out Of the
Union Mr. Lincoln offered to receive the
whole Legislature of Richmond-a rebel Legis
lature-and would have welcomed them with
open arms Would be bave refused t" receive
these States now that they have fully submit
ted ?"
Mr.. johnson then enlarged with considerable
detail upon the operation of the .freedmens
Bureau, and said its maci !nery, nov being
used to get negroes conveyed from the North
back to the South by the very men who were
asserting that the lives Of the freeDmen were
not safe in the South. They had hired or
bought lands, they wanted labor, and they got
their negroes transported at the expense of the
Government The Freedmens Bureau com
PEELED the negroes to go, or they stopped their
Subsistence allowance. 1t was lirtle better than
another form. o.slavery, only thar it WAS solely
conducted by Abot'onlsts; for the frredmen's :
Bureau would not assist Souhern uran in get
ting negroes from the Moth, where many
thousands of them have taken refuge during tie
war. A gentleman from Faik land County, Viz
ginia, had been to him, the Pr, ,sldent said. only
tew days ago, saying that lie had sent three
hundred negroes to the District OF Columbia
for security during the war He now wished
to hire, them, but the Freedmens Bureau inter
posed obstacles, and would give him no help IN
transporting them whereas the Government
railroads placed at the service o. other
sreculators In all that he said n was evident
that the President approved some plan for pro-
tectlng the negro and giving hun sugcnr, but
that he considered the administration OF the
Freedmen's Bureau was not all that could be
desired It did not accomplish the true object
for which ii was founded.
Speaking of the Radicals he said:
"These men," he also said, shave raised the
cry of mad dog at me, and the people seem to
be getting afraid. They will understand me
better by and by and understand bese men, too.
l could not expect to get through without a
struggle" Yet it was most extraordinary, he
continued, to think of the course which 'nhese
men" we're pursuing. By being united agaio
the country would stand respected an the eyes
Of the world 1t was nov laboring under the
eri!s Of an inflated currency, and while trade