The Elk advocate. [volume] (Ridgway, Elk Co., Pa.) 186?-1868, 1866-06-07
n HebeE'S Opinion of the CiriE-
RighfS EkfEE,

A correspondent of the New York
Herald, writing from Paris, says
I had long and very interesting in
terview and conversation a few days
since with Jacob Thompson, Secretary
of the Interior under Mr.. Buchanan.
Mr.. Thompson, with his family, has
just returned from tour through
Egypt and the Holy Land, and are only
awaiting The return of events to return
to the United States, and to their form.
er residence in Mississippi. Mr.. Thomp-
son expressed himself very freely and
fully upon the various grave matters of
interest now agitating the people and
Government OF the United States.
Sooner or later" he said, 4" the South
ern States must be admitted to repre-.
sentation in Congress; and the sooner
it was done, the sooner would past dis
sensions be healed, and success, secu-
rity and progress secured" "What
the people of the South want now" he
said, "is peace and an opportunity Of
rebuilding their ruined fortunes, and
restoring their section of the country to
its former prosperity" " Have you and
the thinking men of the South" l
asked him, "altered your opinions at
all since the close Of the war, in regard
to the right of secession, or do you still
theoretically hold the same opinion on
that subject that you previously did ?"
Mr. Thompson replied to this, "That
until the close of the war he believed
that the States in their union under the
Federal Government had reserved tc
themselves the right of withdrawal from
that Union ; but that there had been q
revolution, and that by the arbitrament
of the sword it had been decided thai
no such right now existed, and we are
willing to accept the decision"
"Do you mean by that" 1 asked
" simply that having fought upon thi
issue, and having been defeated, you
feel yourselves at present powerless tt
sustain your theory, or do you in goo'
faith acknowledge that the right of Sc
cession does not nov exist ?"
Il acknowledge that it does not ex
list ; the Constitution and the Govern
ment have been revolutionized, and b
the decision of the sword the right c
secession has been removed and no lor
ger exists"
" Are you convinced that the major
ty of thinking men of the South are {
your opinion, and accept the result i
/ good faith ?"
Most unquestionably," replied NJ
Thompson. "What We now want
: peace and quiet, and an opportunity
l do our share towards the restoration {
l. that prosperity and happiness which e,
c listed before the war"
J "Do you in good faith accept Il
4 fact of the abolition Of slavery?"
> Certainly and l am convinced tn
+ the slave system during the war was
n weakness TO us rather than strength
e "Do you think any considerab
/ number of Southern property-holde
d would, under any circumstances, fav
u the re-establishment of the slave sy
,, tenn ?"
J. "No /; but would oppose it."
II "What do you think of the civ
n rights bill?"
le "That the President was perfect
is right in vetoing it, and that the S
e, preme Court will unquestionably decla
ly it unconstitutional. One of my prin,
N pal objections to it is the injury that
re will necessarily inhict upon the neg
I'd who will really be the greatest suffer
lg by it. Creating as it does spec
tribunal for the investigation of cases
p which he is party, it invests him W
p a certain degree of superiority o'
ny white men. 1t assumes that, in ca
N. which will come up for adjudicati'
is the negro is right and the white man
M wrong, 1t will lead to continual trou