Abbeville press. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1860-1869, 1866-05-25
PRESIDENT JeHNsON--HIS sTATEMENT TO
THE CORRESPONDENTS OF THE E'LeNDON =


THE CORRESPONDENT OF FTHELsNpON. i
TIMES, 50 80 = - 8
The following Is the letter Of the he:corresponds
ent of the Loudou Times giving the: particulars
of his interview vita the President, with his
remarks on the present :positiou of pnbli6 af-ii
fairs: -. g. -. ~ q J:
W4sH1Soros, April le. 1866. ;
The Presidents opinions, especially with re-
derepee to the freedmen, have 'beenso wilfuily
misrepresented in the Radical press of this
country, and his general policy towards 1tlie
Southern States has been exposed TO 50 IA. -.
unjustiiable 2perverson, tthtsst Mr.. Johnson's
own expIanatio Gs on both these subjsets may
=: t.. we e Ssvme weight evon with those who are
most embittered against him. - -
Tho President first adverted TO the condition
in which he found the country on bis accession
to office, and pointed out that. ever since that
time tho Radical party, which now has the
control over Congress, had been preparing for
the issue forced upon him. Their object was
manifest, and it was. one which from their
point of view, they could scarcely be blamed
for pursuing so eagerly They knew perfectly
we'll that when the South came back into Con.
gress their day of power would be over; The
Southern Representatives would stand as
unit; they would probably fall into alliance
again with the Democratic party, the old is-
sues Of s!arery and State sovereignty would
ruled would be stripped Of it's power. Their
talk about philanthropy and benevclence to
the negro meant nothing more than desire t.
work upon the feelings Of The North. so that
they might be enabled to carry everything
their own way. 1t was a renewal Of an old
conflict. The two sections Of the country
were ready to go to war before the rebellion
broke out--the one to preaerve slavery, the
other to destroy II. Each side was willing to
sacrifice the Government in order to gain it's
object The South struck first. The rebellion
was subdued at the Southern end OF the line,
and now 1t Is swinging roundsto the other end.
'These men," continued the Presideut--and he
always used these woLds to denote the Radical
Pnrty-"are almost ready to 60 into rebellion
egaln rather than have their supremacy des-
troyed by the re.introducton- Of the Soulh.
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 judgugi left him in the Senate
during the war and went out to Tennessee and
saw it all, aud bore my share of the troubles.
He stopped at home, and now endeavors to
make his theories square into the events of the
var and legislate on ideas which he has never
put 10 the Test"
The President then went on to epeak of sla
very and the negro. He had been brought up,
he said. under the very shadow Of the institu.
tion of alavery. He had bought and owned
slaves, but still he had always been for abol-
iahing 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 doubt as to the course which he
ought to pursue; he decided to give up slavery
and he abided by that decision. But tn.
South now would treat the negro with greater
kindness than the North if it were let alone
and not exasPerated. They talk of justice t,
the negro" continued the President &c cd
knOwS r
think of the end which these men are prepar.
Ing for him. see that end clearly enough
they are going the way for a conflict Of races
When that occurs We all know how It will
fare with the negro: How has such a contest
always endeds When the time comes there.
will Be no struggle. The result will be deci-
dcd without that Now, then. what do we
fndf The very thing which we said these
Southern States. could never .do--whioh we
fought these four years to prevent them doing
these men affirm that they have actually
done, namely hsen out Of the Union. The
our own terms take loyaEoatbs and acknowl.
edge their allegiance, but these men saw 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 feceiv the
whole Legislature of Richmond---a rebel Leg
or an arms wonId.hs -. ".S. neIh WIN
these s,atss now tha. thu re,asea 10 receive
tsdr '''e' ~" 'Ass sney; " haEe ''uiiy submit
The President next referred to; The n,isrcp-.s
;nSn.,n;oua1u " n.s PG"ey wI'ch nay nave been SO
hsd for ronn;,s epI past aeLoao., LIhese men
80 .ur "one IAst au !he Paolio Inioo open:
rIeo.ed s aHo nla pesrea lnlo 1t whatever they
s,.s. T.t n"~s haa a. become ,ncrusted as It
II, ogb ". OIc1 s .s be broken
;day.. ..s;.hn n 90. aassoalaged, ADDED the Pres-
h.ar =. etls .Ls, ,e. must; be brought
80 y, .ney niIs. 90 hept out, II is like do
Ing ;ne "n oum ~ some sums Want hgur.
81. Se1evs. VIII IfGlf III yon can &c. the
- Mr Me- enc; .Jnhn,on = :.
bl. detail mon % sss aps.ss;an Sas S Gons5seraT