The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1866-03-02
FROM WASHINGTON.

e
A conversation Between GOV. Cox, of
Ohio, md tne President.
sfWAsH1SaToN, Feb. 26.-The follow
ing important letter was read tonight
by, Governor Cox, of Ohio, to the Union
Representatives in Congress, from that
State. ar tala
sWAsH1NGToN, Monday, February
26th, 1s66.-Gen. Geo. B. Wright, Chair
man of the Union Central Committee,
Columbus, Ohio: Dear Sir:-On Satnr-
day last had the honor of an inter-
view with the President, which Il re-
garded as of sulficientointerestia and i'm
portance to, make it proper that 1
should rednee ito writing my remem-
brauce of his statements whilst they
were fresh in. my memory, since he
seemed to me in perfectly free and
unpremeditated conyersationto to exhibit
with peculiar clearness the processes of
his own mind in reaching someo OF his
opinions, and to express them with
such manifest candor and entire free
dom from personal feelings that could
not but think that if he would consent
te,it, good might be done by making
his statements public. Accordingly
again waited upon him this morning to
make known what i had done, and to
ask his Notification of the truth of my
report, and his consent to make the
same knownsto the country. Although
ne
to reduce his remarks to writing, and
myself had no such intention when
first called upon him, he most frankly
gave his o6nsentE and assented to the
accuracy of my report; Whichiis as fol-
lows. 5'il;it % iait.5'' sliii y isi..5' N
He said he had no thought which he
was not VII ling to own. That his poll
.cy had simply aimed at the earliest
possible restoration of peace on the ba-
Sis of loyalty. No Cong ressional policy
had ever been adopted, and therefore
when he entered upon the duties of his
office he was obliged to adopt one of his
own. He had in some sense inherited
that of Mr. Lineolp, with which he
thought he agreed, and that was sub
siantinIIv the one which he has carried
out. FGongress had mo just ground of
complaint that he had done so, for they
had not seen fit to declare their views
oriaCiopt any measures embodying what
would De called a policy of restoration.
He was satisfied that no long continu-
anee of military government could De
tolerated. Thatthewhole country would
properly demand the restoration of a
truly civil government, and not to give
it to the, lately REBEL lious States would
be AN admission of the failur9 OF the
administration, an d of the party which
had carried through the war, to prove
themselves equal to, the exigency, now
t0aI IQe -MOEh VI deSLl uGSlOh was
and that of rebuilding had begun.
Military government alone would not
pacify tile South. At the end of a long
period of such government we would
be no nearer, and probably not SO near,
the end as now, and would have the
network TO do. Hence, there is a real
necessity, of adopting a policy which
should restore our government fully,
lust as soon as the rebellion should be
thoroughly ended, and those conditions
accepted by, the South which were 70 pc
regarded as absolutely necessary to the
peace of the country ~ tise -
One central idea had controlled him
in the whole matter, iandlthiS was that
the proper system of qualification should
be one which tended everywhere ftp
stimulate the loyalty of the people of
the south themselves, and make it the
spring of loyal conduct and proper leg
islatiofI; rather than to impose upon
them laws and condi lions by direct ex-
tefriA1 force. Thus, in the case OF Inc
freedmenlsi bureau he was not against
the idea of the bureau in totoi for ne mao
used it and was still using It. II might
Continue for period of more than
year yet. He had contemplated that
either by proclamation of his own or
OF peace, the technical end OF the eoel-
lion, would probably be declared at
some period perhaps not very remote,
and as ne understood the present law,
the bureau might continue in year
from that time. -Meanwhile, he could
saw 70 the South; sit depends upon
y6ufselyesto say whether the bureau
shall be discontinued at an earlier day
for I will mt an end to it Just as soon