Nashville union and dispatch. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1866-1868, 1867-07-10
THE WHITE HOUSE.


The Dangers Of "a Conflict of Races
How He Looks Upon Our Tennessee
AHairs-HOEs IEe Regards TmPeaeh-
ment, etc, etc.
On the second inst, Mack, of the Cincin-
natl Commercial, called upon President
johnson and had familiar conversation
with him, from his report Of which, we
take the following very interesting ex-
tracts
told Mr.. johnson what, in my judg
ment, were the views of leading Southern
men on the subject of reconstruction under
the military act; that the mode which was
being adopted by a certain class of WORTH
less and irresponsible men to secure negre
votes would engender strife between the
negroes and whites in the South, and lead
TO endless trouble, ii not war and blood
shed that my own observations led me to
believe that the negroes were being taught
by these l9w-lived fellows to look upon the
whites as their natural enemies, and that !
did not see how, with that idea once preva-
lent among the negroes, the two races could
live together in the South. ''They can't
do i" said Mr.. johnson. GA war of races
is inevitable if such a state of affairs goes
on. People may laugh at the idea Of war
Of races now, but it will be brought about
by such doctrines az these" He then re-
marked that negro suffrage would have
been brought about by State action-that
it was inevitable, and would not have been
resisted by the Southern States if left to
themselves Il mighg not have come as
soon as it has been forced upon them by
Congress but, said he, ut would have
come quite as soon as il ought to have
come, and quite as soon as the negroes
we're fl for IT,"
In reply TO a question, | told the Presi-
dent that / had seen very few men in the
South who were in any true sense Of the
word Rebels, and that these few were men
who had not been in the Rebel army; that
/ thought most of what was called " dis
loyalty" was the effect of the unjust and
ungenerous treatment Of the South by Con-
gressional legislation since the close of the
war. He replied thai he did not believe that
there were many Rebeles in the South, and
that especially the men who had fought
against the Union were not Rebels now,
and had no desire OF intention to rebel
again.
He seemed to be very deeply interested
in the affairs of Tennessee, and listened
attentively to what / told him of my
travels through that State. was surprised
TO find him 80 well posted even as to the
names Of men who are candidates for Office
there. was describing to him the style of
man who is running on the coniscation
platform at Nashville; told him he was a
worthless scrub, who was accused Of steal
ing everything he could lay his hand on,
and didn't deny it, and who, as ] learned
at Rome, Georgia, while there mac al orr
ginal and foul-mouthed secessionist
ooh, yes,p said he, ''you mean Mason.'
In regard to the Brownlow militia, he
said he had received a hundred petitions
from the best people of Tennessee, asking
him 10 send United States troops there to
protect them against the outrages now be-
ing committed by this estate guard" |
asked him il he could, under the constitu-
ton, send troops to Tennessee without the
request of the Governor or Legislature.
He replied that that was a difficult ques-
ton which he had not yet determined. He
certainly could send troops there on re-
cruiting service, and station them at Knox
Vile, Nashville, Chattanooga, and such
points, and if any disturbance occurred
while these troops were there it would be
the duty Of the commanding officer to use
them in suppressing IL. He feared very
much that BrownlOw's militia would pro-
yoke riot aud bloodshed. | told him that
was what they were organized for, and the
only question was, whether, when they got
ready TO fight they should have armed sol
diers OF unarmed citizens TO shoot at.
thought the best way would be to regard
the militia as an instruction and send
soldiers to suppress il, and clean il out.
lie didn't know, he said, what Vas best
TO be done; he wanted to see the peace
Of the State preserved, but didn't
know exactly how best to preserve it.
He regarded the State government OF
Tennessee as the worst despotism he
had ever heard ola military despotism in
its worst form-and about the meanest des.
pot he ever heard of at the head of it.
Some men make even a despotism a re-
spectacle sort of government, said he, but
Brownlow can't get up decent despotism
He believed the people Of Tennessee woulG
live quietly and obey the laws and consti-
tuition if let alone, and they did no
need any militia there at all, and that hal
the trouble in that State was brought about
10y Northern men going down there to stil
up strife and make ca pital out of it.
The conversation next turned on General
Sheridan and the conduct Of affairs in Lou.
isiana. The President spoke with great
warmth and earnestness when he referred
to this subject At times his voice rose high
enough for an audience of FIVE hundred
though l was the only person in the room
and was sitting within two feet of him
Nov" said he, General Sheridan says he
had to remove Governor Wells because he
/ was an impediment in the way Of recon
struction. He doesn't say hon he was an
impediment; he doesn't say in what way
! he had INSTRUCTED him in his official duties
but merely says he is an impediment anC
removes him. Well, how much better hai
he got along since he removed him? Ha
that helped him any2' can't see that i
has, And again, suppose | should replace
Wells, how would that obstruct the execu
ton of this law? These are question
which no one has attempted to answer
A little later he said
"They have talked about nav puttinl
impediments in the way Of the execution
of this Law. | have done nothing of tn
kind, and don't intend to--never though
Of doing it. They have spoken of the At
torney Generals opinion as an obstruction
That's all nonsense. It's no such thing
The removal Of civil officers doesn't assis
the execution Of this bill at all IL ha
nothing 10 do with it."
/ then told him that Mr.. Wilson ha
I prepared a bill 10 offer in the Senat,
giving the military commanders the powe
to remove all civil officers, or, rather, va
eating all civil offices and authorizing ia
military commanders to fiji them by aE
pointmCnt, re-appointmeut or election.
Well, said he, that won't help re
construction at all The few officers tha
are there don't affect the ex ecUtion Of Oh
law one way or the other, and it would /
a good deal better TO let men serve ont the
term Of Office. and, when they run cut OF
der an election TO fill them"
l spoke Of General Sheridan orders an
dispatches as insubordinate, and such as III
people Of the North ought not 10 applaud
that the same state of affairs during tn
war might have led to incalculable evil /
the army, and tina, il was Just as If Gener;
Meade should have telegraphed to NJ
Linooln that If Grants policy was carrie
4 ont the army cf the pof,rloa would erar