The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1867-07-10
OLD THAD. STEVENS.
a VISIT TO his HOUSE.
How His Neighbors Speak of
.a Him.


What He Said to u Newspaper Re-
poFfeF.-HIs Views In ReEard 10 I'M,
| pc .ehment and COnascaIIon.--The
status of the Rebel states. What Ghe
military BuI was Designed 10 Ae-
eOmplIsh-..Hts opinion OF Greeley
and faymOnd..-COErHPtI In Penn
GyIVanIa---SIEnOn CamerOn's Late
EIectiOn---InteEestIn Correspond
! 80 Letter to The ". y Herald.
LANCASTER, Pa, June 80.
The city of Lancaster, in the State OF
Pennsylvania, numbers among its
eighteen or twenty thousand inhHb-
itants two citizens who have figured
somewhat prominently in the public
affairs OF the ecountry-JamesB Buchanan
and Old Thad. Stevens; and the relative
positions these two celebrities occupy
at home affords fair illustration of the
political condition of the country and
/ of the tone of popular sentiment at the
present time. The one, who has been
| President of the United States, and
properly represents the rank copper
! head democracy as It existed before the
/ Southern rebellion, lives In close retire
ment, and receives no more notice or
thought from his neighbors than does
| the humblest resident of the city. The
! other, who would not object to being
President of the United States, and is
I
| icalism born of the rebellion, is the CEN
\ tire OF attraction to all the country
I round, as well as to persons from other
States, and his goings and comings, his
sayings and his doings, are duly chron-
icled and gossiped over, day after day.
The one is the embodiment of the dead
past; the other of the living present.
Your correspondent, who reached this
place a few days ago, was impressed
with these thoughts by the following
conyetsation, held by him with oiti-
zen of Lancaster, soon after his ar
rival = =. 80 ...L
"Ex-President Buchanan lives near
this place does he not ?" inquired your
correspondent.
"Well, yes. He lives about mile
and half out of this," was the reply:
"Is he at home at the present timeT"
al don't know whether he's at home
or not. suppose he is"
'Is his health good nowadays?"
al don't know anything about his
health" -- --
"You do not appear to know great
deal concerning SO distinguished a fel-
low citizen" |
"Distinguished! Well, we knew that
such man as Old Poppy Buchanan
lives away out yonder, but that's about
all wa do know, and that's all any body
cares about knowing. Ur
Having arrived at this point your cor
respondent sailed of on another tack.
ttWell, Won know Mr.. Stevens, sup
pose :" was his next question.
"Mr. Steyens-who's Mr.. Stevens 7''
was the reply, accompanied by vacant
expression Of countenauce.
"Why, Thad. Stevens, the member of
Congress TO be sure"
"Oh, you mean Old Thad - cried the
Lancastrian, Frightening up with sud
den intelligence. "Well, guess 1 do.
Everybody knows him. But we call
him Old Thad here, and we don't know
him by any other name"
iE''You seem to think more here of Old
Thad, as you call him, than you do of
the ex-President."
"More of him? Well, should say
we did. We're democrats, here, in the
city; but then we know Poppy Buchan-
ans played out and don't amount to
anything. But as to Old Thad, while
we mayn't like his politics, we know
he's alive and that he means work all
the WHILE" II
This satisfactory information having
been ELECTED. your correspondent as
certained the location OF Old Thad's
residence, and waited upon him for the
purpose of learning his views on the
present condition OF the reconstruction
question, and on the course proper, in
his Judgment to be,pursued by Congress
in the new conflict forced upon that
branch of the government by the recent
action of the President and his Cab
met. aar Tet
OLD rHAD's HEALTH.
Old Thad-to adopt his Lancaster ap-
pellation-resides in "A plain, substan-
tial, two and half story red brick
house on South Queen street, in the city
of Lancaster. II has originally been
two houses, now knocked into one, the
smaller being used as the owners law
offices, and the larger as his dwelling.
About the doors, ut almost any hour of
the day, may be observed some half n
dozen or more of politicians, some local
and some visitors from distance, all of
whom are anxious for AN interview
with the leader OF the extreme radical
wing OF Congressional republicanism.
| Old Thad's health has been much inn
paired by his exertions in last summers
session of Congress, and while he has
been carefully recruiting himself for the
approaching Washington campaign, he
continues feeble, and his friends are ap
prehensive of bad effects from the ex-
element certain to prevail at the July
meeting. Indeed, some of the more
prudent among them strive TO dissuade
hun from attending the extra session at
all: but their efforts are idle; for nothing
but death or actual physical disability
will keep him from his seat in the House
of Representatives on the first Wednes-
day in July
ANNOYANCE PROM INPERTISENr vIsI-
| TORS.
Old Thad, having been informed of
the object OF your correspondents visit,
\ very courteously expressed his Will
\ inRnessto lay before any representative
1 of the Herald his full views of the pres
ent status OF the rebel States and OF the
policy which, as a representative in
Congress, he should advocate under the
present phase of the reconstruction
I question.
"When visited by gentleman. and
from such paper as the Herald" said
Mr.. Stevens. 81 have no lconcealments
to make. But am frequently annoy
ed by persons whom do not desire TO
see, and who have no right to trouble
me with their presence. Not many
days ago, sir, a Southern editor, as he
4 called himself, in a manner forced his
way into my room, in company with a
citizen whose society I never voluntarf-
ly seek, by following my servant who
brought his card up to me, before had
or NJ t. Inan imperious manner he put
question after question to me, although
1 told him my health would not permit
me to receive visitors at that time; and
because 1 kindly answered a few he
continued in his lawyer-like cross-ex-
animation until 1 arose and informed
| him that found IL necessary 10 retire
| TO bed. Even then he followed me up
with other questions, and / see by a
Philadeiphia paper that he has pub
lIshed a long rfgu1arole about his inter-
view. containing few words of truth.
and a great deal OF imHginatiun." Y
THE srATus OF THR REBEL sTArEs-THR
x-.,0ep ~ TUE RF RFOCEAnE