Daily Ohio statesman. [volume] (Columbus, Ohio) 1855-1870, 1867-07-30

OemOCratAC F0rtys 0cs
lCorrespondence Cincinnati Commeroial1
WAsHNGToN, July y, ,1S67.
The following items, from a conversation
with the President since the adjournment
of Congress, are, / think, of sufficient in
terest to entitle them to the dignity print.
erss ink. The first subject mentioned was
THE RECONSTRUCTION BILL,
Aud the speec hes made in both Houses, in
which the Radicals asserted that the last
veto contained q threat on the part of the
President not to carry the measure into
execution vThese men, said Mr.. john
son, alluding to Boutwell,, in the House,
and Sumner and Howard in the Senate,
s'are not fools enongh to believe any such
thing. They know very well that there is
Iio;languagesin the message capable of be-.
ing tortured into any such meaning. They
know better than that; but they thought
they could make some capital by pretend
iAg to put such q. construction on 1T, for
the benefit of a great many who won't read
the message at all. but will take their word
for its contents. L neither said, nor meant
to say that wouldn't execute that bill; i
never said, nor meant to say that
of any law passed by Congress My,
opinion of that aud the other Recon-
struction bills is that, if there is any Con-
stitutiou left in this countrH--if there is any
of it still remaining-they are clearly in vi
proposition in mathematics can be. There
may be doubts as to the cOnstituti0nality
OF some bills, but Isdon't think there can
be any as to these, and especially the last
one. Well, that bill was seat to me for my
approval. 1 couldn't give my approval,
so i sent it back with my Objections, sta
ting why / couldn't sign it. Does that
prove, because vetoed it that won't ex-
ecute it If they have disregarded the
Constitution in passing it, as think they
have, it's no reason why / should disregard
it by not executing bill passed in the
mode prescribed by the Constitution, by
the required two-thirds majority. A. bill
may bevetoed either on the grounds ext.
pediency or OF The ground of constitution
ality. In either eventit becomes as much
law after it has been passed by two
thirds majority over the, veto, as ifit had
received the approval of the Executive
So. of course, there is nothing left for me
to do but to execute that bill until it is
either repealed or modified by Congress, or
set aside by competent Judicial tribunal
1think these men would have done q good
deal better, If, instead OF twisting false
construction out of sentence or two of
that message, they had Answered some of
the reasons l assigned for not approving
the BILL" Sd a1Hs"zsa' -i'F bfA
THE NEGRO QUESTION.
On this subject the President said that so
far from settling, the recent legislation OF
Congress would but inaugurate in real
earnest the question of equality of the two
races. 1t might have worked itself out to a
peaceful solution if they had let it alone,
but they had given it forced growth by
the hasty transition of the negro from his
former to his present condition in the
South, and the result could not be good.
The people of the North, he thought, would
see this before long, and there would be a
coid ho ssryh in
sist SO much on negro equality never had
any real love for the negro. There always
was more of what they call negro equality
in the South than in the North; that is,
there has always been less feeling against
the negro there than in the North, and
there is less to-day, if they would only let
the Southern people alone. There is Sum-
ner, for instance, what has he ever done for
the negroes? Have you ever seen his name
to subscription paper for their benefit in
any way? never have, and they are al
ways bringing such things here, askingfOr
this, that and the other to help the poor
and needy among the colored folks. Idon't
believe Sumner ever gave asSont. Then
again, last New Years day we had pub
lie reception at the White House. The ne
groes came along with the white folks, they
mixed in the crowd, and they were as well
treated as anybody else. Sumner had re-
ception that day, but didn't hear of any
negroes calling on him, and | guess he
wouldn't have treated them very well il
they had called. And yet ne will have
nothing now but that the entire machinery
of the ten States in the South shall be put
into the hands of these negroes, and any man
who doubts whether this would be expedi-
ent, i'm view of the, past condition of the
negroes, and their lack of opportunity to
fit themselves for what he wants to do with
them, he denounces as rebel and traitor
according to his notion"
ABOUT IMPEACHMENT.
Mr.aJohnson said he could hardly tel
what to think of the action of the House
on.the question of mpeachment-first or
deriBg the report to be made, and then re-
fusing to let Mr. Wilson make it, He re-
ferred to the subject good naturedly, an6
as one, who, though deeply interested, was
not very. fearful OF results. 1t would BIZ
strange' he said, if they couldn't make 8
case out, after all the trouble they hadgoDt
to- sTheya even examined my private
banking account, to md out about, some
bonds thar / had. / have had those bonds
for a good many years. Whenever 1 go
any money put it into them. Some L got
while was mechanic. They were the
only things l saved out of the war; all the
rest of my. property that could be carrieC
of, / lost" He spoke of the action of the
House in ordering the arrest of Lafayette
C.Baker for not answering to summons
from the Judiciary committee, and won
dered what more they expected him tt
swear to- Il understand said he, ''tha
he testified to having got possession of
letter written by me to jeff. Davis, dIring
the war, while was in Nashville. thinl
he says he gotit through Jim Brownlow
Now, the fact is, 1 never wrote letter t.
JEFF. Davis, before, during or since the war
Davis and never agreed very well, an,
never liked each other. If you'll look ii
the Globe, you'll find this from a debat
between us on bill of Davis for the in
crease ofthe regular army. l was opposed
to the bill first, because / thought / saw
in it something like the inauguration
of the secession war, and then,
was opposed to big standing army
always. Davis had just been Secretary o
War, and knew where all the new ap
pointments would come from, and wha
kind of men they'd be. hunted up al
sorts of authorities against his proposition
and especially the.writings of Washington
where the militia is spoken of as the grea
army of the Constitution. / thought tina
was beautiful and truthful idea"
I then said to the President that it ha,
been asserted that he was intimate witt
Wilkes Booth at Nashville. He reptile,
that he had never seen Wilkes Booth tina
he was aware of. Booth might have calie
upon, him at the Capitol in Nashville. as
SACoI many POisopS uiu, Dut ne cOulu1
remember it. 1t had been said that Boot
played at the theater, in Nashville, Will
he was Provisional Governor, but he haC
no recollection of it, and he never went t
the theater while he was Provisional Gov
ernor. 1t is very hard" said he, Z" tina
such charges as this should be made agains
me in Congress, and that there is no redres
for me, after those making the accusation
have had an opportunity to prove it, an,
have failed to show the slightest founda
tion for it. Long after am dead and gone
people will see where have been charge
with that dreadful crime by men maxim,
prepared speeches in Congress. That viii