Wilmington journal. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1844-1895, 1868-02-21

yersation between General Grant and the
President, in which the former took strong
ground in favor of white mans govern
meut and against negro suffrage, saying
that this government was made for white
men. and none others should have voice
in it, and striking his fist on an adjacent
table to show that,he meant what he said.
When this paragraph appeared It was ex-
tensiyelg copied, and about as extensively
denied, especially by that large class OF
newspapers and '' Grant men," who, hav-
ing no means Of ascertainiDg whether 1t
was true or false, felt all the more sure that
it was false, and denounced it as one of
! {" Mack - malicious fabrications.
I called the Presidents attention to this
subject-asked him if he remembered any
such conversation with Grant, and if so,
whether he remembered Grants remark
that this is a white mans government. He
promptly replied that he did. He could
not repeat Grants words exactly, but the
substance of them was what I had stated,
and they were strongly against negro suf-
frage, which, about that time, it was pro
posed to introduce into the District of
Columbia. Among other things Grant
said was. that the negroes didn't know
enough to vote, and that they would vote
just as their employers wanted them to-
He illustrated by saying that he had a
number o. negro servants in his house, and
that to let them vote would be simply to
give him (Grant) SO many additional votes,
for they would vote just as he told them
He was quite vehement at the time in his
denunciatiOns OF the Radical policy of ne
gro suffrage.
The above, think, settles the question
Of tV q c n hui NH TO So
government man. It is pretty we'll au-
thenticated now.
GRANTS POLITICS.
The above naturally suggested an in
CURRY as to whether the President did not
understand Grant to be on his side all
along, until quite recently, and whether
there was any trangible reason for the Gen
erals change of front ''Of course, I'M
derstood him to be with me all along, be-
cause Lad his word for it," said the Presi-
dent. He went down South, and came
back more for me than / was for myself
He wrote a report that encouraged me
more than anything else had done. to per-
severe in the effort to get the Southern
States back into the Union, as | had started
out. He called on me frequently for long
time after the controversy between me and
Congress had commenced, and if he meant
anything by what he said he was my friend
and supporter He never talked politics
very much, because Gen. Grant always pre-
tended he didn't know anything about it ;
but he didn't seem to regard reconstruct
ton as a political question. He suddenly
turned up as a Radical candidate for the
Presidency and that was the first [ knew
of his opposition to me"
PRESIDENTIAL PROSPECTS.
The subject of the next Presidency came
W in the course of the conversation Mr..
j Johnson was non-committal, but inquisi-
tive us to candidates. He asked me how
Pendleton stood in the West, and what
he had as a candidate. l replied
that thought that Mr.. Pendleton's princi-
pal strength was in his personal populari-
ty among the Ohio Democrats, and that it
did not extend much beyond where he was
personally known to the people; but that
Wash. Mclean was running him Every
strong" and that Wash was power in the
Democracy of the West, as was manifested
by his slaughter Of Vallandigham. "Weli,"
said the President, s. if the idea is to run
Pendleton exclusively on the financial the
DRY, it will prove mistake. Reconstruct
ton is the pacam cunt issue and cannot be
absorbed or swallowed up by any other.-
The radical policy of Congress is an at
tempt to change the form of our govern
ment, ii not TO oyerturn it altogether. If
that succeeds, it makes very little difference
what becomes Of the finances, for they will
go with the resi- md there will be nothing
left anywhere" He did not think the re-
suit in the eighth district looked we'll for
Pendleton.
He spoke OF Mcclellan, and asked me
how [ thought he'd run [ reDiiel that
Mcclellan seemed to have some strength il
the East, but [ did mt think it would prove
very strong in the National Convention. -
The last campaign took all the music out
of McClellan's name
In conclusion, on this topic, told the
President there were great many Demo
Gratis, and a great many who used to act
with the Republicans, who considered him
the strongest and most available candidate
to oppose the Radicals with He didn't
know about that--but he believed it to be
quite possible to find a man who would
carry the North against the Radicals.
MACK,