Nashville union and dispatch. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1866-1868, 1868-04-08
Onion aud lispatth.
WEDNESDAY. APREI1s Ises.
Largest CirenIation in Citr and State
MORE PRESIDENTIAL TALK.


Correspondence Of the Cincinnati commercial
WASHINGTON, April 8, 3,1S6S.-Say rather
Two Presidential talks in one letter-for
have seen A. j. twice within the past week,
and eongersed with him freely on each oc-
casion on political topics, and especially on
the great subject which now monopolizes
the attention Of the people throughout the
country, and may I've naturally supposed to
engross a good share of the time and con-
temptation Of his Excellency.
On Sunday night, j found the President,
as thought, quite despondent. He seemed
10 have read 10 the proceedings Of the trial,
as far as il had then progressed, enough 10
justify his fears oH the subject Of his own
fate, and TO have come TO the conclusion
that the case had been prejudged against
him. More than once, however in the
course of the two hours / was with him, he
expressed the hope that he would be fairly
heard, and coupled it always with implicit
confidence in his full Yindication. The idea
was, that unless he had been condemned
before the trial began, he should certainly
be acquitted at its close.
Last night called on him again. He
had entirely recovered from his despon-
dency, and was in his accustomed good
spiriis-not only confident, but even com
bative, insisting all the way through, not
only that he was right but that Congress
was wrong, and that the wrong end Of the
avenue was IN process Of impeachment. A
friend to whom / have since spoken of the
contrast which these two paragraphs pre-
sent, explained il at once, BY saving
That's the way ii has been with him ever
since the impeachment began. He is con-.
stanlly alternating between the fears that
he won't be fairly tried, and the confidence
that comes from a knowledge that he has
committed no impeachable oflense."
BEN. BUTLER.
Naturally enough the subject of Gen.
Butler came up on Sunday evening, as the
town was full Of rnmors about fhe great
speech TO be made next day by that die
tinguished gentleman. ! asked the Presi-
dent if Butler hadn't applied to him in
1865 for Cabinet office? "No" he said,
"Butler himself never did, but his friends
did il for him. A strong movement was
made TO get Butler in Stanton's place, and
because it didn't succeed, Butler has been
pretty sharp after me ever since. The idea
was to put Butler in the War Office as the
first step toward recognizing the Demo
cratic party with such men as he at the
head Of it.
FORNEY.
asked the President il Forney wasn't
on the same tack with Butler in the matter
of recognizing the Democratic party.
"Yes," he said, che was and he (Forney)
began to grumble az early as December.
l864-just after the Presidential election
because Democrats like himself had been
neglected and badly treated during Lin
coins first administration. The first thing
he did was 10 write me q letter, hoping that
when / came 10 the Vice Presidency /
would give him the control of some pat
ronage that he said belonged 20 the Office
of Secretary of the Senate, but had of late
years been given TO the Sergeant-at- Arms
He hoped i would change that. Then
when became President he was still more
impOriunate for something or other that he
wanted. He always wanted something.
He thought he could take charge of me and
control everything, and when l wouldn't
let him do that he quarreled with me. He
is a mighty small man TO quarrel with, but,
if it was worth while, could very easily
show the motive Of his opposition TO me-"
The President also showed me a letter from
Forney, dated January Z, 1865, in which
the writer hopes the admission Of Tennes
see and Louisiana will not be embarrassed
by the question of negro suffrage, and
doesn't see how Northern men can vote 10
enfranchise the illiterate negroes of the
South while in nearly every State in the
North the blacks are disfranchised.
"AD INTERIM THOMAS"
Much Of the conversation last evening
related to the testimony already adduced
on behalf of the prosecution. l remarked
TO the President that they hadn't yet shown
that General Thomas spoke from any au-
thority from him when he talked of using
force to reject Stanton. "No," said he,
and they won't show it either. On the
contrary, it will appear, before the trial is
over that | warned him TO be very careful
how he proceeded, as | wanted every thing
done quietly and peacefully, for no other
purpose than 10 test the validity of the
tenure ofoffice law. Sofar from
my authorizing him to use force, | sent for
him that morning, while his appointment
was being made out, and talked to him in
this very room, TO caution him TO proceed
quietly. When his commission and Stan
toms removal we're made out, l put them
down on the table here, and said TO him:
Now, this thing must be done very care
fully and very regularly. Here is your
and here is Stanton's re-
moval. You'll keep this and show 1t 10
Stanton. He (Stanton) will get the notice
of his removal. Nou had better take
some body with you when you go TO the
War Office, 10 use rs a witness in case there
is any trouble lie went lover tothe War Of
fee and talked TO Stanton, and came back to
me in a few minutes very much reioiced.
He said he had seen Stanton, that il was
all right, and that he would get possession
of the War Office Just az soon az Stanton
could pack mp his papers. He felt that he
was Secretary of War and member of the
Cabinet, snd all that; and never saw
man more elated over position in my
life. But the first thing he knew, Stanton
had reCoDsidered his determination TO pacl,
up and leave, and the next time he called
at the War Office the trouble began. How
ever, the whole thihg will be cleared up as
the trial progresses. IL will be shown that
not only didn't authorize Thomas TO use
either threats or force, but that in fact |
warned him against both, and told him to
proceed cautiously and quietly; and in
presence OF witness Further
on in the conversation ihe President ex-
pressed disappointment and regret in the
appointment Of Thomas, but he thought
that all the trouble arose from the fact
that Thomas got refreshed over his pro-
motion, and felt SO big at the idea OF being
above everybody else in the army, that he
hardly knew how to contain himself
GENERAL EMoRY's TESTIMONY.
! asked the President il he had read the
testimony OF General Emory, given that
day, (Thursday) Yes, he said, he had
just finished the reading OF it in the after
noon paper, a. | came in. "Well what do
you think of it?' said adding that
Emory seemed TO have considered himself |
a very important person in the conspiracy,
and one to whose patriotism and integrity
the country was much indebted. Yes"
said the President, ''and there's where he
makes a great mistake. He talks as if /
had sent for him 10 advise with him, and
10 discuss constitutional questions with him,
when did nothing of the kind. IL had
been in need OF constitutional adviser. I'd
have sent for somebody else. The reason |
"a -