Evening star., 1869-08-12
POLITICAL VIEWS OF THE PREsI.

DENT.
His Sympathies With the n eguIar Repub-
mcan Organizatisns Of the Ssuth-Why
he Dses Net Correct Misrepresentation.
The following report Of q converse ton Of
prominent Mississippi Republican with Prssi !.
dent Grant is important, inasmuch - IL mas
been read to the President, Who 10 satisfied With
1t as giving correctly his statement of his
political views, and has consented TO its uub,i.
cation, shus for the first time correcting ths
misrepresentatIons which have been sc.lyelv
circulated in reference to his position:
General iona. Tarbell, Secretary of the Re.
publican Executive CJmmittee Of Mississi ppi.
had an interview with President Grant at the
residence Of Secretary Fish, New York, on the
9th instant. Hts object 10 seeking the interview
was TO ascertain definitely the Presidents
views on POLITICAL affairs IN the Southern
present to him the present conditioa Of parties
there. so signidcAnt were the remarks of the
President, that, az the solicitation Of leading
Republicans In Washington to whom he has
related the conversation, General Tarbell has,
IN Response - inquiries, given the substance Of
General Grants views a. expressed on that
Gensrai Tarbell, at the opening of the inter.
view, said II an apology was deemed necessary
for intTuding on the Presidents privacy, il
must be found in the nature OF his business,
which was to ASK Of the President and his
Administration seme expression, By act or
declaration a. to parties in Mississippi, and to
AK an early decision, as there was Q crisis In
the condition OF affairs in that State, which
definite action showing the sympathy of the
Administration would greatly aid to q right
solution. Some days since he (0eneral Tar.
beil) had, with the chairman OF the Executive
COMMITTEE and others, visited Washington. in
order to explain their Affairs, belle wing then rs
now, that the Presidents sympathies as we'll
As that Of the Cabinet. were with the loyal
party, and IN opposition to one that sought
The President took up the conversation at
this point expressing his pleasure at the visit,
ss into nss pSap0ss Nth spirit
eral Tarbell's State. He remarked at the he.
ginning upon the very small number of Re.
publicans who were engaged 10 what is termed
there, the movement which uses Judge DENTS
name. With regard TO the special business
presented to him BY General Tarbell his as
dent said that in his judgment the small mum.
Der Of those who had hitherto acted with the
Republican party, now constituting the so.
called "NatIonaf Republican Party" was m
itself evidence that they could NOT be Other.
wise than used by the opposition.
With regard to the recent professions made
by those who were lately rebels the President
was emphatic and frank. His only desire was
peace and amity. and he would do anything
that was right to bring that about. But these
people cast suspicious upon their own motives
ed Al tdividiEg, 10: aiding, the Rspu blican party
In their midst. II they were really in earuest
they would not be so anxious about those with
whom they acted. To sincere men 1t could not
be dlfficult to tell who in the south were and
had been the Administration's friends
He talked at some length on the recent con.
test in Virginia He thought, from Gov.
Walkers speeches since his election, that that
gentleman was fully committed to the Admin.
lstration. and was honestly intending to act up
to them Referring to the proposal made by
Col. Jenkins to unite the two wings of the
Republican party there, the President ex.
pressed regret AT the apparent failure to accom-.
plish so desirable an object, remarking that the
followers OF Walker were not ali id good faith
He still hoped, however, that good would come
out Of Virginia, but did not at present ex xactly
see how.
The onyersat.on lasted for about an hour
and half. and during the whole time most Of
It was carried On by the President himseIf
Inc utmost frankness was displayed by him,
tude for and qualification at the assurances
given him, the President replied that in his
conversation with the gen LINEN representing
the new Rep ublican party in Mississippi, he
had expressed himself much more emphati.
caliy against their course and policy than he
was now doing to Gen. TarbeIl. He declared
positively that his sympathes were altogether
with the Republicans Of Mississippi and
against all efforts to divide them, coming fro m
whatever source they might. When il was
suggested that great good might be accom-.
Pills he'd and much wild speculation set at restif
he would take occasion to put the views be
had stated into some form and give them to the
preferred that acts and results should speak
for his administration rather than words.
To question whether his attention had
been called to the dispatches pretending to give
his views on Mississippi affairs. he replied
that IL had. but that If be should correct one,
others not denied would be claimed as admit.
ted, and to correct all would consume his
whole time.
Nothing could be more enc phatic and COM
plimentary than the Presidents expression of
confidence in the character and adm IN stratIon
of Gen. Ames, commanding in Mississippi.
The Presidents words and manner were bjth
marked, mingling warm personal friendship
with q solid admiration OF the Generals char.
acter as q soldier and executive oficer He
said in reply to a remark n ade By Gen. Tar
bell that Gen. Ames would have to do much,
and more serious things. than he had heard
charged before he would subject hims self TO re.
moval. He endorsed bis administrator IN fully"
In this connection, and as s. ill further illus.
trating the Presidents views In reference to
the political contest in Mississippi, we print
the following extract from letter of the Pres.
ident TO Judge Dent, written q fe W days after
the Judges interview with the President at
Long Branch:
81 have eaid, and repeat 1t, that II the Con.
servatives are to win, i wonld prefer your
election to that OF any other person likely to be
elected; but, as matters now look II seems to
me that the weight OF my inf iusnce should be
given TO the other party. / earnestly hope
before the election, that concessions will be
made on both sides, so as to unite all friends of
the reconstr uctIon movement"