, 1869-08-13
Ex-PREsIDENT FILLMORE.
HIS VIEWS OF TIE POLITICAL SITUATION
WHAT HE THINKS OF GRAST-THE NEGRO
SUFFRAGE QUESTION, &C.

sK- President of the United States, to ascer-
j tain that gentlemsn's views on the impor-
iant public questions Of the time. found
him at his Office in Court street-for he still
practices in his profession. l was struck
With the little change time had made in his
appearance since saw him fifteen years ago,
when be was the occupant of the White
House. His hair is winter and little thin
err, but he has the same erect and full round :
ed form, smooth skin, with scarcely wrinkle,
and all the appearance of well preserved
health. He said he had not varied 10 weight
more than ten pounds since he was President,
aud thought that ne might have been about
that much heavier when in the presidential
chair. 1 found him the same dieni6ed,
courtly and affable gentleman for which he
was always distinguished when in public life.
The 6rst subject introduced was that Of
General Grant and his administration. Mr..
Fillmore believes Gen. Grant means well,
and wishes to do right, but that through his
inexperience in politics and public affairs, he
has got himself into the meshes of the poli'
ticians, and has lost the finest opportunity OF
beue6ttiug the country. He referred par>
ticularly to Gen. Grants position immediate
ly after the Inauguration with regard to the
Tenure>of. Office Act and the difficulties
which the politicians in Congress raised about
the Cabinet He thinks that had Grant
been firm about requiring the repeal Of the
Tenure. of. Office Act, and the confirmation of
his Cabinet as first formed, the Senate would
have yielded for Grant held at that time
the confidence Of the people, and would have
been supported by them. Besides, Senators
as we'll as members of the House, wanted the
distribution of the Offices, and the President
had, in the power of nomination, the winning
card. Had be refused to make any appoint
ments unless this act were repealed, the Sen
ators would have been SO impressed by his
firmneSs and so anxions to get the offices for
their friends and supporters that they would
have swept the act from the statute book.
Nor would they have embarrassed the presi
dent about his Cabinet nor have led him to
change the original cast of it to suit their
political views and ends. Distasteful as were
his first Cabinet appointments and the policy
in making them to these politicians, and
much as they wished to cling to the power
they had acquired over the Executive, they
would have surrendered for the sake of the
and popularity, had he been determined aud
unmoved. 1t was glorious opportunity to
restore the equilibrium which has been de-
stroyed by the usurpations Of Congress be-
tween the different branches of the Govern
ment. The exPresident regards that issue
as involving the greatest cOnsequences-an
issue the importance of which Gen Grant
failed to comprehend, aud which may change
forever the practical operation of the Gov
erRment Looking at the tendency of all
public bodies to usurp power, and the ten
acity with which they cling to it when once
acquired, it may be long time, if ever be-
fore the opportunity occurs to restore the
former equilibrium between Congress, the
Executive aud Judiciary. The danger is,
that, under the name Of Representative and
Federative Republic, the Government may
become an oligarchy of politicians. When
speaking of this Mr.. Fillmore took from his
library Washington's Farewell Address, and
read that portion Of it in which the Father
of his Country pointed out the danger Of
Congress absorbing those powers of Govern.
ment which properly belong to the Executive
and the judiciary, and in which he seemed
almost to have a prophetic knowledge of the
present state of things Washington said it
must lead to despotism in one form or au-
other, and Mr.. Fillmore fears that this may
be the case, unless by some extraordinary
and providential circumstances the people
should be aroused from their apathy and see
the danger that insidiously threatens our
public institutions.
In speaking of the suffrage, the ex. Presi>
dent said the great mistake made by the rad
icas, and seemingly by the country, just
now, is in assuming that this was a natural
right and no, political right or privilege.
Hence the suffrage has been given to mil
lions OF benighted negroes, who scarcely
know their right hand from their left, and
who can have no knowledge of what they
vote for. Having given the suffrage to the
negroes, it cannot be refused 10 the millions
upon millions of Chinese who are coming to
this country, and who are superior race to
the negroes. This is a serious evil in the
future to contemplate. But he does not see
how the suffrage is to be taken away or re-
| StrlcteQ Wnen once gwen. we are ruSnlng
on in the way of political revolution, and it
seems that it must run its course to the ex-
treme point of radicalism. 1t will be fortun>
ate if this does not culminate in sans culotte
regime to be followed by another kind of
despOtism or personal distatorship. When
speaking of this state of things. Mr.. Fill.
more referred to one Of the old Italian Re.
publics-that of Florence, l think-wbere
revolutionary and radical equality was car
ried to such an extreme that elections for
Office to administer the Government was
done away with, aud officers were taken by
lot from the whole community. As mat
ter Of course the most ignorant became the
rulers, for they were the most numerous.
The consequence was that with this radical
attempt to force equality where no natural OF
real equality existed, liberty soon expired
and despotism succeeded. Mr.. Fillmore ad'
mits that the suffrage should be on the
broadest practical basis, and remarked thai
England and all other civilized countries
were tending to that; but it should be held