The Highland weekly news. [volume] (Hillsborough [Hillsboro], Highland County, Ohio) 1853-1886, 1869-04-15

General LOngsiFeet on the sifIla
alton and President Grant.
The Washington correspondent Of
the Troy Times, in giving an account
Of a recent interview With Gen. Long.
street, says:
He was exceedingly cordial and
communicative, full of hope for the f1-
ture, and glowinglX saDguine that the
South, purified from the blight of iua
man slavery and recognizing the equal
rights of all men, would grow and
flourish, and blossom all over, like un-
to a second land of promise.
General" " said I, "what more peril
have these Obstructionist of the South
undergone, what more suffering have
they endured, what bravery have they
shown that they should revile you for
frank renewal of your loyalty to the
government?'
"NOne," he exclaimed.
"Then, why not follow your exams
ple," 1 inquired, ''and give US the fruits
for which we fought2''
Simply" said he, because you OF
the NORTH rather mean your adj
ministratiOn-made a wrong start when
the war ended. If vigorous means Of
reconstruction had been put in force
when the Confederate arm es surren-
dered there would be no obstruction
lists now 1t was the dallying policy
of Andrew Johnson, tolerated too long
by your people, that fed the spirit Of
the South with false hopes of recover
ing the supremacy they had lost, and
while these false hopes prevailed it
required no small amount of moral
courage to take the stand that I did.
Up to the third of last NOvemLe or this
same delusiOn existed, and had Sey-
mOur and Blair been elected, good.
bye to peace and reconstruction at
the South"
"But Grant will set things right
down there" I observed.
"Yps," he responded, "the entire
sensible mass of Southern people SEE
cretly rejoice at Grants election. I
myself am growing in favor with
them every day, which is an excellent
sign, and but for the Internal tyranny
of politicians who will hold on as long
as a breath of popularity remains to
the most f0ssilized or exploded pOlit-
ical theories, my ranks would be more
llrgely recruited.'
General, presume you have seen
Grant since you have arrived in WASH
ing o I?'' asked.
"Oh, yes, he answeredlwith as mile
Of pleasant recollection, ''we dined to-
gether. We talked over our battles
and had a very agreeable evening"
"What opinion did you form of
Grant?' l mOdestIy inquired.
every favorable, indeed" he re-
turned. rGrant, to my mind, is the
beau ideal Of a soldiers companion.
To expliin this 80 you, I might lay it
down us a rule that soldier detests
long sentences of rhetOric-he prefers
short, nimbler mode of exl ressiOn,
and likes a man of general information
who is not a bore. Grant has not
read very extensively, but is ANA
.zing how clear and precise he is on
every subject His mind would az
pear to fash across a G~estiOu like
lightning over the wire, and then af-
ter a brief pause, he gives you his
opinion in the simplest words, but in
the tersest form. 1t is all a mistake
about his reticence.
"In public he is taciturn, but meet
him, as did, in social conversatiOrJ
and under the cOnvivial cloud of a
cigar, and no an living can be more
entertaining than Grant; at least to
my mind he appeared so, and 1 had
nc favOrs to ask. Grant til ks deep
ly, but talks little on what he medi-
tates most. Men will find him devel-
Oped in his pOlicy-and be assured it
will be a grand One-in detail, as a
general develOpes his plan of battle.
Under his administration this cOun-
try will take a bound forward and
achieve a degree of prosperity beyond
our most sanguine expectations"