New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1871-08-03

property Of the country necessary 10 prosecute
and protect tho remainder OF the prop
| ertY. Say there thirty billions OF properly
| in the United States, and It cost three billions
to protect 1t. Beside this, it cost great
deal OF physical power which furnshedby the aoer
of tho country Now who should pay this three bions'
Not the aborng men, who have already furnished tho
physical power Let property pay for protecting prop
cry. II my house takes fro and fire company comes
and puts 1t out don't tax tho 1remen 10 pay Tor tho
damages done by the fire. Yet taxing the labor
Of the country which put down the Rebellion to pay tho
protecting the property and for the damages done
hold 1t would DO right to simply subtract the three Dill
lions from the property Of the country and pay back
none Of It. but propose that the nation shall DC hOeia
and give to the capitalist his principal in annual INSTALL
Inens without interest. In this way the debt would all
be paid in about sixteen years" Mr.. Johnsons view OF
the proper way get "eug with the bondholdeTs Is all
the moro remarkable from the fact that he has his whole
fortune with the exception Of his house and land, some
500 OD0 In FiveTwentes II the statement OF his neigh
| bors is to be believed.
The exPresdent still holds that the great future dan
ger to country lies in tho usurpaton of power by
Congress- and the Capitalization IN that branch OF the
Government of functions belonging to the Executive,
the Judiciary, and the State Governments. "In old
times" no said the people knew little and cared little
about what Congress doing. Now tho very negroes
and boys In the streets talk about Congress ana what
is going to do and with good reason, for Congress Is at
|
and its detectives. can't buy bottle Of yermi
fuge the but Congress Is up him In the shape
OF stamp the bottle Congress IA composed OF cot
Of mon have lost all ideas of constitutional govern
ment and have thought but TO grasp all the power
they can. They have made tho Executive and the Judi
ciary negative branches OF the Government and
have tied them hand and foot" He particularly
the present system Of internal taxation which
he said destroying public morals and had divided
the people into two casseshe tax who sought
to cheat the Government out OF all the tax they could,
and the taxcolleetOrs, who stole oil Of the tax they
dared TO after they collected It. Fraud defacaton and
corruption the natural results of this system He
| remembered that in Andrew Jackson's time
named Tobias Watkins was defaulter to the Govern
mcnt In the OF $500, and the whole country was
shocked at it, and the newspapers talked for weeks Of
| Watknss crime. Now man may rob the Government
of $4,000 without creating any excitement The low
standard Of political morality that now pervades no
said, is illustrated by the return of r. r. Butler to Con-
gTess from this District after he had been proved guilty
of having sold eadetship The time was, lie said, when
such man could not have lived day in the district
after such exposure it made difference with
| his party He got their votes just tho same.
Mr.. johnson expressed with great freedom the poor
opinion no enertains OF Gen. Grant Grant" he said
sis wanting in integrity, wanting in Intelligence, and
wanting in the will 10 promote the good OF the country
Tho little fellow selfish and avaricious beyond bounds
His cupidy knows no limit He is no statesman aRd 10
| soldier He displayed any generalship He
marched the headno not at the head but in the
of immense column of men that would have ac-
compshed the same results II he had been In the
! Grant was O mere unimportant Incident He never
showed spark OF genius. What inspiring remark did
| he ever make that cheered his soldiers and helped
| to win q victoryl When did he put himself
I'm danger like Napoleon at the bridge Of Lodi. to
| give courage to his troopsl He never showed
single trait Of generalship lie had sympathy with
his men he visited the hospitals or showed any
feeling for the suffering wounded He was utterly re-
morseess. He no leader He had mo plans and no
| strategy. 1 repeat, that for any good he did IN
putting down the Rebellion, he might well have been
I'm the moon" Mr. johnson said he had no doubt that
Grant would be renominated. Grant wanted the nomi-
nation for the purpose of making more money, and he
the power TO compel the Republicans to give 1t TO
him. the result Of the election he said everything
would depend upon the action OF the Democratic Con-
venton Grant might been defeated in 1862 had 1t
not been for tho egregious bunders OF the NewYork
Convention. He did say who his candidate. He
mentioned Hancock as the probable Democratic nomi-
nee but said he doubted the wisdom OF nominating
military man. for the that the very exploits that
would be harped upon to give such candidate popu
arity IN tho North would damage him In the
South. No military man, therefore, could create en-
thusasm in both sections. He thought the welfare OF
the country demanded change of Administration.
"what would you GAIN" asked, by turning out Grant
and putting in Hoffman, for instance who would hand
the Government to the control Of the Tammany
Ring" Nothing, whatever" Mr.. johnson replied We
should have only driven away swarm of punderers
TO give place to hungrier Unless We can elect
man pledged TO reform we should gain nothing by
change. He should be pledged to different principles
from those controlling the Administration or there
would be nothing to choose between him and Grant"
Mr. johnson thought the great vice Of present poll
tics lack of fixed principles in poth parties, and said
that party without enets ought not to succeed and
was dangerous when in power, because there was no
.4t.g.,. L. IL I.ra1t pur nr4
or accomplish. Politics had become mere scramble for
place, he thought.
Mr. Johnson spoke OF other topics during our CONVEX
sation, which have space merely to mention. He re-
ferred to the troubles that beset his Administration He
was surrounded, he said. by horde OF ohlce-holders
fearful OF being disturbed in their places, and was ike
man with his leg in nest of electric eels, which struck
him whichever way moved. Then there was fanati-
cal feeling in the country about Lincoln which mace
everything his might do unacceptable 10 the
people He defended the hanging OF Mrs surratt' He
condemned the Ku-Klux bill, which he thought uncalled
for and unconstitutional lie did not believe there was
any disposition South to prosecute the negroes OF
keep them from voting as they chose. Mr.. John
son expressed his opinions with postiyeness That
conyinces the listener that they are his honest conVc
tons He would impress stranger, who should near
him talk without knowing anything OF his history as
man who works out his conclusions on all subjects
by dnt of hard thinking accepting nothing as estab-
lsbed because approved by the mass OF intelligent
minds holding to his conclusions when arrived
AT whether right or wrong, sensible or absurd with
uncomfortable pertinacity-"a man." as Dickens de-
scrbed him. mot to be turned or trihed with" He
looks better than he did when in washingtOn-younger
and muc more placid and goodhumored He said, as
took my leave that he had no political aspirations and
intended soon to 20 abroad and remain for consider
able time.
The INDIANS
,,,, coNnruNrn KIowA CUIEFs-THE SIOUX