Knoxville daily chronicle. [volume] (Knoxville, Tenn.) 1870-1882, 1871-08-26
AN INTERVIEW WITH HON. BEN. H.
HILL OF GEORGIA. s
His Views of Toombs, Stephens and Davis.
Democratic Prospects for 1872.
Correspondence of the CHRoN1cLEJ

this pleasant mountain retreat, with its
pure cool, breezes and healthful mineral
waters, is the Hon. Ben. H. Hill, one o1
the most eloquent and popular Democrat.
ic leaders of the Southern Empire State
| AS your readers we'll know, he was an ar
dent Old Line Whig, originally opposed
| to secession, and one of the first to pre-.
dict for the South the ruinous cOnsequen.
ces that great political crime or blundel
was sure to entail. But like many others,
he went with his people into the rebellion
and made their destiny his.
| / had the pleasure of meeting him here
and enjoying a long conversation with
| him, iLe substance of which, with his per-
mission, I want to lay before your readers.
AS | am not q professional interviewer
and desire only to give the spirit and sub
stance of certain portions of his views, !
shall not attempt the conversational style,
but give in connected manner and in a
general way, his ideas, not protesting to
use his exact language.
THE SOUTH AFTER THE WAR.
You know, said Mr.. Hill, that have all
my life been opposed to the Democratic
party. I was always an enthusiastic ad-
mirer of Henry Clay, and believed him the
greatest statesman of this country. When
| the question of secession came up, / Op-
posed it, because [ believed the country
would prosper better united, and because
[ knew the South was not ready for war
and if she went into it would lose all the
political power she had, lose her slaves,
and find herself in the end impoverished
and humiliated. When the war ended, [
did not want to act with the Democracy,
because | believed it responsible for the
war, and knew that if the right policy was
pursued the Southern people would be
made to see it and the Democratic party
be SO despised and humiliated that we
should have no more of it.
| THE GREAT TMISTAKE OF THE REPUBLICANS
And just here let me say to you that the
Republican party made its greatest mis-
take. There was very large class of in
| t1uential Southern men who, at the end of
the war, felt anxious to have the guilty
leaders of the Democracy bear the odium
of their course in bringing on the war, and
for their extreme course during the war.
! These men were anxious to cooperate with
the Government in wise and just recon
struction, and if their advice had been
soughtand their counsels needed, the South
would to-day be the strongest anti-Demo-
cratic section of The country and recon-
struction been accomplished upon basis
honorable to the North and South.
But when the Republican party began
its policy of disfranchiSement and of Civ
ing over the Southern States to such men
as chose to accept the degrading terms
offered, and to their aSsOciates-the cOlOred
men and adventures from the North-it
forced everybody in the South to stand to-
gether, and the result was that the odium
of the Democratic leaders was forgotten
and that party became the party of the
South. This policy was doubly humilia-
ting to those in the South who opposed
secession and predicted a generous and just
settlement of all the war issues. That class
were originally condemned by the seces-
sionists for want of so-called State loyalty
and afterwards taunted because the Gov
ernment showed no appreciation of their
patriotism, but classed them exactly with
the original secessionists and treated them
practically all alike. Much against their
inclinations and decidedly against their
expectations, they were driven into the
Democratic ranks and the great oppor-
tunity to utterly and forever overthrow
that party in the South was lost.
THE PRESENT SITUATION.
The situation now is, that the South is
Democratic. But there is still great issue
in the South, The Southern people want
peace, and they will do almost anything to
secure it. The great masses want to be let
alone: they want to build up the country
and put an end to the great disturbing po-
litical controversies. They are, therefore,
in favor of the New Departure" as it is
called. They don't want to fight over the
war issues, and they are willing to let the
constitutional amendments and reeonstruc-
tiOn measures stand.
SOUTHERN BOURBONS.
/ know that certain leaders deny this
and claim that this is not the temper of
the South, but they are in hopeless mi
nority, as I know, Stephens, TOombs and
Davis do not represent the Southern peO-
pie on this question. Their policy is now
lust what it was in 1861 to force the Re-
publicans to such extreme measures as to
goad the South to do some deperate acts to
bring in another revolution, if possible
so as to restore them to power.
I believe this is their hope. Why, you see
Toombs declares he will vote for Grant rath-
er than New Departure Democrat. I tell
you such men don't want peace and quiet.
They want agitation, they want the Re
publicans to delay amnesty, to pile up dis
qualifications, to multiply test-oaths, to
sustain by force, if necessary, corrupt and
inefficient State GoVernments-in short,
to goad the Southern people on to another
revolution. The liberal Democrats, of
course, are defeating this plan. Their
policy is to reconcile differences, to give
up dead issues and to unite the country
upon the constitution as it is. l am in
favor of this. am Willing to go even
farther with Chief Justice Chase and even
leave out of our platform all denunciation of
the plan chosen, and all question as to the
means by which the constitution was
amended.
THE PROSPECTS FOR 1872.
have hopes that the Democracy will
triumph this fall in Maine, Penn
sylvania, Ohio and California. If
they do, the New Departure" will
be the main plank in the platform of
1862 and our success assured. In this
even, Toombs, Stephensand Davis will be
obliged either to formally leave the par
ty or to acquiesce in the New Departure"
If we should be defeated in the above
named States this year. the situation will
be grave one for our party. One of two
policies we must pursue. Either abandon
| the new departure entirely and fall back
to the issues of '68, or boldly advance one