New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1871-09-05
A CoIored Man Interviews the President.

From the Cincinnati Com mercial1
Colonel Robert Harlan. has returned to
the city, and we had the pleasure of meet
ing him yesterday and enjoying few
minutes of very entert tining and instructive
conversation. We will have to put it in the
form of an interview, we suppose.
Reporter: All, Colonel, you are blooming
upon us again. When did you get back
from all the pleasant places abroad9
Colonel: This morning, sir.
Reporter: Did you see the great race in
which Helmbold beat Longfellew!
Colonel: Yes, did, sir.
Reporter: The result of the race was
rather surprise, was it not9
Colonel: No; thought Helmbold would
beat him.
Reporter: Did you bet that way9
Colonel: No. / did not. | did not bet at
all. There was lump on Longfellow's leg.
l asked Mr.. Harper about it. Said /, ''Mr.
Harper, how long has that lump been
coming there p and he said ever since last
tall. And then l asked him if it had ever
been inhamed, and he said no, it had not;
and so l thought maybe he could stand it,
as the race was only a dash. But he
couldn't sir. He broke down on the third
mile. Helnbold would have beaten him
ANYHOW.
Reporter: Why, Helmbold must be
great horse.
Colonel: No, he is not, sir. He is a good
second rate. He could not beat first class
horse, sir. The fact is, Mr.. Harper has al
lowed his horse to get fat on. him. Leaving
of the lump on his leg, ne was not in order.
Reporter Were you at Long Branch
Colonel: Oh, yes. l was there in July,
and had an interview with the President.
talked with him, or rather he talked with
me, for full hour.
Reporter: How did you happen to get to
see hinal
Colonel Oh, sir, 1 had letters from Con-
gressmen Perry and Stevenson and Senator
Sherman and others, and l just took car.
rage, with livery, and drove up and saw
the President at his cottage.
Reporter Nice place
| Colonel 4: A very nice place, and simple
| too.
Reporter Had you an appointment Did
| the President receive you without having
had previous application made
Colonel: No, sir had no appointment.
| The President is one of the most modest
men i ever saw, and | say to you that II
ever | saw an honest man he is one. Ii
had been sent out for month TO hunt up
an honest man / would have picked him
out for the man / wanted, on sight.
would indeed. sir.
Reporter: Was he smoking
Colonel No. he had not cigar while
was with him.
Reporter DIu he talk morse
Colonel No, | wanted him to talk horse,
but could not draw him on to do that. L
saw he was so talkative that | let him make
the running as we say. l would rather
| have liked to talk horse ts him, for have
| good horse head on me, and was up ON
| that subject. And l said TO him, II saw
| you driving a tine pair OF bay horses, Mr.
President, and ! hear you have some very
| good stock" And he said yes, he had some
Iar ha fond of N q
that subject right away, and TO talking
! about England, where | had been, and OF
! which / had spoken TO him.
Reporter: Did he know you were
colored man? Some folks don't see that,
| you know.
Colonel: All, had not been talking to
him but minute when | told him, Mr..
President do not know whether you have
observed it, but l think it proper to say to
you that am q colored man, and | would
rather you would not misunderstood that
| fact" Are You, indeed :" said he, and he
| looked more interested, and said he. Il
| should not have noticed that" and he
! turned his chair around little closer to me,
making me like him better than had be-
| fore, II possible.
Reporter: You talked to him an hour,
and nothing but horsel anything about
| Ohio politics
Colonel: Well, we talked good deal
about the Cincinnati Commercial The
| President asked me if ! knew the editor of
the Commercial, and told him did know
him very well, and very nice gentleman
he was too, and an able editor. And the
| President said he ''seems TO be abusing me
| all the time. and am sure | do not know
what is the matter. He abuses me so much
have quit reading his paper. once saw
a good deal of it," "Oh,' l said to him,
"Mr. President, [ think he don't abuse you
much except about your appointing your
| relatives to office. ] believe that seems to
be the most of it," Then he went on to say
/ that after all he had not appointed SO many
relatives As for his father, Andy johnson
appointed him, and he had not turned him
out And Andy had appointed one of bis
! brothersin-law, too. Then he said the papers
had given him at least dozen cousins and
brothers-in-law that he knew nothing about.
And | understood him to say he had appoint
ed two or three persons upon recommends
tions that he afterward found ont, greatly
to his surprise were relatives so called. He
went over quite a list of persons said to be
| his relatives that he knew nothing about.
As for General Dent, they were old class
| mates, as well as brothers-in law, and Dent
was an officer in the United States army.
He had not appointed him to any Office.
And then / said 10 him, Indeed, Mr..
President l think it highly creditable to
you if you do appoint your relatives. There
are not any Of the appointees alleged to be
your relatives" said |, that have heard
of doing anything dishonest. Then the
Good Book, you know, tells us that he who
does not provide for his OWL household Is
| worse than an infdel"
Reporter: You put it to him there, didn't
you What did his Excellency say to that
Colonel: Oh, he only laughed about that.
! Reporter: Did it seem to put him in good
| huTnor?
Colonel He was in good humor all the
time He mentioned, in talking, quite a
number of Bis cOilsins, brothers-in-law
| and wife's relatives that have been talked
| about, and told about them, and how they
came to be appointed. | disremember the
particulars l thought when he was talk
ing and telling about them that / would
like to be able to keep all that straight,
and sort of thought of my lead pencil, mt
then it would haze been nothing but impu-
dence to take that out, and | could not
think of doing an impudent thing in the
presence of the President, who was treating
me so kindly and cleverly and gentle
manly. He sat there, sir, talking as pleas
antly-[just as pleasantly as you talk your
self. sir. / declare l never was so surprised
as to see him so communicative. | had
heard so much about his smoking all the
time and not talking at all. Now he talked
all the time, and did not smoke a bit. You
may depend upon it, sir, he is not man
who viii do any harm. All he wants, sir,
is to know what is right to do for his corln-
try and he will do it, Now | have seen
him. | know that. There are two things
know One thing is horses, The other
thing is men. l know, now. that L have
saaD tha President. that he IL an honest