The Van Buren press., 1872-07-16
Correspondence of the Courier-J Journal.I

so creditable to his head and heart that
It ought long ago to have been made
public, has just been narrated to your cor
respondent, and he hastens TO place it |
before the readers of the Courier Jour |
nal, not less as an act of justice to Mr. !
Greeley than matter Of interest 20 the
country. The wonder is that this Incl
dent should so long have been kept SC.
crct, dating back as it does seven years
ago.
ANDREW JOHNSON SENDS FOR GREELEY.
Soon after Johnson was installed as
President. he sent Il gentleman named
Camp to New York to solicit an inter-
view with Horace Greeley Unable to
leave the capital, Greeley must come to
hun at once at the White House. Gree
ley promptly complied with his request
After the first formal civilities were over,
Camp rose to leave. but President John
son requested him to remain, and he did
so during the whole interview
Johnson opened the conversation by
saving that he found himself in q most
trying position. The nation was con
yulsed with passion in consequence OF
Mr. Lincoln assassination; the stua-
ton was new and embarrassing to him
he felt inadequate to the task to which
he had been 50 Unexpectedly called, and
he felt the need as he had never before
felt it, Of the counsel of some cool and
sagacous man. He had, therefore, sent
for Mr.. Greeley. What course to pur-
sue, how to stem the torrent of Northern
| frenzy, how to manage the reins Of gov
crnment in crisis so awful, was n prob
lem too deep for him to solve. Placing
himself in Mr.. Greelcy's hands, he ask
ed
WHAT MUST DoT
Thanking him for the confidence thus
reposed in him, Mr.. Greeley replied that
his best course was to call to his assis
tance few Of The wisest and best men in
the country. They should be represent
ative men from the two great sections.
On the part of the North, he would sug
gest Gov. Andrew, Of Massachusetts,
Gerritt Smith, of New York, and Judge
Spalding, Of Ohio. A like number Of
Southern gentlemen should be called
they should be invited to the White
.
to remain as long as they thought fit;
and, having agreed upon some policy,
they should submit it to the President
for his approval, and if fapproved by him,
as Mr.. Greeley doubted not it would be,
it should be faithfully and rigidly pur
suod, despite the popular clamor which
might 'or time ensuc.
Mr.. johnson thought well Of the sug-
gsstion. "But what Southern men
gentlemen you have named from the
North p
First and foremost, said Mr.. Gree.
ley. " Robert f, Lee, of Virginia.
! Great heavens % exclaimed johnson,
" he is the very head and foot Of the re
bellion.
81 know that, " said Greeley, land
for that very reason you should invite
him, He knows, il any man does, the
wants of the Southern people, he of all
men possesses the confidence of the en-
tire South; he is upright and pure; he
would not recommend a single action on
your part which would not meet the ap-
proval of your advisers from the North,
and the result of the deliberations in
which Robert f. Lee, Judge Campbell,
Of Alabama, and third man like them,
from the South, took part, would not on
ly insure the appreciation of the disatlect-
ed States but in the course Of few
months, would l am firmly persuaded,
bring to your support every right mind
ed and right hearted man at the North.
The paci6cation of the estranged sec
sections, your main difficulty, would thus
be solved and your path made clear to-
ward the solution Of minor difficulties.
How are you to discover the true senti
ments Of the South and the wants Of its
people if you do not consult her repre-
sentative men And what sort of restor.
ation will that be in the plan of which the
South has no part whatever7 1t must
Q. }. net,oossity be onesided, partial and un
just. BE persuaded, mr .t~S,"'""'; .t~S,"""'; ana
call to your aid men of the standing, po.
sitlon and temper have suggested. and
by all means call them from both Sec
tions.
In this strain Mr. Greeley continued
until he had
FAIRLY WON THE PRESIDENT
over to his way Of thinking. The inter.
view ended with the assurance from the
President that he would adopt the views
of Mr.. Greeley and follow them exactly
He would, however, make n single modi
ication--ho would substitute Horace
Greeley in place of Gerrit Smith.
Every well, " said Mr.. G., "if you call
me l will come gladly and aid you to the
best Of my ability.
They parted, and ten days afterwards
johnson threw Greeleys suggestions to
the winds, adopted "my policy" and
pursued it; with what result the country
is but too sadly aware.
Thus it will be seen that the role Of
paciticator is
NO NEW THING
with Mr.. Greeley, but is only part
which he has Systematically pursued ever
since the close of the war. So, also, his
confidence in the integrity and good
sense OF the Southern leaders, and his
willingness to trust the Southern people
is no new thing. What he is to-day he
was years ago; and what better guaran-
ty do we want for the future? At a time
when the North was wild with rage
against the South, when the execution of
every one OF her political and military
/ Lob ,ara n,,l ha - al