The Elk County advocate. [volume] (Ridgway, Pa.) 1868-1883, 1877-09-20
A Talk With The President.
HOW HE CAME TO CONSTRUCT HIS
PoLICY-THE PROBLEM OF THE
SOUTH SOLVED BY ONE WORD.


SOUTH SOLVED BY ONE WORD.
The correspondent of the Cincinnati
Evening Times, who interviewed
President Hayes while enroute to FIRE.
mont, asked the President how he
came to construct his policy, which
was seemingly so at variance with his
views while on the stump in his last
Gubernatorial campaign. The Presi-
dent replied as follows:
Well. those views began to take form in
the words ofmy letter of acceptance. / con-
sidered the situation of things in the South,
and saw how impossible it seemed to restore
order and peace and harmony. l saw the
violence and bloodshed at their elections
how white Republicans as we'll as black were
shot down during their political contests
and asked myself "Why is it, and how
long must this continue ?" Those men down
South, the white educated citizens, are as
good men as you or they are Christians,
not thieves nor cut-throats nor bandits, yet
they see these things, and tacitly approve
| them If they do not take part in them. Why
| is it, and how long will they continue?
While thinking these questions over, my
mind resulted to the scenes of the war, and
an incident ut the battle of Cedar Mountain
| C anne to my mind. 1t was hard-fought en-
gagement and for time we could not tell
| how it would end. We who were in COM
mand had determined that ifa certain move
ment respited in one way we would give
certain orders, but if it resulted otherwise
different orders would be given. With our
field glasses we were watching the course of
| things. All at once l saw a commotion in
| the thickcst of the fray. The artillery had
| got to work and were throwing shells fast and
| with unerring aim into the solid ranks of the
| enemy. Heads were being blown from their
| bodies, arms and legs torn from their sockets,
| and souls sent to one world or the other all
| unprepared, and yet l rejoced and congratu-
| lated my fellow-oficers that we were victor
| ious. How could this be? Why was it? 1t
| was because we were. Fat war. That one word
| solved in my mind the problem of the South
| The people there were at war. There was Il
| conflict going on. The social and political
| relations of the people were not natural, not
| harmonious; There were disturbing elements
| among them, and while they existed, or
| were unduly active, there would be Il conflict.
| Let the causes of the conflict be removed,
and there will be peace and ultimately har-
| mony and prosperity,
but" said the reporter, 1--WE do
not see much disposition in the South
to manifest loving temper towards
us of the North" The President
mildly retorted:
| How do you know? You form your opin-
ions, no doubt, from reading the papers, but
editors of newspapers do not always repre-
sent the popular general feeling of the people
either North or South. 1 think most of the
people, in the South, as I know they are in
the North, are more disposed to encourage
fratcrnal, harmonious social, and business re-
| lations than the extremists who, unfortuna-
tely, too often get control of newspapers
But even these, or most of them, will come
around all right in time.