Perrysburg journal. (Perrysburg, Wood Co., O. [Ohio]) 186?-1965, 1878-01-11
The President,s Views and Purposs..

The Washington Post of the Sd con-
tanned the following report Of an inter-
view with the Presidents .......
While Mr.. Hayes declines to be in
terviewed In regular form upon any
public topic, he does not hesitate to ex-
press his views 10 those who call upon
him in personal way, andin this man
ner he has recently expressed decided
opinions as to the designs which the
extremists of his party have lately de-
veloped, with an equally unequivocal
definition of his own attitude in the
premises. He says he has exhausted
his powers under the Constitution to
pacify the South, to avert the war of
races which seemed impending at one
time, and to withdraw all obstacles to
the normal operation of the principles
of local self governments; he has put an
end to Federal interference and has
called the attention of Congress and the
country in his message to the results of
this action Having done this, his pow
er to act is exhausted. He deprecates
the efforts which are being made in
various quarters to proloug popular ag-
itation and perpetuate acknowledging,
not because of its, reflection upon him
OF his motives, but because it tends to
exasperate the people OF both sections,
and thus prevent that clear understand
ing between the North and South which
is essential to the restoration of perfect
unity of patriotic sentiment. He ex-
presses the belief, however, that the
utterances of those who, in their capac-
ity Of managing politicians, are seek
ing to stir mp strife will not find among
the masses of the Northern people any
considerable response; that when the
/ Congressional campaign comes on it
will be found that the people are no
longer excitable over those topics, and
that the managing politicians, findingno
material to work upon, will soon aban-
don their anti-Southern programme.
AS for other matters of public policy,
Mr.. Hayes remarks that he has seen no
cause to reconsider any action of the
past, generally speaking, and no reason
to modify any of the purposes which he
may have formed or announced at any
previous period of his administration.
Without referring specifically to the
New York appointments, but evidently
having them in mind, he observed that
he had not been moved by the action of
carrying out the policy generally known
as the civil-service reform, or to de-
spair of final success in the selection of
instrumentalities to that end. He would
neither deny nor affirm the statements
that had been made in the press relative
to his design of greeting Congress next
week with special message on the
subject, but it was true that he intended
to exhaust his constitutional powers in
the promotion of such reforms. The
most remarkable thing he said was that
no plea of remonstrance based upon
purely partisan considerations would
have any weight with him, no matter
by whom it might be made, and that he
attached Importance to those represent
ations only which we're put upon the
ground of the general public welfare.
He intimated that there had been of
late a cessation of party appeal to him,
which was relief, because his love for
the name of Republican and his rever-
ence for the early traditions of his party
were so strong that it was not easy or
| pleasant to him to resist appeals made
for their sake, particularly when such
appeals came from men whom he had
always delighted to honor; but the re-
sponsibilities of his position placed duty
above personal feelings, and, in his eff
fort to keep the faith of his inaugural
with the whole people, he should not
hesitate to proceed contrary to the ad-
vice of individuals, however dear to
him they might be personally, y,whenever
it seemed to him and his constitutional
advisers, or rather to the collective
judgment of his Administration, that
such advice was contrary to the letter
and spirit and promises he had made
to the country.
The whole tenor of the conversation
was to the effect that Mr.. Hayes re-
CARDS the situation with calmness, and
has been at no time less intlexible in
his purpose than now.