Fort Worth daily gazette. (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1885-08-09
A TRUE STATEMENT.
Relations OF General Grant TO An.
drew Johnson.
How he Tennessee Tailor WAS cheek
united by Grant.

corning his "rclatons to American
fpolitcs.n
The incidents were as striking as they
were unfamiliar 10 the public, We knew
they would be quickly reproduced we
expected they would hc questioned. They
have been questioned, but MS they are
trne, the questioning makes no after.
cncc.
one donhtcr, submitting nothing but
his doubts, saws "'rheSc incidents are
not 10 be found in the newspaper records
OF those cvcntful days, as far as we can
recall them, and we should IN very l0ath
To believe them truc.n
Private conversation between ufllhlalS
upon plans which are not effected are
never found sin the newspaper recordSp
of the "daysn when the conversations
occur. The newspapers are frequently
better authorities on what does not occur
and Is not contemplated within inside adj.
ministratlon circles than on what is And
there Is no trusted newspaper man who
does mol withhold more than he tells,
very often concerning the mootcd hui
subsequently abandoned purposes OF an
administration, state or national.
The incidents referred TO were neccssa.
rlly much condensed In The article To
which We have alluded. As they are
very pertinent now, and viii always hc
historical, their fuller rcstatcmcnt viii
be IN order, prcfaccd by the declaration
that they We're madc by Gen. Grant him.
self, in his house In New York, IN md
January OF this year, The general knew
Just what he was talking about. lie knew
he was talking to friend who knew
how To listen and how To remember Just
what he heard No apology is needed
now for reproducing hitherto unwrttten
page IN american history.
Andrew Johnson, at the beginning oi
his term, Sent Tor Gcl Grant. They had
a private Interview. lie bluntly told the
general that lac wished the army to be
employed TO arrest members Of the rebel
administration, the rebel congress and
the rebel state governments, as well us the
rebel army and navy officers.
The former he would try IN federal
courts. The latter lac would try by mill
iary commissions. He frankly added.
"l intend to hang every mothers son OF
them" This was the time when lu Tom.
Dick, and Harry, Tray Blanche and Sweet
heart, he was saying; "rrcason must be
made odl0us and traitors must be pun.
iShed."
lie was also drinking more than was
good for hm-and Grant was moi.
For reply President Johnson got this
swift and straight from the old com
mandcr.
81 win not employ the army for any
such purpose, nor will let II be cin.
ployed Tor amy such purpose"
But said Johnson, 81 am, by the
constitution, commander-in-chicl, What
tsskll a 4 4 -
"l)lsobey them" quietly rcioincd
and The country. The soldiers of the
South accepted my parole, which by
the laws of war and of the United
States was authorized TO rive. II
guaranteed they should not be molrsied
If they laid down their arms, went home
and obcyed the laws They did so.
will stand by that parole, and the first
couri-martial you order would better be
one 10 try me, for will not issue such
orders as you suggest, and | win issue
orders against them for the phrpose YOU
state
President Johnson, after measuring the
odds, abandoned the project of ycngcuce.
To explain the way Ia which johnson
came 20 swing almost to the other eN-
IRENE, II should be remembered That this
feeling or fury was essentially 'a poor
white onc,h Johnson regarded the dom
inant element In The South less
as disunionists than slnve.hoding
He hated the uristor. +
racy less for what II was than because he |
could never break into H. II had wealth, I
blood and arrogance. He was Of obscure |
origin, had been poor, hut was rs AFRO.
giant as any Of them. The knoxville (
tailor was the leader Of sort Of informal 4
prolctariot. Mixed with every action
and word was alluslon 10 men which /
showed personal enmity and social envy
and rancor.
Shrewd men recognized this. Snayc
and able Southern leaders acted on II.
They also knew there was sircnk OF
magnanlmity in the man, II he was fat
Tered on the things he was most proud
lf aud least credited with.
SO, while formally and snbmissiycly APP
plying for political parlons, n leader Of
lcputation of these men, who Is nov II X
statesman Of Virginia, said to {
Mr.. Johnson, and Others In many ways
icted or said the same thing
"Mr. President, we have always been
against you. You have always been
against us, II was necessary for us TO be
lHhlhhl you, ana you KNOW IL. NlnNcfy 1
could only coeXist with IN aristocmcy
That arlstocracy Ind 70 look down on and
oppose the ambition Of any but a strictly
class, based on wealth or blood,
OF both. But that Is all gone. Nothing
remains except that arstoeracy as a body
Of cultivated and trainedpeoplc, a refined
society.
- II has always been a rule Of our order
that position and achievement are equiv.
llent 10 wealth and birth; indeed, they
IRE both the basis and climax Of the pre-.
tensions and aspirations of AN aristoc- 4
racy You have them. We recognize 4
that you are our social LEADER. Become
our political leader. Let us forget the 4
past You have conquered Let as /
unite for the future. Then we can con-
quer together
Here was offered position aud com <
which had been the ain aud 4
envy OF Andrew johnson. The offer was
reiterated for long time and Ia many
forms Women added their charms 10
Tho purpose Of capturing u president by
ussniling his weakest side.
II y known that eventually the scheme
won. ThemO radical oi tile brothers
Of slaughter cooed southwark as gently
~ I..s