The Bolivar bulletin. [volume] (Bolivar, Hardeman County, Tenn.) 1865-1888, 1885-11-06
GRANT AND JOHNSON.
An Exciting Cabinet Meeting In
Reconstruction DAvg.

Reconstruction Days.
! General Rolfe S. Saunders, o
Tennessee, who has been prominen
III the poiItics Of that Slate for man
, years, ia talking 10 a Star reporte
this merning, declared in the strong
est terms, his disbelief in Mr
Chauncey M. Depew's account o
/ General Grant's recollections of Ger
tain interviews between himself an,
| President Andrew johnson. "Why,'
said General Saunders Grant hatec
johnson worse than any man alive
Now it should be remembered that
ut the tim9 Graut related his version
Of the affair to Depew ne was diff
ferent man from what he became lat.
er. After lis sHictions and misfor-
tunes he became penitent, but when
he talked with Depew he was full Of
Yindlctive hatred against johnson
In 1871 I was sitting IN ex-Presi~
DEM Johnson's library with him, il
GreenyilIe, Tenn. Hs was talkiag
of his experiences as President, aud
remarked: "I'll shsw you some pag-
es Of unwritten history" He reach
ed up to, the bookshelYes aud took
iOwn large Yolumn, larger than
the ordinary ledger of q business
house. There were number of
those Yolumns ranged alongside each
other. He laid before me the one
he had taken down and opened at q
place which was marked by torn
piece of newspaper It was Il de
taile2 statement of what had 0ccur-
red at memorable Cabinet meeting.
These volumns contained the mIn-
utes Of all tile Csbinet meetings Of
.Tohnson's administration. The pro
ceedings were set forth in a clear
hand. I read The record of the
meeting to which he had called my
attention. 1t contained the express
sions OF the opinions of the Cabinet
mem bers concerning Grants course
with regard to the Secretaryship of
War. lie had, as is well known,
consented to take that position for
the purpose OF aiding the admins
tration to get Stanton out. In that
very meeting he was accused by the
President and his Cabinet Ministers
with treachery and double dealing.
Gideon Welles employed the strong
est langua go III denouacing Grants
conduct, and never heard such an
excor alton as the President gave
Gran. lii language as forcabie as
JoN, son could employ-and he knew
how to use vigorous z lish-he dc.
nounced Grant for his deception and
-treaehery. He charged him with
having played the spy upon the adj
ininistration and the Cabinet. After
h~viug read the denuncistion, | ask
ed Mr.. johnson where GIANT was
at he time. lie replied with great
6 rnestness. "'-- him, as close to
me rs you are. and during the deliv
cry of my remarks I shook my fin
ger right in his face"
He, Grant" continued General
Saunders, "neitheI losked up nor re
Piled. so President Johnson tsId me,
Now, it is plain that Grant vas
moved by vindichve spite in telling
what he did. It's absurd. Mr
Johnson was not socially tabooed.
II is true there were people who didn'
like him, but he was Governor of the
State, United States Senator, etc.,
and h2d as high a position as any
body. Again, there were very few
Suul hern men here III Washington
at the time Grant refers to. know
tat very few of the leaders of
Southern sentiment and opinion
were here about that time. Johnson
never did say, either, that traitors
siould lie hung, He said treason
should be made odious and traitors
punished. > Washington Evning
Star, %