Year: 1865

In recent speech in Pike county
Coz. Shenck, in giving his ideas of
the Prcsident's Reeonstr1et.on Policy
said: .s Il. ." .Tc
PRESIDENT JoHNsoNs EXPER ER5EBNTs.


And in reference to those expert
ments l may be allowed to say here,
that | had IN interview with the
President iGst before We left Wash
ton, some ten days ago, before COM
ing home to meet my fellow citizens
in the canvass for the approaching
election | sought that interview Tor
the special purpose of informing my
self as 20 his views in reference to the
Executive power, and his general
purpose as to the restoration Otthe
rebellious States. l knew the frank
neess of his character, his devotion 20
the country, the energy with which


having determined in his own mind
what is right ne would pursue 1t 10
the end; I knew the resolve, which
he boldly expressed on the
floor of the Senate, in the commence
ment HHof this struggle, denouneing
the traitors rs they deserved; and
| knew that, though he might make
some mistakes, there could be no
mistake about his patriotism, and
that resolution would be carried Out
to its fullest extent.


With this confidence in our chief
rulor | sought an interview with
him. In that interview | expressed
20 him the doubt and jealousy thatex-
isted in the minds OF the people of
the country, and especially in the
minds Of the people of OhiO-dOubt
whether under the poiey he had adOp-
ted, we were not going too fast in
bringing back by hurried processes
these rebel states into full cOmmuni-
on with those that had never left
the Union fold. l told him that that
doubt might, perhaps rest on a mis-
understanding as TO the extent TO
which he,propOsed to carry that policy.
l said, think you will justly mo
in having said so, that if his purpose
was to establish temporary Govern
mOnts, experimental in their nature
by the appointment of these provis-
iOnal officers in order 20 test their
disposition to go = mead and come
back in good faith, and with full
purpose of abiding by their obliga-
Lions to the National government,
and if, in addition to that, he pro-
posed to keep enough of the military
power stationed in different parts Of
the late rebelliOus States to supervise
their conduct, and reach forward the
strong hand if necessary, to keep.
them in the right way, we would be
satisfied with such experiment. And
moreover, l said We wOuid be better
satisfied still if we should definitely
understand that it was no purpose Of
the executive to forestall the action
of Congress, the the representa-
tives Of the people, but that
when they should assemble and de-
termine whether in addition to hav-
ing their local Executive privileges
in the states, these people were ready
to return to tull communion with
the government, by being represen-
ted in the cOunseis Of the nation.


am glad to be aole to say that
the assurance / had from the Presi-
dent Justlfies me in saying that al
though this was the policy he meant
to pursue IL was only an experiment.
He said that he had no purpose of
interfering with the action Of Con-
gress; the experiments being made
were but a preparation of these peo-
pie for a better and more improved
condition. And so far as keeping
watch over them by armed force is
concerned, he pointed 10 what had
taken place in Richmond, sVirginia,
and assured me that where they ac-
ted in bad faith by selecting men for
office because they were rebels, the
military would be ready to sweep
away sheir work. fCheers


With this understanding, I, for
one, as a citizen of Ohio, and repre-
senting a portion of her people, stand
heEe today giving my unqualified
support to the course pursued now
by the President, intending to wait
and see what will be the outcome Of
this erring people. =