Year: 1866

Governor Cox, of Ohio, after recent in terview with the President, reduced the conversation to writing, ami read 1t to tho Ohio delegation:

 The President said his policy had simply aimed at the earliest possible restoration of peace on the basis of loyalty. No Congress- ional policy had ever been adopted. and therefore when he entered into office he was obliged to adopt one of his own Congress had no just ground of complaint that he had done so. He was satisfied that no long cen tInnance of military government could be tolerated, and that the whole country would demand restoration of the civil government, and not to give it to the lately rebel States would be an admission of the failure of the administration and of the party which carried through the war. The proper system of paciication should be the one which tended everywhere to stimulate loyalty, rather than impose direct external force. Thus, in the case of the Frsedman's Bureau, he was not against the Bureau, ia ioto, for he was still using it, and might continue to do SO for more than year yet. He would say to the South, "I will put an end to it just as soon as you make it unnecessary for the protection of the freedmen" thus hope would stimulate them to do right, while they are not discouraged by the idea that there is no end to what they regard as a military government. in pre- e;se!y the same way hc had acted ia regard to the civil affairs generally in that section. He had imposed the following conditions, namely: The amendment to the State consti- tutions excluding slavery the acceptance of the same amendment to the constitution of the United States; the repudation of the rebel debt and the admission of the freedmen to various rights To stimulate them to ac- cept these conditions, being such as, using his best judgment and in the absence of any Congressional plan, he thought the nearest right Of any he could frame, and he engaged that on their acceptance, with the evidence of good faith, be would permit them to re- organize their State governments and, as far as the Executive acts could do it, would re- store them to their position in the Union. They had so far accepted the conditions that he required, and the experiment proved sue cessful. There was now but one respect in which those States do not exercise full rights and that was representation in Congress. In this he advised some principal stimulation to be applied. He would admit only such rep resentatiyes as are in fact loyal, and giving satisfactory evidence He did not ask to be the judge of the election and qualification of the members or Congress or their loyalty. Congress was it's own judge, and he had no dream of interfering with it's rights. His whole heart was with the true men who car ried the country through the war, and he earnestly desired the maintenance of cordial and perfect understanding with them. This sentiment he regarded as entirely consistent with the determined opposition to the ob- struction policy of those extremists who, as he believed, would keep the country in chaos till absolute ruin might come upon us.

 Governor Cox says, in conclusion |" Such is the statement of the President in this i'm portant matter, and if you could meet his straightforward, honest look, and hear the hearty tones of his voice as had, am well assured you could believe with me that, al- though he may not receive personal assaults with the forbearance President Lincoln used to show, there is no need of fear that Andrew Johnson is not sincere in his adhesion to the principles upon which he was elected.n