Year: 1872

A conversation between Senator
Trumbull and an ex-United States Sen
ator OF the South, at Washington, was
reported to the Louisville Courier
journal, and reproduced in the New
York Tribune of December 6, 1871.
we now copy it from the latter paper


81 will not be Conservative candi-
date for President against Grant, for
many reasons I am satisfied with my
present place, as it is honorable, and
with it can be more useful. [ do not
agree with the programme which has
been marked out by those who refuse
to support the candidacy of the Presi-
dent for reelection. I am conscious
of the need Of many reforms, and [ am
daily striving to accomplish them. But
[ do not believe that revolution of
parties would be salutary. 1 do not
believe either the people of the North
or South are ready to profit by the
change"


"And why not?"


s'Because the people of the South
have really accepted nothing, and are
not willing to cooperate with the Lib
erals OF the North in settling the prac-
tical relations of society on sure and
genuine basis. [ know that the South
have much to complain of. But so have
the Liberal Republicans. It is not the
rebel element, perhaps, but the nature
of things, that the South should not
realize the complete change of the old
order, and the necessity for the COM
plete change of the domestic policy. [
believe that the defeat of General
Grant would involve a reaction at the
South, whose consequences would be
even worse than the present state of
affairs !"


"Dont you think Gen. Grant medi-
tates the permanent usurpatiOn of the
Executive office ?"


ono, [ do not; my opinion is that
Gen. Grant is, in the main, conserva-
tive man. He has made mistakes, but
I cannot say they justify his removal. "


"What are your personal relations p"


Very friendly. [ have opposed
some of his measures, but [ have no
personal feeling against him, and in
deed this is one of the reasons why it
is disagreeable to have my name men
toned in the connection you namen
"You say the Democracy would sup
pOlu Jou WIol1


You are mistaken. The Democracy
Is yet too strong in number to disband,
for that is the meaning of the passive
policy. Three millions of Democratic
voters can not afford to sell themselves
to two or three hundred thousand Re
publican voters, and that for a mess of
pottage which the Republicans, and
not the Democrats, are to enjoy. I
don't believe they will do it. I think
the passive policy already failure"


"Do you like the new departure -


"No, notexactly. The new departure
was necessity-win or lose. Had the
Democrats not adopted it, but in the
place of it adopted the platform of
1868, they would have been still more
disastrously beaten. The new depart
ure made no recruits, because the peo-
pie did not believe it honest. The Dem
ocratic leaders did what they could no
longer avoid-that is, accept the amend
ments, and the Republicans have to
thank such writer's as Mr.. Stephens
and Mr.. Forsyth that the step in ad-
vance did not make further inroads.
By 1876 the issues of the war, the
amendments, and the Kuklux will be
out OF the way, and there may be a new
and complete reorganization of parties.
But not now"


f g What doyou think of the Kuklux q"
+ "They may be exaggerated. But
there is enough of unpunished violence
at the South to justify the newspapers
IN all the outcry they are making. This
alone would beat the Democracy"


"Then you think the fight next year
will be straight-out party fight 2"


g think it will be as far as the Re-
publicans are concerned. The party is
really not divided. Its internal discus.
slons merely exhibit the exercise of in
tll7ldual free will, and do 1t good, no
harm. 1t will act as a body, and
think it will poll larger vote than t
did IN 1868, no matter what framework
or what candidates are opposed to it,
The people believe in the Republican
party on account of it's liberal discus
sions."