Orleans independent standard. [volume] (Irasburgh, Vt.) 1856-1871, 1861-06-28
Hon. Andrew johnson.

In his speech at Cincinnati, this heroic
Senator from Tennessee thus spoke OF
the contest in his State: !
" But while this contest has been going
on, portion of our fellow citizens have
been standing up for the constitution and
the Union, and because they have dared
to stand upon the great embattlement oil
constitutional liberties, exercising the
freedom and the liberty of speech, por-
ton of our people have declared that we
were traitors; they have said that our
fate was to be the fate of traitors, and
that hemp was growing and that the day
of our execution was approaching-that
the time would come when those dare
stand by the constitution and the princi-
pies therein embraced, that the expiation
Of these deeds would be upon the gallows.
We have met these things. Wehave met
them IN open dag. We hare met them
face to face-toe to t0e-at least in one
part of the State. We have told them
that the constitution Of the United States
defines treason, and that definition is, that
treason against the United States shall
consist only in levying war against the
general government of the United States,
We have told them that the time would
come when the principles of the constl-
tuition and the law defining treason would
be maintained. We have told them that
the time would come when the judiciary
Of the government would be sustained in
manner that it could define what was
treason under the constitution and the
law made in conformity with it, and that
when defined, they would ascertain who
we're the traitors, and qOho IL acaS that
,couId stretch the hemp they had prepared
for as. (Applause.)
/ know that in reference to myself and
others rewards have been offered, and il
has been said that warrants have been
issued for our arrest. Let me say to you
here to-day that l am no fugitive, es-
pecially no fugitive from justice. Laugh
ter. If l were a fugitive, would be a
fugitive from tyrranny-a fugitive from
the reign of terror. But, thank God, the
county in which I live and that division
the State from which l hail, will record
vote of $4,000 against the secession
ordinance. The county in which | live
gave majority Of 2007 against this
odious, diabolical, nefarious, hell-born
and hell-hound doctrine"
OF the general controversy, Mr.. john
son well said:
I'VE have arrived at that point or
that period in our national history, at
which it has become necessary for this
government to say to the civilized, as
we'll as to the pagan world, whether it is
in reality government. If it has power
to preserve its existence and 10 maintain
the principles of the Constitution and the
laws, that authority should be asserted.
I say, then, let the civilized world see that
we have a government. Let US dispel
the deIusion under which we have been
laboring since the Inauguration of the
government in 1789-let us show that il
is not an ephemeral institution ; that we
have not imagined we had government,
and when the test came, that the govern
ment frittered away between our fingers
and quickly faded in the distance. Cap
plause.) The time has come when the
government reared by our fathers should
assert itself, and give conclusive proof to
the civilized world that it is a realityand
a perpetuity. (Applauso.)