The weekly Butte record., 1862-01-04
Speech of Andrew Johnson, Senator from
Tennessee.

4CuUCooCC.
The following extract from the speech of
Hon. Andrew johnson, in the United States
Senate, is terribly severe on the antcoer-
cion," or "peace" patriots of the country:
| am Democrat now l have been one all
my life | expect to live and die one and the
cornerstone of my Democracy rests upon the
enduring basis of the Union. Democrats may
come and go, but they shall never divert me
from the polar star by which l have ever been
guided from early life--the great principles of
Democracy upon which this Government rests,
and which cannot be carried out without the
preservation of the Union Of these States.
The pretence hitherto employed by many who
are now in the traitors camp has been, i" we
are for the Union we are not for dissolution
bnt we are opposed to coercion" How long,
Senators, have you heard that syren song sung?
Where are now most of those who sang those
syren tunes to US? Look back to the last ses-
sion, and inquire where now are the men who
then were singing that song in our ears
Where is Trusten Polk, who then stood here
so gently craving for peace? He is in the
rebel camp. Where is John G. Breckenridge?
"a man for whose promotion to the Presiden-
cy | did what could physically, mentally, and
pecuniarily but when be satisfied me that he
was for breaking up this Government, and
would ere long be a traitor TO his country,
dropped him as | would the Senator from In
diana. He was here at the last scsson of Con-
gress and everybody could see then that he
was on the road to the traitors camp. Instead
of sustaining the Government, he, too, was
crying out for peace; but he was bitter
against coercion.
Abiding to the defeat of the Crittenden
Compromise, and the scene in the Senate at
the time, he places the responsibility of that
act where it truthfully belongs, as follows:
sat right behind Mr. Benjamin, and am
not sure that my worthy friend was not close
by, when he refused to vote, and l said to him,
" Mr. Benjamin, why do you not vote? Why
not save this proposition, and see if we cannot
bring the country to it ?" He gave me rather
an abrupt answer, and said he would control
his own action without consulting me or any
body else. Said |, vote, and show yourself
an honest man." As soon as the vote was ta-
ken, he and others telegraphed South, :" We
cannot get any compromise" Here were six
Southern men refusing to vote, when the
amendment would have been rejected by four
majority if they had voted. Who, then, has
brought these evils on the country? Was it
Mr.. Clark He was acting out his own poll
cy but with the help we had from the other
side of the Chamber, if all those on this side
had been true to the Constitution, and faithful
to their constituents, and had acted with fdel-
ity to the country, the amendment OF the Sen
ator from New Hampshire could have been
voted down, the defeat Of which the Senator
from Delaware says would have saved the
coantry. Whose fault was it? Who is re-
sponsible for it? Who did it? Southern
traitors as was said in the speech of the Sena-
tor from California. They did it. They
wanted no compromise. They accomplished
tEeir object by Withholding their votes and
hence the country has been involved in the pres
ent difficulty.
We shall present further extracts from Mr..
j Johnson's speech next week. His speech
vindicates the Douglas Democracy,
and tears the masks from the treacherous faces
of rebels and their sympathisers, in every phase
they have assumed.