Mineral Point weekly tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1859-1868, 1862-03-05
Selerted sflisfellanp.
SPEECH OF
II o h. ANDR w JOHNSON
SENATOR FROM TENNESSEE.

" { make some extracts from the speech
of Senator Johnson, delivered in the Sen
ate on Friday, on the resolution TO expel
Senator Bright, of Indiana, regretting the
impossibility Of printing it in full
TIE POSITION OF THE TRUE DEMOCRACY.
am a Democrat now; | nave been one
all my life | expect to live and die one
and the cornerstone of :ly Democracy
rests upon the enduring basis of the
Union. Democrats may come and go, but
they shall never divert me from the polar
star hy which | 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 pretencc hitherto en-
ployed by many who are now IN the trai-
tors camp has been, I'VE are for the
Union we are not for dissolution but
we are opposed to coercion" How long,
Senators, have you heard that svren sung?
Where are now most Of those who sang
those syren tones to US? Look back 10
the last session, and inquire where now
are the men who then were singing that
song II our ears Where is Trusten
Polk, who then stood here so gently era
wing for peace He is in the rebel can p.
" here is John C. Brcckinrid.c "a man
for whose promotion to the Presidency |
did what | could physically, mentally, and
pecuniarily; but when he satisfied me
that he was for breaking up this Govern
ment, and would ere long be a traitor to
his country, | dropped him rs | would
the Senator from Indiana. lie was here
at the last session of Congress AMI ey-
erybodv 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 it,
Az HISTORICAL INCIDENT.
Abiding to the defeat of the Critten-
den Compromise and the scene in the
Senate at the time
sat right behind Mr. Benjamin, and
am not sure that my worthy friend was
close by, when he refused to vote. and
said to him, " Mr. Benjamin, why do YOU
not vote Why not save this proposition
and see if we cannot bring the country
to it2' He gave me rather an abrupt an
swer, and said he would control his own
action without consulting me or ANYBODY
else Said L. vote and show Yourself an
honest man. As soon as the vote was
aken. he and others telcgraphed 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 MIR Clark?
He was acting out his own policy: 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
f.,I ,rb 4islg .+,-x- ti,,
amendment of the Senator from New
Hampshire could have been voted down,
the defeat of which the Senator from Del
aware says would have saved the coun-
try. Whose fault was 1t p Who is re
sponsible for it? | think that it IS not
only getting the nail through, but clench-
inr it on the other side, and the whole
staple commodity Is taken out Of the
speech Who did It? Southern traitors
as was said in the speech Of the Senator
from California They did it They
wanted no compromise. They accom-
plishcd their objects by Withholding their
votes and hence the country has been
involved in the present difficulty.
THE REFUSAL OF TIE REBELS TO COMPROMISE
When we had it in our power to vote
down the amendment of the Senator from
New HAMPSHIRE aud adopt the CritJen-
den resolutions, certain Southern Senators
prevented it; and vet even at a late day
of the session, after they had seeded, ii e
Critteuden proposition was only lost by
one vote If rebellion and bloodshed and
murder have followed 10 whose skirts
does the responsibility attach ! summed
up all these facts myself in a speech du-
ring the last session: but have preferred
to read from the speech of the Senator
from California. he being better authority,
and having presented the facts better than
| could
What else was done at the very same
session? The House of Representatives
passed and sent to this body, a PROPOSE
ton to amend the Constitution of the nj
ted States, 50 as to prohibit Congress from
ever hereafter interfering with the inSti-
tuition Of slavery in the states, making
that restriction a part Of the organic law
of the land. That constitutional amend
ment came here after the Senator'S from
seven States had seeded; and yet 1t was
passed by a two-third vote IN the Senate.
Have vou ever heard of any one of the
States which had then seeded, or which
has since seeded. takin" up tn amend
mcnt 10 the Constitution. and saving they
would ratifv IT. and make il part OF that
instrument? No Does not the whole
history Of this rebellion tell YOU that it
was revolution that the leaders wanted
that they started for, that they intended
t. have? The facts To which | have re
fcrrcd show how the Crittenden PROPOSE
ton might have boen carried; and when
the Senators from the slave States were
re uced to one-fourth o the members Of
this body. the two houses passed propo-
siti0n to amend the Constitution, 50 rs TO
guaranty To the States perfect security In
regard 10 the institution of slavery in all
future time and prohibiting Congress from
legislating upon the subject,
But what more was done After
Southern Senators had treachorou>ly
abandoned the Constitution, and deserted
their posts here, Congress passed bills for
the organization of three new Terr. .'ories,
Dakota. Nevada, and Colorado; and IN
the sixth section of each Of those bills,
after couferrinG atfirmativelv power on
the Territorial Legislature, il went on to
exclude certain powers by using a mega
tive form of expression and it provided.
among other things. that the Legislature
should have no power tn le-iSlate 50 as to
imnair the right 10 private property. that