The Hillsdale standard. [volume] (Hillsdale, Mich.) 1851-1909, 1865-05-16
Speech OF President Johnson.

meeting held at Harrisburg, Pa., last
Thursday evening, to present the res
olutions adopted at that meeting Pres
Iident Johnson, had an audience with
Mr.. Johnson ior that purpose.
The committee were accompanied
by Hon. Thaddeus Stevens and other
prominent Pennsylvanians. In presen-
ting the resolutions Mr.. Cameron said :
MIR. SIMEON cAMERoN's ADDRESS.
Mr.. PREsnENT-I have only one
word to say. A large number ofpeo-
pie, members OF the Union and Repub-
lican party, met at Harrisburg last
Thursday, and appointed this commit
tee to come and pay their respects to
you. We have nothing to desire but the
prosperity of your administration, and
have ample confidence in your ability
a confidence derived from past history.
Your first great task is to close up the
war, and we takeit for granted that you
will not only act wisely, but justly. II
men who brought on this war shall
meet the fullreward oftheir guilt, while
we believe the more deluded instrp-
ments ought to be suffered to go, along
their wonted way, and do the best they
can. / have no faith in permitting
those who brought on the war to live
in the same way they did before the
war commenced; and we hope that you
will find some way to takeoare of them,
and to save and reunite the country
There are none here who have come
from any desire for place for themselves
or their relations, but simply from a
wish to express their confidence and de-
sire that you will bring the country out
of this trouble, and that the cause of
slavary shall be ended ere even this is
brought about.
THE PRESIDENTS REPLY,
Mr. CHAIRMAN AND GENTLEMEN--I
can only reply in general terms; pre-
haps as good reply as ! can make
would be to refer to or repeat what !
have already said to other delegations
who have come for the purpose Of en-
couraging or inspiring me with conf
dence on entering upon the discharge
of duties so responsible-so perilous, =
All that / could now say would be but
reiteration Of sentiments already in
dicated The words you have spoken
are most fully and cordially accepted
and responded to by me. |, too, think
the time has arrived when the people
of this nation should understand that
treason is crime. When we turn to
the catalogue of crime we find that
most o. those containined in it are un=
derstood, but the crime of treason has
neither been generally understood nor
generally appreciated, as l think 1t
should be. And there has been an ef-
feet since the rebellion commenced to
make the impression that it was mere
political struggle or as ! see IL thrown
out in some Of the papers, struggle,
for ascendency of certain principles
from the dawn of the Government to
the present time, and now settled by
the final triumph of the Federal arms.
If this is to be a determined, settled
idea and opinion, the government is at
an end, for no question can arise but
they will make it party issue, and then
to whatever length they carry it the
party defeated will be only a party dc.
feated, AMI 10 crime attached thereto.
But, / say treason is a orime-the high
est crime known to the law-and the
people ought to understand it, and be
taught to know that unless it be so con-
sidered there can be no government
l do not say this to Indicate revenge
ful or improper spirit. 1t is simply the
enunciation of deliberate consideration
and temperate Judgment. There are
men who ought to suffer the penalties
of their treason; but there are also
some who have been engaged in this re-
bellion who, while, technically speaking,
are gnilty Of treason, yet are morally
not Thousands who have been drawn
into it, involved by various Influences
by conscription, by dread, by force of
public opinion in the localities in which
they 1ived-these are not so responsible
as those who led, deceived and forced
them. To the unconcious, deceived,
conscripted-in short, to the great mass
of the misled--I would say mercy, elem
ency, reconciliation, and the restoration
of their Government. To those who
have deceived-to the concious, infiu-
ential traitor, who attempted to destroy
the life of nation, l would say "On
you be inflicted the severe penalties of
your crime" Applause.] fully under-
stand how easy it is to get up an i'm
preston in regard to the exercise of
mercy; and if know myself and my
own heart, there is in it as great a dis,
position to mercy rs can be manifested
on the part of any other individual
But mercy without justice is q crime.
In the exercise of mercy there should
be deliberate consideration, ard pro-
found understanding of the case and
| am not prepared to say but what itl
Should be often transferred to a higher
court--a court where mercy and justice
can best be united. ieT yh
"A great monopoly--thc remark of
your Chairman brings me to it-existed,
that of slavery; and upon it rested an
aristocracy. 1t is the work of freemen
TO put down monopolies. You have
seen the attempt made by the monopo !,
ly of slavery to put down the govern
ment. But in the making of that at
tempt, thereby to control and destroy
the government, you have seen the gov
ernment put down the monopoly and
destroy the institution. Applause. i
institutions of any kind must be sub
ordinate to the government, or the
government cannot stand, do not care
whether it be North or South. A gov
ernment based upon popular Judge
ment must be paramount to all institu-
fions that snriuv nm under that rov.,,n-