Rutland weekly herald. [volume] (Rutland, Vt.) 1859-1877, 1865-04-20
RUTLAND HERALD,
WEDNESDAY APRIL 10, 1865,
Andrew johnson.

h1dslsITdCN nave dCNbANVNl NaAS"SA VAN
death of the President,
Like the lamented Abraham Lincoln,
Andrew johnson had no early adYan-
tages of wealth, education or family in !
fiuence He was born in Raleigh, N, !
c., in 1908. At the age of four years, he 4
lost his father; and at the age of ten
was apprentced by his mother to tall 4
or in Raleigh, with whom he served
seven years. How he arst came to form
resolution TO educate himself is thus
told in the American Encyclopedia
"Hls mother was unable TO afford him
any educational advantages and he I
never attended school day In his life.
While learning his trade, however, he
resolved to make an effort to educate
himself His anxiety to learn to read
was particularly excited by an incident
which is worthy of mention. A gentle
man of Raleigh was in the habit Of 60
ing into the tailOr's shop and reading
while the apprentices and iourneymen
We're at work. He was an excellent
reader, and his lavorite work was vol
ume of speeches, principally of British
statesmen. Johnson became interested,
and his first ambition was to equal him
as a reader, and become familiar with
those speeches. He took up the alpha
bet without an instructor, but by apply
ing to the iourneymen with whom he
worked he obtained little assistance.
Having acquired a knowledge of the al
phabet, he applied for the loan of the
book which he had so often heard read.
The owner made him a present of 1t,
and gave him some instruction on the
use of letters in the formation of words.
Thus his first exercises in spelling were
in that book. By perseverance he soon
learned to read, and the hours which he
devoted to his education were at night
after he was through his daily labors on
the shop board. He now applied him
self to books from two to three hours
every night, after working from ten to
twelve hours at his trade.
Completing his apprenticeship in 1924
he worked as journeyman at Laurens
Court House, s. c., and at Raleigh, N.
c., until the fall of 1926, when he re
moved to Greenyille, Tenn, taking with
him his dependent mother, where he
commenced work as u journeyman, and
soon after married Here he continued
his nightly studies under the instruction
of his wife. In 1923 he commenced his
public life as alderman of his village,
which position he continued to hold in
1929 and 1880. In the latter year he
was elected mayor. In 1885 he was
elected to the Legislature and again in
1889. In 1910 he was one Of the presi-
Dental electors at large of his state on
the Democratic ticket, and canvassed a
large portion of the state, meeting seve-
raj of the leading speakers of the oppo-
site party on the stump. In 184l he was
elected to the State Senate. In 1913 he
was sent to Congress, where he served
for ten years. In 1853 he was elected,
and in 1855 reelected Governor Of Ten
nessee, each time after spirited contest,
and in 1867 was elected United States
Senator for the full term of six years.
Such is a brief outline of his life to
the outbreak of the rebellion; and two
more complete and striking illustrations
of the genius of our democratic institu
) tions could not be found than are afford
ed in the lives of the men who were in
augurated as president and vice presi
dent of the United States on the 4th o
last March.
But it was Andy Johnsons course a
and after the outbreak of the Southern
Rebellion that especially won for hin
the admiration and respect Of the loya
American people, and proved him an un
flinching and trusty patriot, "faithfu
among the faithless" to the Union anC
to true democracy. Himself Southern
democrat, he alone refused to join in tn
conspiracy of his fellow democrats of tn
South: he fought them from the begin
ming; and he stood up in the Senate o
the ID of March 1861, and denounce
the conspirators as traitors and tol
them that if he were president he "woul
have them arrested and when tried an
convicted, by the eternal God he woul
have them hung" His whole public Ii
has been a conflict against the prejudice
of slavocracy in his State, and for tn
amelioration and elevation Of the cor
mon people to whom he was bound
the ties of birth and an enduring int
est in their welfare. When the rebellic
broke out he remained steadfast in n
fidelity to the Union, in spite of 8
brides and threats, and when his fdeli
was tried as that of few public men h
been. The rebels with characterize
flendishness, abused his wife, murder
his daughter. burned his house, and {
fered q reward for his capture dead
alive. In view of all these things
what he, as q border state man, has Sc
and suffered, it is not wonderful
he said on Saturday last, as is reportt
that he would not commit himself TO
policy which would prevent his visit
condign punishment on the rebel lea
ers The murder of Abraham LincC