The evening Argus. [volume] (Rock Island, Ill.) 1861-1871, 1865-12-04

u
man. He solicited. and obtained, from us,
introductions to respectable citizens, and
showed desire to discharge his duties with
humanity and mpartiality,-snd he really
did SO conduct affairs at the Island, for q
time. But the pressure of the malignant
SQUAD" in Rock Island, was too strong for
him to withstand, and he at last became their
willing tool in all their schemes of oppres-
sion, abuse. and speculation, earning for
himself the contempt of all high-minded
men. Ia his self-debasement he showed a
Willingness even to perform a labial tittila-
ton of the os coccygis of some African, if
his masters required it,-and the African
would let him. He even went so far as TO
declare, over his own signature, in relation
to the prisoners of war, that "if discretionary
power rested with him he would place them
in pen with no shelter but the heavens,
and let them wear their rags" thus starv-
ing and freezing to death 1000 of his own
countrymen, in retaliation for the inhumani-
ties of some brutal Wirz of the south,-a
course that Senator Sumner, In the United
States senate, said we could not pursue with
out being disgraced in the eyes of the whole
world. johnson thus showed that, for black
ness of heart and subservency to his mas
ters, he was only fit to be ranked along with
Wirz and the other'monsters who ill-treated
prisoners of war.
Who and what is this loafer, politically.P-
Let him answer for himself. In his Jersey
circular he says:
Previous to the breaking out of the rebellion
glored in the title of Breckenridge demo-
crat; ready, willing and anxious at all times to
| 'go it blind" on party; grtting my teeth when
disgraceful and degrading nominations
made, but swallowing the candidates sooner than
take any party course that might in the least de-
gree have tendency to defeat my party"
1t seems to US that if this man johnson
had been prudent he would have thought
more than once or twice before thus deliver
ing himself. Who is he that be should now
presume to reflect upon the patriotism OF any
man or any newspaper? He tells us who
and what he was. "He gioried an the title o.
Breckenridge democrat" and icdS one of
the architects OF the southern rebellion. He
is one of those northern men who, In 1860,
Joined the southern conspiracy to divide the
the democratic party, elect an abolitionist 10
the presidency, and "precipitate the cotton
states into revolution" 1t was the conspira.
cy of these men of which Douglas spoke
when he said that SECESSION from the dem
ocratio partly Is DIsUNIoN." this man John
son was one of this set, and was a supporter
of the conspiracy, the purpose Of which was
as plainly disuniou then as it is seen to have
been since. He had, all during Buchanan's
administration, as his confidential friends in
Washington, Slidell and JEFF Davis, through
whom he and his fellows in New Jersey con-
trolled the federal patronage of the state and
hunted Douglas TO his political and speedily
to his very grave. When be deserted the
Davis-Slideil-B Breckenridge standard we know
not, but probably at the same time with
his northern c0-conspirators. BENJAMIN +.
Butler, Daniel 5. Dickinson 10 Holt, Edwin
NJ. Stanton. and others, and from similar mo-
uves with them. They deserted it, in cow
ardice, at the magnificent rising of the north
IN people, when Sumter was fred on TO save
their names from ignominy aud their carcass
from the scafold; and, that they might
profit in their pockets in their new relations,
they did in their old, they made haste to
put on loyalty" even more loyal" than the
loyalty" of the grim fanatics of New En-
gland.
Such, in brief, is the man who now assails
us. Such Is the man who makes exhibi-
ton of his loyalty" in public places, and
accuses the faithful followers of Douglas of
unfaithfulness TO their obligations of patriot
ism God forbid that we should be loyal if
his loyalty is of the standard sort. Between
him and such as him, and ourselves, there
was, in the year 1860, great gulf formed,
and that gulf will never be narrowed We
then denounced such men as A. j. johnson.
as willful conspirators against the integrity
of the democratic party, and as deliberate
aiders and abettors in the southern plot to
break up the Union. We shall never cease
thus 10 denounce them. But for them-but
for the Breckenridge conspirators of the
north-the integrity of the democratic party
would not have been broken, and the late
fearful war would not have occurred, Great
as is the guilt of the southern leaders in the
conspiracy, that of this man johnson and his |
co-conspirators Is greater for what one decent
motive could have animated themH
We scorn to answer the personal rehec- |
tions upon US by this supporter of the Breck.
inridge and JEFF. Davis conspiracy-they are
old, second hand, oft-refuted calumnies, un
worthy of further notice.
Re- ~ har g.. II