Daily State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis, Ind.) 1861-1865, 1865-05-12
President W Johnson-A Graph
&c Account Of his Political Career
and has Character as a Man.

son:
There seems to be a general desire to know
the character of the man who, by the act Of an
assassin. now Yields more power. Tor the veal or
woe Of the human race, than perhaps any other
single individual on the face of the globe. The
startling fact has presented itself TO Us that, in
this cfitical ~juncture of affairs, power almost IN
limited to direct and control the destinies of our
country, has passed to uutried hands. The peo-
pie have too much at stake to be Indifferent
They wish TO know the man The questions are
not so much-ls he radical? l. be conservativei
as, Il he honest? Ishe c~apables Has he wisdom
to guide usI Is he of sterling integrity Is be a
good man, on whose purity Of intentions we can
all relyG
shall speak of his character as known be-
fore the war His early dis ,dvantsges as 20 e.
ucation are already known. His wife taught him
10 write, after marriage He was \ tailor by
trade He began his political career at Green
Vile. Tenn by organizing a mechanics club,
the object OF which was to deieat the petty Office
holders of the town, who formed a kind OF aris-
tocratic clique.
He is an effective stump speaker In his pub
lie speeches the only prominent mistake. showing
his want OF education, is the use of singular
verbs with plural nouns. aud plural verbs with
singular nouns His voice. at first, is whining.
but as he warns with his subject it seems to en-
"A1N 81 NsOAAa az AO4Ah VI us AOllO " IL
and holds them soell bound
he canvassed Tennessee twice for the Office Of
governor. The first time he was opposed by
Gustavus A. Henry. called the eagle orator"
aud the second time by Meredith Z. Gentry, two
OF the ablest whig orators of the state. Both his
opponents sickeued and abandoned the field
without completing the canvass; and they we're
both badly deafeated at the polls. Henry had
been a member of the legislature he wear pre-
| CpQlnp his canvass and had Garrvmandaro
the congressional districts (Johnson called il
" Henry wandered y so as TO make Johnson, who
had been a democratic member of congress ten
years, a resident of a whig district. and thus
threw him out Of his seat For Henry's great
services in that legislature he was to be made
governor; for his services in that legislature,
johnson to defeat him before the peo-
Pile. and he did it m~anfully successfully.
he deals largely in facts and figures in his
speeches to the people. He can interest a crowd
of Tennessee backwOodsmen in an argument on
the ciuses and consequences Of the public debts
OF England, France and Austria, and he will
cause every man to feel that he thoroughly com
p%rehends the question. He has to perfection that
happy. that inimitable faculty of raising the peo-
pie up in their own estimation to the hight of his
great argumen
He has good political foresight. After he takes
what he believes to be the popular side of any
question, he does not daily with the opposite par
ty, be goes boldly to the work, announces his DO
sition, and begins to fight for it Immediately. You
have no doubt where he stands. In the begin
ming of his canvass with Gentry. the temperance
organization determined, as they we're not strong
enough to run an independent candidate, to ad-
dress certain interrogatories to the two candi-
dates and to vote for him whose answer best
suited them. johnson, who was certainly a TEN
perate man at that time. treated the committee
roughly, would not deign to give them a polite
answer, and almost threw the interrogatories
back into their faces. Gentry, on the other
hand, whOiwas inclined to be convivial, answered
the committee very politely, and quite to their
satisfaction.
Johuson's party friends thought he was injudi-
cious in insulting the temperance interest. but
the sequel proved his greater political wisdom.
for be made a point OF it in all his speeches. told
OF his interviews with the committee. and his re-
sponses, and then he openly struck for the whis-
ky interest-and won.
he has alwas been a states rights democrat.
de believes in a strict construction of the consti-
tuition His democracy is of a peculiar sort,
however. DE worships it. 1t is his only relig-
ion. In his first inaugural, as governor of Ten
nessee, he said that democracy and religion were
handmaids Oh each other; that thew we're con
verging lines. like Jacobs ladder. extending
from earth to heaven, gradually approaching
each other, until. reaching heaven, they unite in
theocracy.
The popularity of the address caused il to be
copied in the Partisan papers. He proclaims
himself the champion of the peoples rights He
is opposed to penltentiarY cOnvicts working at
the mechanic arts. because the products of their
labor come into competition with the honest me
chanIcs DE made a point OF this when he ran
tor governor. His opponent defed him to sug-
gest h better system. He did not know what
other plans might be adopted-he said he knew
the present system was wrong. While he was
governor ne made a coat, perhaps q SUIT, for
Judge Pepper, then judge of a circuit court in
Middle Tennessee. Pepper had been a black
smith, and, as one good turn deserved another,
be made a shovel and pair of tongs for johnson
Letters were written by each and duly pub
liShtd
he will acknowledge to no error in his politi
cal career. He is at all times ready TO defend
DIS course from beginning to ending. Il is
thought that he introduces resolutions aud bills.
not so much TO secure their passage as to make
a record he is scrupulously careful to say moth
ing in his speeches that be cannot prove; or, if
be does say anything of doubtful truth, be gives
his authority Ii would. perhaps, be nearer cor
rect to say that be makes no statements in his
speeches that eau be proven untrue, To Illus
trate; Henry, to get the Irish vote OF Memphis,
referred to JohnsOn's vote in congress against
the Appropriation for Starving Ireland" The
lrish were Wild 10 their applause for him. John
son. IN reply, said he believed in a strict con
stTuctlon OF the constitution; that be had no right
to vote away the peoples money tor such an ob
Ject' But, fellow citizens" he continued,
when that reso lion was defeated. knowing
that We had foil power over our per diem
l introduced a resolution that we should
appropriate that for a certain time, which
woul1 have amounted 10 many thousand
dollars; and when that was defeated, knowing
that l bad full powe- over nv own money. l
contributed fifty dollars"
Turning TO Henry, Did YOU contribute ftty
dollarsf' johnson paused for a reply" The
Irish cried out, Answer, answer Henry
shook his head Did you give twenty FIVE
dollarsI Again a shake of the head did
you give ten, nay, FIVE dollars?" And again
that reluctant bead vas shaken. Henry friends
said that johnson had never given any thing for
ireland; the Irish believed he did, and voted for
him.
he is an honest man, but not so much so as
to have ever received the sobriQuet Honest
Andy" He would not be very indignant on de
tecting a %pilferer; would be more apt to use him
for a scullion than to hand him over TO public
justice.
He has a good head. somewhat of the bull dog
type. he has an apparent frown on his counte
nance, even in repose He IS Of the cold blooded
order, no blood in the face, and understands the
sardonic grin TO perfection.
His heart does not govern him. He was ac-