The aegis & intelligencer. [volume] (Bel Air, Md.) 1864-1923, 1865-03-31
miscellaneous.
Vice President johnson.

The following are the comments o.
some leading Abolition journals, on Andy
Johnson's inauguration as Vice President
The Philadelphia Ledger says:
"The saddest spectacle attending the in
auguration at Washington, on Saturday
was the Vice President of the country
standing before an assembled multitude OF
his fellow citizens endeavoriug IT, articu
late maudliu speech, but unable to do 81
inteligibly. There have been shameful
exhibitions in public before by men occu.
pyiag positions and places Of honor, but
at no period of our political history can
there he found one which so degraded the
high Office the people assembled to hon.
or. The Senate, bushlng for the scene,
imm"dia ely ordered the bar FIR the sale
of liquors to be removed but this does
not remove the public disgrace of the
spectacle. 1t is p,infuI to have to reflect
in terms OF cenSure upon persons exalted
to the highest flvors Of the Republic
but the only way to correct ba | example
in such positions, is for the people to con.
denim the open imprpprIeues OF their pub,
lie servants an mold them to- lst az
countablity for their public conduct T,
siur over such instances is to have more
fe lin for tn, in llvi lull than respect for
the p,s'ti m he nc uple5.
II 'ury w lr1 B ,echer, in his piper, the
Independent, in sp1 ,kiDg of this ssrace.
full debauch says:
Aa1 now cDnnernng the Vice PreSi
dent an the hun lifting Sp !cta;le wine
on that day he furnished to the world
shall We speak or keep silent? Parhap-
there exists some gord reason why the IA
truth should be suppressed, but n, snch
re ts,n have We yet diIcerned. w, can
not, therefore, jim with our three neigh.
brrs, the T'tbune, the Tm"s, an the
EOeniny P1st, in ptrloning with silence
the great disgrace winch Andrew Johnsou
inflicted that day upon his country. Had
the tables been turned, and similar Of
IenSe heen committed by George H. Pen
dleton, we can hardly believe that these
journals would have laid their fingers on
their lips in hush of criticism. As fol
ourselves, we trust We are faithfully slow
to speak i'll Of public men, even of such a.
deserve dispraise; and certainly, among
the journals which have aforetme been
hearty i'll their kind words of Andrew
Johnson, none have been heartier than
this sheet but if such an appearance as
he presented during his inauguration is tc
pass without public rebuke, in these and
in other newspaper columns, then there
no longer remains to the press any duty
of impartial criticism of men in offici sta
tions. Once or twice, we have felt it our
duty to speak against the excessive use OF
intoxicating liquors by some of our public
men. 1t may be asked-What is the
duty of a public journal in such cases p
1t seems to US plain. We hold that if q
public man is drunken in private compa
ny he is not amenable to comment in the
newspapers; but if he be drunken while
acting bis part on public occasion, bis
otfense is against the public, and should
never be shielded from just punishment OF
public censure. In the Senate chamber,
on the 4th of March, in presence Of the
Senate, of the House, of the Cabinet, OF
the Supreme Court, of the diplomatic
corps, Of the newspaper press, of a. gallery
of ladies', and During part of the time) OF
the President of the United States-anC
on an occasion to be forever historic-the
Vice President elect presented himself t.
take his solemn oath of off Sc in state oil
iDtoxlcation. Not in anger but in sorrow
do we chronicle this fact, which we hav,
no just right to suppress. A few weeks
ago, the speaker of the House of Repre-.
setatives was commanded by vote of tina,
body to administer public reprimand to
member who had committed similar of
tepse with less conspicuous shame. If ;
member Of Congress is to be punished fol
such an act shall the President of the SEN
ate remain unpuuisbed OF course, tn,
Senate will choose its own method o
reaching the case method which W,
trust, will be- kind, moderate, and Just
But, m~anwhVe, Il is Me pLain duty o,
Mr. Johnson either to opoioyige FIR hi
conduct or to resign his otice. In til,
name of an insulted people, we are com,
PEELED to demand that ST. great an afffont
to the dignity Of the republic shall bt
made to bear fit p'nalty, atonement, ant
warning.
The Washington correspondent of the
New York Comnercint Advertiser, anotb
er leading Republican paper, under date d
March Oh, says:
mAc rnfnrtnMsta occurrence on Satur.