Daily Ohio statesman. [volume] (Columbus, Ohio) 1855-1870, 1865-04-20


THURSDAY MORNING, APRIL 20
d TIE Agents and Messengers of Adams
Express, viii please accept our thanks fol
late st. Louis, Nashville, Louisville, New
York and Philadelphia papers. 9q Il,
Andrew .IOhnson's Speech-5,Aht
Policy he Is Likely 10 Purs1ie.)
In this mornings STATESMAN we repro
duce the speech of ANDREW JOHNSON, now
President of the United States, delivered by
him on the 9Th of April, at Washington
City, on the reception OF the news Of the
fall of Richmond. 1t will be seen that in
this speech he took the position decidedly,
that If the power were in his hands, he
would arrest, try, convict and hang the
leaders of the Rebellion. "Death to the
lconspirators'- is too easy pun
ishment', '.for him that is willing to lift his
impious hand against the authority of the
Nation 1.-THE halter to intelligent influ-
Cential traitors were utterances to which
he gave emphasis. He seemed to regard it
+, a duty to mold public opinion in conformi-
ty with these views. They are the views
that have found special favor in the eyes of
radicals in his party, In view Of the great
calamity that has befallen the country in
the assassination of President LINCOLN, 1t
Is not likely that President JOHNSON will
be moyedto adopt more humane policy
toward the Rebels. The public generally
accept the opinion as true that this deed OF
monstrous infamy was perpetrated by men
i'm the interest of the Rebellion. Ii 1t was
. prompted by them, we can not comprehend
. the motive; because the man who is in the
Rebel interest who supposes that there
could result from such a crime any other
feeling in the minds of the people of the
adhering States than that there should
be dealt out alike to the executor
and prompters of it the most sum
mary and crushing justice, is total
ly ignorant of the manifestations of
human nature. 1t disarms those who were
disposed to advocate generous and concili-
atory terms toward the Rebels. The speech
made by President LINCOLN on the llth OF
April, six days after Vice President
q JOHNSON had made his speech-made after
= reflection-very plainly indicated that he
was inclined to extend such terms. That
. speech he concluded by saying: st may
be the duty of the Executive to make some
new announcement to the people of the
South. am considering it, and shall not
fail to act when satisfied that action will
be proper i Secretary SEWARD and the
President were understood by the country
as being concurrent in their views touch
ing this matter. The country, when it
thought upon the subject at all, placed the
other members of the Administration in
I the category of men who favored policy
in which the leaders in the Rebellion had
nothing to hope for either to their
persons or their property. As the
martial power of the Rebellion has waned
so have these members of the Administra-
tion grown stronger in their anxiety that
Z 7leniency toward the leading rebels should
not be thought Of while President LINCOLN
and Secretary SEWARD seemed to have been
animated by feelings altogether different.
The Rebel leaders almost in the attitude OF
PROSTATE suppliants for clemency,i it ap-
pears the blindest infatuation that they
should desire that these two men, from
whom they had everything to hope, should
be stricken out of existence, and they be left
to the mercy ofrulers whose impulses urged
them not to grant such clemency, and
who would be held up to reprobation
by an indignant people were they0 to
grant it. Unlearned in the classics they
are not, and they know how MARK
ANTHONY wrought up the people Of
Rome against the men who assassinated
JULIUS CEAsAR. This circumstance should
have convinced them that if in like manner
they conspired against the life of President
LINCOLN, the Press, the pulpit and the peo-
pie, would unite In demand that they be
punished to the utmost extremity. To
the classics, however, they had no need to
turn to learn what our people would be
likely to do If at their instance the Presi-
dent were made the victim of assassination
Atsthe event that followed their firing
upon Fort Sumter four years before they
had only to look and they would know
they would know that they had everything
= to lose and nothing to gain-that it was
throwing absolute power over them into
the hands of men who were not in the habit
of associating clemency with their thoughts