The Lancaster gazette. [volume] (Lancaster, Ohio) 1863-1886, 1865-04-27
Important spessn from ths Prssidsnt.
WAsnINoroN. April %.

W ASHINOToNj Apr1l %.
President Johnson's speech To the
Indiana delegation, on yesterday, was
moro important than any he has yet
delivered. After thanking Governor
Morton for his remarks, the President
said "We are living at time when
the public mind has almost become
oblivious of what treason is. The
time has arrived, my countrymen,
when the American people should be
educated and taught what crime is,
and that treason is crime, and tho
highest crime known to the law and
Constitution. Yes, treason against a
State, treason against all tho States.
treason against the Government Of tho
United States, is the highest crimc
that can be committed, and those en-.
gagged in it should suffer all its penal
ties. 1t is not promulgating any thing
thatI have not heretofore said, to say
that traitors must be made odious; that
treason must be made odioss; that
traitors must be punished and impov-
erished. Applauso] They must not
only be punished, but their social pow
err must be destroyed. If not, they
will still maintain an ascendency, and
may again become numerous and pow
erful, for, in the words of a former
Senator of the United States, "when
traitors become numerous enough,
treason becomes respectable" and l
say that. after making treason odious,
every Union man, and the Govern
ment, should be remunerated out of
the pockets ofthose who have inflicted
this great suffering upon the country.
II Applause ] But do net understand me
as saying this in spirit of anger, for
if l understand my own heart, the re.
verse is the case; and, while ! say that
the penalty Of law, in q stern and in
flexible manner, should be executed
upon the conscious, intelligent and in
Auental traitors, and the leaders, who
have deceived thousands upon thou.
sands of laboring men, who have beer
: drawn into this rebellion; and, whilc ]
, say, as to the leaders, punishment,
, also say, leniency, corciliation ant
, amnesty to the thousands whom they
have misled and deceived. My posi-
tion has been heretofore well known
, and there is no cause to change it now
} and | am glad to hear its rcitcratioI
: on the present occasion.
"Some arc terrified with the idei
that the States are to be lost in terri
toral and other divisions, and are t
lose their character as States, but theii
life breath has only been suspended
and it is high constitutional obliga
tion that we have to secure each o
:. these States in the possession and en-
joyment of a republican form of gov
:, ernment. A State may be In the Gov
ernment with peculiar iustitutions,and
by operation of rebellion, lose tha
g feature, but it was State when
:. went into rebellion, and, when it conc
{ out without the institution, it is still
State. [Great applausc,] l hold it a
a solemn obligation in any one Of thes
. States, where the rebel army has beal
! beaten back or expelled, | care NO
how small the number of Union mer
/, if enough to man tho ship of State,
. hold, I say, high duty to protectan
y secure to them u republican form {
u government. This is no new opinion
It's expressed in conformity with m,
understanding of the genius and the
ory of our Government. / think tn
,, progress of this work must pass int
. the hands of its friends. IApplause
fla State is to be nurscd until it agai
. gets strength it must be nurscd by it
y friends, not smothercd by IFS enemies
! Applause] Now permit me to re
mark that while l have opposed di'
:, :, solution and dsintcgration on the on
: hand, on the other | am equally OF
y posed to consolidation [applause1 {
- - Capitalization Of power in the hant
/, = Of few"