The Nashville daily union. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1862-1866, 1865-07-14
The Republican Warfare Upon Presi-
dent johnson,

The warfare against the President,
upon the part of the Republicans, is
now fairly inaugurated, and is conduct
ed with not little feeling and bitter>
ness Their politicians are particular
" incensed that tbs President should
oppose the doctrine of negro suffrage,
and should favor the restoration of the
Southern States to the Union without
it. In Massachuttes they are having
meetings in the churches to assail his
policy, and inhanie the public mind
against il As a specimen of their APP
peals. we quote the proceedings of 3
Republican meeting in the Unitarian
Church at Medford We take it from
the Boston Advertiser, a Republican
journal One Of the speakers declared,
in speaking of negro suffrage, IF it
could not be done by the provisions Of
the Constitution, then We must have
recourse to the same power that had
carried as through the war, for we still
retain our belligerent rights, and could
effect the end desired by military rule.
Mr. J. @ A. Griffin said:
But our great danger arose from the
persistent doctrine Of the President
that the rebellious States had not been
out of the Union. With that doctrine
carried out slavery could never be aboi-
ished, for we could not get States to
doit
Mr.. Griffin said he had great conf
dence in the purposes Of Providence,
but the efforts Of the men of to-day
we're needed to aid in carrying out
those purposes. Again, .alluding TO
Presidents Johnson's adherence to the
theory Of State rights, he said be had
explored his record carefully, and read
ali his speeches in Congress, and
throuehout them eli be held the idea
that the States had the right to entire
II cantrol the subject of slavery. How,
under such s President, asked the
speaker, can VIC get the votes of suth-
cient number Of States to adopt The
amendment What can be expected
of South Carolina and Mississippi un-
der these circumstances, when New
Jersey votes against the amendment,
and nineiy-eight men in the New
Hampshire Legislature follow the ex-
ample
Mr.. Griffin asked why there should
be such haste IN Recommending the re
bellious States, and in answering the
question, alluded to the recent election
in Virginia, which be said had resulted
| solely ia the choice Of rebels; and &c
verely snimAdyerted on the appoint
ment Of Holden as Provisional oVernos
OF North Carolina, in violation Of 2 Law
Of Congress, prohibiting participators IN
rebellion from holding Office. If the
Presidents policy demonstration wa
an experiment, il was folly to try it il
an the States at once. What farmer
would Try an experiment. on his whole
farm at one time, and thus run the Tlsk
of losing his entire crOpf The expert
iment was the more dangerous because
Of the vast powers Of the Provisional
Governors In this connection, Mr..
| Griffin denounced the appointment o.
Judge Sharkey as Provisional Cover MOI
/ of Mississippi, and TO show the devo
ton of that functionary to slavery, read
q decision rendered by him shortly be
fore the war, remanding to bondage
two slaves who had been taken to Ohio
and manumitted there by their master
and afterward again declared free by
his will.
"The speaker said that in view of the
facts which be stated, he was not to be
lulled by the syren Song that slavery il
abolished, or that we have President
who can be trusted On this subject He
had shown By ell his acts that he was
in sympathy with the slave system
When our late lamenled President wsl
declaring that the country could not
exist half slave and half free Mr. john
son was utsering FIR different senti
mentS The speaker said he had read
all Of hr. Johnson's speeches which ne
/ could find, and In none of them had he
found any higher sentiment than de-
ploring the rebellion because it endan
4 gered slavery. Mr. Griffin coutined al
considerable length, denouneing the
Presidents policy Of. reconstruction,
declaring that since the opening gun al
Sumter there had not been so solemn
an hour as The present
Deploring the results Of the assasina
ton Of Abraham Lincoln, Mr. Griffin
said the fatal shot Of Booth had done
more for slavery than ali the guns O
Lees army. The roots OF slavery were
not extermiRated anywhere. They ran
! up under the bastors of the granite
mountains Of New Hampshire, where
ninety.eight niscreants( applause) were
found wiling 70 give tNe system 3 con
stitutional existence--making him
ashamed to own that he was a New
Hampshire man.