The Hancock Jeffersonian. [volume] (Findlay, Ohio) 1857-1870, 1865-04-21
Andrew Johuson's Yicws-IIc Believe
in Furnishing Treason

At meeting on April Sd, ut the
War Department, in Washington, af
tier the reading of the dispatches from
.the front of our victorious armies.
announcing the fall OF Richmond, Mr..
;StanlOn introduced Vice President
johnson. We give Mr.. Johnson ;
remarks on that occasion, as an eX.
.poncnt of his views upon the troubles
(which eadangor the country. They
3werc follows:
Being unexpectedly called on hy
sthis large audience here, to address
. them in reference to the victories
(which have been announced by tole-
! Sgraph, it is sincere pleasure to me
Ito have it in my power TO ninglc with
sthose congratulations which are in.
scidontal to triumphs ofthis character.
sand perhaps ! should content myself
with this acknowledgement of my
qualification in being called, on this
Sauspicious occasion, to mingle with
syou in your rejoicings in this the hour
I sof our country's triumph. Butt may
.not be entirely out of place for me to
Estate that ut the commencement OF
sthis iniquitous rebellion, ! was one
swho entered the service, not as a three
smonths, a six months, twelve
tmonths or three years man, but as
sone enlisted for the war or during
;thc struggle for the suppression OF
sof the rebellion; and trust it will not
. be considered egotistical for me, on
sthis occasion, to allude briefly to what
Twas my position at the beginning of
sthe rebellion. In the Senate OF the
limited States, when the conspiracy
lwas matured, and Senators were re-
ttiring from their seats, when l was
scalled upon to say what l would do
lin the matter, my reply was that Gen.
sJackson, while President of the
limited States in 1882 and 1888, de-
iclared that traitors should be hung
as high as Haman's gallows, and then
iput his foot upon it and crushed il
tout. That old man now sleeps in the
tomb; and were it possible to com,
smunicate intelligence TO the dead,
land he could be made to know that
TRAITORS and treason were rampant in
ithe land, it would cause the old man
ito turn over in his coffin and burst the
!: Hid, and rise from the tomb and shake
soff the habiliments Of the dead, and
sagain reiterate that memorable SEN
itence, that "The union of the States
| must be preserved" When asked
what | would do, l said would ar
'rest them as traitors, / would try
them as traitors, commit them as
TRAITORS, and hang them as traitors.
And in this connection l will say that,
taking into account the persecution,
and Punishment from all
THAT is sacred and dear to men, that
the traitors-that is, the leading trai
tors, who have deceived and involved
the nation in this diabolical rebellion;
i should say that their reward should
be the halter and the gallows.. re-
peat, that conscious, intelligent, lead
ing traitors should suffer the penalty
of death. And, on the other hand,
to the people who have been deluded
and misled, would extend leniency
and humanity. and an invitation to re-
turn to the allegiance they owe to the
country. We have the gratifying
intelligence to-day that the outpost
of the Southern Confederacy has been
taken. In addition to that the gates
|of the citdel have been entered by