Delaware State journal and statesman., 1866-03-16
ILLINOIS TO ANDREW JOHNSON,
GREETING.

Nt0N. ONlESB1 ON MY lOlIiNl Jun
dREss SUSTAINED - " TREASON MADE
OpIous"-A POWERFUL VoIcE FROM
THE GREAT WEsT-THE PEorLE's RE-
sPoNsE TO THE PRESIDENTS AprEAI.
On the 26th of February n great meeting
of the people was held in Springfield, the
capital of Illinois, which, says the Chicago
Tribune, twas immense, in point of num-
hers and enthusiasm The Hon Jesse X.
Dubois was appointed chairman, and Cover
nor Oglosby, speaking for the people of Hi
nois, made the following response to Andrew
.Iohnson's appeal to the people:
Mr. President and fcllow-citizens On
Saturday last gave my consent when in
vitrd 10 do so, 10 attend this meeting tonight,
and topariicipatc in its action, and am now
here TO fulfil that duty. ! shall speak, hope,
in such Il manner as shall be agreeable to
your views, and consistent with the terms of
the call which has Just been read in your
hearing | have made no special prepara-
ton, and will probably not adhere to a con
secutiyc review of the past and present con
dlton of the country, but shall endGavor to
refer to those public matters which now so
deeply affect the public mind.
In recent speech, doomed | fear to "A sad
aud lasting notorety, The President of the
United States appeals repeatedly TO the peo-
ple and to their " instincts Tor support and
endorsement, and somewhat triumphantly
assures himself that his motives are under
stood, and his policy will be ioyfully accept
ed by them, He even makes some pre-
tensions to n belief in their inlallibility, and
did not omit to assert himself as their cham
pion II may he well enough to respond to
'itcsc urgent appeals 1t may be well enough
also TO state that the President may be as
surred ,,uce for all that he has appealed 10
an awful tribunal, and unless he is well
equipped witt the armor of justice, right,
humanity. conn 'on sense and common dc
cency, he will find, perhaps, that the people
possess enough of VIII VI ne cnllS instinct,
TO discriminate between .'he shallow prelence
of clustering dcmaropue md the fidelity of
true friend and an honest ST, ateshal;
The loyal people OF this cou. NtTy during
the last five years have passed tlrough
school and suffered under an exp riellce
which has educated them TO discern j,t
glance those who are Their true friends =
those who are right and those who arc not;
therefore when the President, or any other
man, appeals to them he ought to take care
that he appeals in good cause. Looking
al the past, may briefly assert that it has
been the ardent desire Of every good citizen
IN the land TO preserve intact the unity of the
States, and to blast forever the dreadful here
sy OF secession and division; people were
never more terribly in earnest, and never
more cheerlully submitted to suffering, pri-
yation and sorrow that these two great ends
might successfully he accomplished. Much
dread was experienced in the public mind of
the country us step by step We steadily ad-
yanced, testing every resource and appeal
liig 10 every measure Of support, tried or un-
tlled which by any possibility might give us
aid and comfort. II became too apparent
that slavery was inscparablc from the con-
test
That which has caused the war was sup
4. III 81
new troubles 10 our already overstrained
energies Al this point thar great and good
man, our prudent, able head all through the
fierce cOniest-whom all loved TO honor
whom all could trust-saw, clearly enough,
with nm eye ever fixed on his country's best
veal, that the time had arrived 10 open to
the country plan for the national salvation
which could not fail.
The emancipation proclamation, which
freed the slaves of ten rebel States, also in
spirit and plain language pledged tho strong
arm OF the Government, and the honor OF
every American citizen loyal to his country,
10 stand ready in all future time to guaran eC
the slaves, thus made free, prOteCti0B f'Wl
HAd complete IN Tie enj0gmcm Cf mt .trco-
dom. Felow-citizcns, ! know of no man
truly loyal to our country who did not, after
The fair tesloi its fill virtues had been made,
frankly and candidly approve and accept il
IN all, and with ALL its broad conditions and
undertakings, Following up the spirit ol
This great proclamation, standing lnultlessly,
faithfully TO the bold and now tried expert
lnent, we assembled in convention in 1854,
more as patriots than parisans rcailirmed
and adopted il unanimously and heartily
and that there might he no sort of question
as to our good faith already fairly implied
II not expressly stated, to see 10 it, that The
negro-oncc the poor, helpless slave, ther
uniettcred and free ms you or l-once dis
honored and distrusled, once and for many
long, dreary years under the crushing ban %
mans cold and selfish preiudices-that The
negro might know of IL truth that we wOult
stand by him and see him safely through hll
new journey to new life, we honurel him
with these beautiful words in our platform
ot principles, "That we approve specially
llo proclamation of emancipation and the
employment as Union soldiers of men here
tolorc held in slavery" Again, | say tina
no man can he honorcd more than he who
lighting under the flag Of our country, ap
pears robed in the uniform of the soldier o
That country. Who, | ask, has the hardi
hood, the bold, ungrateiul hardihood, th,
daring insoence and meanness TO fell m'
now it is not the first plain duty of the natiol
10 guarantee to every soldier who has Tough
or stood ready to fight her battles, the full
free, uninterrupted, and uninterruptable en-
loyment ofhs freedom [grcat cheerngl any
where and everywhere under the sun of thi
broad Rcpuhlic2 Am ! to he told by am
shabby statesman that any attempt by Con
grcss TO do this good thing is unconstitulion
al? No, iellow-citizens, no, it is not I'M
constitutional TO do so, but it is unconsti
tntlonal to try to sneak away from our dut.
OF doing so. [Cheers.
well, at that convention we nominated tn
great Lincoln, and alterward Andrew John
son, Was it not known by everybody else
and therefore may 1t not he presumed it wa
also known TO Mr.. johnson, that we mean
to carry out in good faith all that we pledge
ourselves to do? Can it be logically inteI
red that we never meant TO assert and pro
cure the freedom of the whole slave race
appropriate their services in our own caus
MS ireemen and then abandon them, whel
we knew then, as well as Mr. johnson, tina
without our support their freedom would b
unaValllng TO them, and no more than
solemn mockeryY Who talks more abou
taxation without representation than MI
johnson? Who makes more fuss about pee
pie being governed without their conscn
than Mr.. johnson? Who was more willin
Than Mr. johnson to call on the whole slav
race, the whole colored race, for soldiers I
ald us in fighting our battles? We were al
and are all, in honor bound to do full an
complete Justice to this race. In that col
test the people were fcarlully in earnest. w
selected nur ticket under the conviction, il
deed under the constant taunt, that we wcl
especially the colorcd mans friend. 1t wa
everywhere said " You cannot make III
slave free man without making him lrC
.lilzen. To make him this, you make hin
hcl0re the law, the equal of the white man.
mere We're those then among us who cOul
not sufficiently abuse him, and they arc thos
VINO now rejoice to see another effort it