New Orleans daily crescent. [volume] ([New Orleans, La.]) 1851-1866, 1866-04-20
7ELEGRAPHIc DISPATCHES
THE PRESIDENTS SPEECH.

of soldiers and sailors assembled at the Whit
House, this evening, to pay their respects to tn
President, President Johnson said
| confess that in the present posture of public
affairs, your presence and address give encourage
ment and confidence to me in my efforts to dis
| charge the duties Incumbent on me as chief magis
| trats Of the republic, and in what have to say
| shall address you in the character of citizens
sailors and soldiers. (Applause) We are to-day
involved in one of the most critical and trying stu.
| ations that have occurred since the government
came into existence. The nation has another test
still to undergo, and that is to give evidence to she
nations Of the earth and to its own citizens that it
has the power to restore internal peace that it has
strength enough to put down treachery and trea-
son within its own borders. tCheers) Ne have
commenced an ordeal and trust in God we will
pass through it successfully. ECheers.)
feel complimentary the'alusion of one pres
ent to the fast that in lie Senate in 1860 ana 1861
when the nation was entering on this ordeal,
raised my hands against treason, treachery and
traitors. tChsers and cries, of good.) I stand
here to-day, holding to and maintaining the same
opinions which l. then enunciated. (Cheers} 1
stand here to-day opposing traitors and treason,
whoever they be; in the South or in the North.
Loud cheers) l stand here to-day as l tn n
Stood using all my powers, mental and physical,
to preserve the nation in going through the third
phase OF its existence. The organized forces and
combined powers that recently stood arrayed
against US are dsbanded, driven from the field :;
but it does not follow that there are still no enc
mics against our present form Of government and
our free institutions. (Applause.)
] then stood in the Senate of the United States
denying the doctrine of separation and secession,
denied then as / do now, that any State has the
right, of its own will to separate itself from the
other States, and the right to destroy the Union and
break up thegovernment; and think have given
some evidence that I have been sincere and in
earnest. and now want to know why it it is that
the whole train of slanderers and caamniators have
been barking and swapping al my heels. (Cheers.
Way IS 1t they have arrayed themselves against
me? Is because stand on the side of the people
and when lsay people include sailors and soldiers
(Cheers.) Why is it that they are arrayed in ira
ducng and falsliylng and calumniating me? Where
were they during the rebellion just ended? Ever
at home in bed. G.aughter) In the Senate
raised my voice against it, and whenit was believed
that it would be to the interest of the nation |
should assist in putting down the rebellion, did /
| leave my place in the Senate-a place of emolu-
ment ease and distinction--and take ny position
where the enemy could be reached, and where
mea' S lives were in danger? Cheers and cries
of % that's son')
While was thus exposed, personally and pub
licly, some of my present traducers and caIumnia
tors were far removed from the foe, and were en-
JoyIng ease and comfort. (Cheers and laughter
But care not for them. | care not that SANDER
the foul whelp-that has been turned against me
l care not for all that they may tell you to-day
Although pretty well advanced in life, I feel that
shall live long enough to drive down the whole
pack of traducers and sanderers. TApplause I
They have turned the whole pack loose to lower
me in your estimation. Verify, they can't do it.
Tray, Blanch and sweethearts-ttle dogs come
| along swapping and snarling but heed them
| not. (Cheers.) The American people-citizens
soldiers and saors-know that, from my advent
into public life to the present moment, l have
always stood, unswervingy, the advocate and de-
fender of their rights and interests. CHEERS. ]
We are now in the nations third ordeal. We are
not yet through We denied that States could go
out of the Union-we denied the doctrine of seces.
sion-and we demonstrated it by the strong arm
yes, the soldiers and Sailors (God bless them y
have demonstrated, by their patriotism and strong
arms, that States have not the power to leave
the Union. (Applause.)
What followed The Confederate armies were
overpowered and disbanded and there was a
willingness on the part of the people of those
States to come back in obedience to the law and
acknowledge the supremacy of the Constitution of
our fathers. For what have we passed through
this third ordeal? 1t was to prove the principle
that no State had the power to break up the
government. 1t was to put down rebellion. The
rebellion has been put down, and for what? Was
it to destroy the States? Verify, never. For
what have all these lives been sacrificed and all
this treasure expended Was it for the purp "a
of destroying the States? No. 1t was for the
purpose of preserving the union of the States.
That is what we have been contending for, and to
establish the fact that the nation can lift its own
head above and beyond internal wars, and treason
and traitors at home. When the rebellion in
Massachusetts was put down did that put Massa-
chusetts out of the Union and destroy the State
When the rebellion in Pennsylvania was put down,
did that destroy the State and put it out
of the Union :? So, when the great rebellion was
put down, and the Constitution and laws of the
country restored, the States engaged in the rebel
lion being crushed, the law restored and the Con-
stitution acknowledged in them, they stood in the
Union and Constitution portion Of these glorous.
bright galaXy of States. In passing through this o.
deal which has been done in themunder the direction
ofnly lamented predecessor, we commenced tn~
work of reform we succeeded before came here
in restoring the relations which had existed be.
tween Tennessee and the rest fthe Union with one
eXception-the relation of representation. | came
to Washington, and under extraordinary circunl-
stances, succeeded to the Presidential Chair. The
| Congress of the United States had adjourned with
out prescribing any plan. then proceeded as !
had done in my own State, in reconstructing the
| government to restore the other States And
how did we begin? We found that the people had
no courts and we said to the judges, district at.
torneys and marshals, go down and hold your
courts. The people need the tribunals of justice
to be opened. Was there anything wrong in tina,
the courts were opened?
What else? We looked out and saw that til,
people there had no mails-they had been inter
rnpted and cut off by the operations of the rebel
lion. We said to the postmaster general, let the
people have facilities for mails and let them agar
begin to Ii derstand that we all feel and think ".
are onep pie. We looked out again and saw
that there was blockade, that the custom
houses were all closed. We said open the doors
| nf The custemhouses and remove the blockade let
tn. pursuits ofpeace 60 on, and it was done. We
ti- travelled on step by step, opening the custom,
ho lses appointing collectors, establishing mail