Daily Ohio statesman. [volume] (Columbus, Ohio) 1855-1870, 1866-04-16
Anniversary of President Lin.
~ colm,a AesnssinnliOn.

Almost suspended became the beating Ot
the public heart. BY the hand Of an as
sassin In the night of the l4th OF April,
1865. all that was mortal Of President LIN
COLIN was given over to Death. Under or
dinSry circumstances with the country in
complete repose, and Industry busily en-
gagged in contributing to its development
and improvement, such an event would
have caused widespread gloom and appre-
hension; but coming, as it did, few days
after the Peace Conference at Fortress
Monroe, wherein HUNTER, STEPHENS and
CAMPBELL represented the Southern side
and President LINCOLN the whole country,
and the surrender of General LEE for the
sake OF Peace, undoubtedly, the gloom and
apprehension that spread over the land
with the intelligence OF President LIN
coins assassination were extreme.
There began to grow up in the minds of
the people-North and South-at this
time belief that President LINCOLN could
bring about the speedy and perfect
pacificatiOn of the country better than
any other living man. Men who
had distrusted him-men. who had
denounced with acrimony many OF
his War measures-began to look to
him with hope and confidence. There
were those in his own party, it is true (the
Radical leaders), who began to murmur
and talk of treachery; but the great mass OF
the people had confidence in him-not
confidence that he would wreak vengeance
upon the south, or that he would deal with
them with exacting and unrelenting sever
ity-that he would exercise generous mag
nanimity toward the Southern people, and
thus conciliate them into cheerful acqui-
escence henceforth faithfully to abide in the
Union. 1t was the entertained belief that
he would do this thing that intensified
the gloom and apprehension of the people.
ANDREW JOHNSON they looked upon as the
representative of that Radiealism that
would overturn our form of Government
and would deal out to the Southern people
vengeance and persecution such as barbar-
ism would regard with even repugnance.
Believing thus and feeling thus, the ex-
preston passed from lip to lip: The
South has lost her best friend"
Orators of the Radical order caught up
the expression, and made it the text for in
tiammatory discourses against the South.
Had President LINCOLN been permitted to
live, they said, most lenient would he have
been with that people; but now there was
to be no leniency shown; torture excessive
was to be visited upon them; humiliation
upon humiliation was to be measured out
to them with heaping measure; they were
to be dealt with as strangers in their own
land; every feeling of commseration was
to be torn out by the roots, and the feeling
of hate was to be planted, watered and cul-
tured with unsparing care, instead. Yet
the people grew not jubilant oyer such
harangues; they could not realize that it
was their duty to reverse the whole feeling
of their natures, and consent to the inflic-
tion of punishment upon whole people,
because one or two persons were guilty of
the great crime of terminating the earthly
existence of President whose understood
purpose was to prosecute the restoration of
peace with at least the same vigor with
which the War had been prosecuted. Had
they at that time believed that ANDREW
JOHNSON would take up and carry forward
President LlNCOLN's indicated scheme of
broad and generous Cancellation, they |
would not have allowed themselves to be
afflicted with apprehension as to the fu-
ture. 1i -lr .-, I .t.
The evidence is not circumstantial or
suppositious, that President LINCOLN, had
he lived, would, as far as depended upon
him, have had the Southern States repre-
sented in both Houses of Congress within
the shortest space of time. Il is direct and
unequivocal, 1t is likewise equally certain
that he would have given his recommends
tion in favor of an amendment to the Con-
stitution, as safeguard against attempted
secession in the future, compelling each |
State to be represented in both Houses Of
Congress. Hi.
President LINcoLN's indicated peace pol
icy, as thus far illustrated by President
JOHNSON, has been beneficent beyond ex-
pectation. Complete and perfect order pre-
walls throughout the South-as much so as
in any other section of the Union. There I
is there as cheerful obedience rendered to !
the authority of the Federal Government
as there is anywhere else. In history there
is to be found no instance where people
that had failed in the prosecution of so
gigantic war returned to the pur-
suits of peace SO instantaneously
and submitted to the authority of
the triumphant power with every
of good feeling. Wherein is
to be found the secret of this? Is it not to
be found in the magnanimous treatment of
that people by President JoHNsoN?-
Where can we derive authority for the be-
lief that this gratifying condition of af-
fairs could to-day be pointed to in the
South had President JOHNSON discarded
the indicated peace policy of President
LINCOLN, and adopted and carried out the
policy of malignant hate and vengeance,
for refusing to do which he Is denounced as
a traitor to his party by malignants?-
Therefore, while we contemplate with feel
ings of regret the assassination of Presi-
dent LINCOLN, we should also indulge In
sincere thankfulness that his successor in
Office has within the space of one year SO
I