The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1866-08-23

The finger marks of God
And He who smites is He who saves,
And all that hecatomb of graves
Are guide boaf,ls on the road;
Can we not read tbemY--read them when
They cost flour hundred thousand men."
A. JoHNsON's LAST STUMP sPEECH
Here is the entire response Of ANDREW
JOHNSON to the committee that bore to him
the official report OF the proceedings Of the
Convention.
Mr. Chairman and Gentlemen of the Com
mittee: Language is inadequate to express
the emotio, and feelings produced by this
occasion. Perhaps could express more by
permitting silence TO speak, and you to infer
what ought TO say. | confess that notwith>
standing the experience | have had in public
life, and the audiences l have addressed, this
occasion end this assembiase are well
calculated 10 and; do orerwhem me.
AS have said have not language to convey
my present feelings and emotions. In listen
ing to the address which your Chairman has
just delivered, the proceedings of the conven-
ton as they transpired occurred to my mind.
Seemingly | partook of the inspiration that
prevailed in the convention when received
dispatch from two of its members conveying
10 me the scene which has been described, of
South Carolina and Massachusetts, arm in
arm, coming walking into that assembly and
giving evideaee that the extremes had come
together, and that for the future they were
united, as they had been in the past, for the
preservation of the Union. When the dis
patch informed me that in that body of men,
distinguished for wisdom, every eye was suf-
fused with tears, could not finish reading
the dispatch to one with me in my Office, for
my feelings overcome me. tCheers.]
think We may justly conclude that We are
moving under proper Inspiration, and that
we need not be mistaken; that the finger Of
an overruIing and unerring Providence is in
this matter. Loud cheers. The nation is in
peril We have just passed througha mighty,
: o.oody, a taou.entous oraeai, yet Ga not lind
ourselves free from the difficulties And dam
gers tina, al first surrounded US. While our
brave men have performed their duties, both
officers and men turning 10 General Grant,,
who stood at his right, while they have won
laurels imperishable, there are still greater
and more important duties to perform, and
while we have had their cooperation in the
field, we now need their support in our efforts
to perpetuate peace. Loud cheers,1 So
far as the Executive department of the Gov
eminent IL concerned, the effort has been
made to restore the Union: TO heal the
breach; to pour oil into the wounds which
were consequent upon the struggle, and. to
speak in common nhrase, to prepare, as the
learned ana wise physician woaid, q plaster
healing in character and CO extensive with
the wound. Loud cheers. We thought,
and yet think, that we had partially succeed
ed. but as the work progressed, a reconciiia-
ton seemed to be taking place, and the coun-
try becoming united, we found disturbing
,ala In Ind
ing to tha, element | s4aii 60 10 further tnsn
aid your Convention and the distinguished
gentleman who has delivered to me report
Of its proceedings. shall make no refer.
euce to it that | do not believe the time and
occasion Justify. We have witnessed in one
department of the Government every effort,
as it were, to prevent the restoration of peace
and harmony in the Union.
There is on the verge of the Government,
as it were. body which assumed to be the
Congress e the United States, but, in fact,
Congress Of only part OF the States We have
seen this Congress assume and preteud to be
for the Cuion, when its every step and act
tended to perpetuate disunion, and made q
disruption OF the States inevitable. Instead
of promoting reconciliation aud harmony, its
legislation has taken the form OF retaliation
and this has been the course and policy OF
one department Of your Government
The humble individual who is now address,
ing you stands the representative Of another
department of the Government The manner
in which he was called upon to occupy that
position shall not allude to now; suffice it
to say he is here under the Constitution, end
being here BY virtue oil lis provisions, he
takes his stand upon the charter of our liber-
ties rs the rampant of civil and religious liber.
ty. Prolonged cheering Having been
taught in my early life to hold it sacred, and
having praciiced upon it during my whole
public career. ! shall ever continue to rev>
erence that Constitution-the Constitution OF
the fathers of our country. and to make it my
guide. Enthusiastic cheers. l know II
has been said, aud must he permitted to iu-
dulge in the remark that the Executive de-
partrnent of the Government has been tyran-
meal. Let me ask this audience of distin-
guished gentlemen around me here to-day to
point to vote | ever gave, to speech | evel
made, to single act OF my whole public life
that has not been against tyranny and des,
potism.
Asto myself the elements Of my nature.
the pursuits of my life have not made mt
either in my feelings or in my practice ag
gressiye. Ny nature. on the contrary, j!
rather defensive in it's character. But vii
say that having taken my stand upon The
broad principles of liberty and the Constitu
ton, there is not power enough on earth 4
drive me from It. fProlonged cheering.
Having placed myself upon that broad plat
form, have not been awed, dismayed or in
undated by either threats or encroafAments
but have stood there in conjunction viii
patriotic spirits, sounding the tocsin of alarm
whenever I deemed the citadel Of liberty IL
danger. [Great applause.
said on a previous occasion, and repea
now, that all that was necessary in the grea
struggle against tyranny and despotism VA
that the struggle should be sufficiently audible
for the American people to hear and properly
understand. They did hear, and looking q
al seeing who the contestants were ant
fiat that struggle was about they determin
ed that they would settle this question on thu
side Of the Constitution and Of principle
[Cries Of chats So" and applause.
proclaim here to-day, - have on othe
occasions, that my faith is abiding in h
great mass of the people. In the darkeD
hour Of the struggle, when the clouds SCENE,
to be most lowering. my faith, instead of giv
ing way, looked up through the dark clou'
far beyond and saw that all would be safe il
the end. CHEERS. 81
Ny countrymen, we all know that, in III
language of Thomas jefferson, tyranny an
despoism even can be exercised and exertet
more efTecsualy by the many than the one
We have seen Congress gradually encroacI
step by step, upon constitutional rights, a
violate day after day and month after month
the Fundamental principles Of the Govern
ment. We have seen Congress that seeme
to forget that there was . Constitution, an
that there was limit to the sphere andseaj
oflegislasion. IRenewed cries Of "Thst
so.n1 We have seen Congress in = minor
ty assume TO exercise poyeu which if ALLOW
ed 10 be carried odt, would result in despc
tisu or monarchy itself (Cnes of .sThse
SOL and enthusiastic cheers given for u
President. ), rE..as Elal a.. ~.