Cleveland daily leader. [volume] ([Cleveland, Ohio]) 1865-1873, 1866-02-24
JOHNSON.
THE PRESIDENTS DEFENCE.
His Attack upon the Repub-
lican Party.
He DenOuRces Stevens and Sum.
RerAyName.
CALLS F0RNEY A DEAD DUCK.
The Champion Of A~SsasSins
Wines about Assassination.

At the close of the johnson meeting at
Growers Theatre on Thursday a procession
was formed and proceeded to the open space
in front of the north portico of the Exec
utive Mansion, and the committee deliv-
cred to the President the resolutions
adopted by the meeting. The President
soon made his appearance, and met with
an enthusiastic reception. He said:
FeLLow Citizens for 1 rave a right to
address you as such-to the committee who
ave conducted and organized this meet
ing SO far, l have to tender my sincere
thanks for the compliment and approba-
ton they have manifested IN their personal
address to myself, and the resolutions they
have adopted.
1 am free to say to you on this
| occasion that it is extremely gratifying to
me to know that a large portion OF my
fellowcitizens approve and endorse thepol-
icy that has been adopted, and is intended
to be carried out. That policy has been
Une which was intended to restore the
glorious union of the States, and their or
Iginal relations to the Government of the
United States.
This seems TO be a day peculiarly ap-
| propriate for such a manifestation, the
| day which gave birth TO him who founded
| this Government, the Father Of his Coun-
| try, of him who stood at the head of this
| Government when all the States entered
| into this Union. This day, L say, it is pc
culiarly riate TO endorse the restera-
/ tion OF the union of these States, founded
by the Father of his Country-Washing-
ton-Washington, whose name this city
| bears, is enbalmed in the hearts of all those
who love Observation-Disclosures, who, in
the language of his eulogist, was first in
peace, first in war, first in the hearts Of his
countrymen. No people can claim, no
can nation appropriate him; his reputa-
ton and life are the common inheritance
Of all who love good government. l to-
day had the pleasure of attending the Ma
tional Washington Monument appropri-
alton meeting, which is directing its effort
TO complete the monument to his MEM
ory. l was glad to meet them, and so
far as 1 could, to give them my humble
influence. A monument is being erected
to him within a stones throw of the spot
from which 1 address you. Let it be
completed. Let the pledges which all
these State associations and corporations
have placed in that monument of faith
and love for this reason be preserved. Let
it be completed. And in this connection
let me refer to the motto upon the stone,
sent from my own State, "God bless a
State which has struggled for the preser-
walton of the Union IN the field and in the
councils OF the nation" A motto is in
scribed on that stone, and l stand by that
sentiment, and she is willing to stand byit.
1t was the sentiment entrusted by the
immortal Andrew jackson, 1.-THE Federal
Union, it must be preserved"
Mr.. johnson referred to the conduct of
Gen. jackson in 1888, and denounced as
traitors those who attempted to destroy the
! country. He reiterated his determination
TO stand by the country and Constitution
He thought in considering the question Of
reconstruction, We should not deal with
the whole people in the spirit of revenge.
The South had acknowledged its allegi-
ance to the government, and he was ready
TO open the doors of the Union and re-
store them to their former relations. He
| said: There is no who has labored hard
er than l have to have the principle, con-
sciOus and intelligent traitors brought
to justice, to have the law vindi-
Gated, and the great fact yindicated
that treason is a crime. While conscious
and intelligent traitors are to be punished,
should whole states, communities and peo-
pie be made to submit to and bear the
penalty of death2 Let them become loyal
and willing supporters and defenders of
our glorious stripes and stars, and the
Constitution of our country; let their
leaders, the conscious, intelligent traitors,
| suffer the penalty of law, but let the great
mass, who have been forced into this re-
bellion and misled by their leaders, have
leniency, kindness, justice and confidence.
The rebellion is put down by the strong
arm of the government, but we are barely
out of ne rebellion before we are almost
in the midst of another rebellion. There
is an attempt to concentrate the power of
the government in the hands of a few,
and thereby bring about a consolidation
which is equally dangerous and objection
able with a separation. Sometimes revo-
lutiOns most disastrous to the people are
effected without shedding blood. The
substance ofour government may be taken
away, leaving only the form and shadow.
We find that in effect, by an irresponsible
central directory, nearly all powers of
government are assumed without ever con-
sulting the legislative or executive depart
ments of the government by resolutions
reported by the Committee upon whom
all the legislative power of the govern
ment has been conferred. That principle
in the Constitution which authorizes and
empowers each branch of the legislative
department to be Judge Of the election
and qualification of its own members has
been virtually taken away from those de-
partments and conferred it upon a Com
mittee, who must report before they can
act under the Constitution and allow
members, duly elected, to take their seats.
By this rule they assume that there must
be laws passed; that there must be recog-
milton in respect to the state in the Union
with all its practical relations restored be-
fore its representatives are admitted. The
houses of Congress, under the constitution
shall Judge of the election and qualification
of its own members. You have
been struggling for four years to put down
the rebellion. You denied in the begin
ming that any State had the right to 90
out, and it has been settled that a State
has neither the right nor the power to go
out of the Union, and when you have set
tied that by the Executive
power of the Government, and by the
pubic judgment, you turn around and as
sumo that they are out and shall not come
in. l am free to say to you, as your Ex-
e~cutive, that l am not prepared to take
any such position. l cannot turn round
now and give a direct lie to all l profess
to have done in the last five years. 1 say
that when these States comply with the
Constitution, when they have given sufi-
eient evidence of loyalty and they can be
trusted, when they yieldin o~bedisnceto law.
l say extend to them the right hand of
fellowship and let peace and union be
restored. l have fought traitors and trea-
son in the South. l opposed the Davises
and Toombses, the Slidells, and a long
of others whose names l need not re-
peat, and now, when 1 turn round, even
at the other end of the line 1 find men, by
what name you call them, "A voice-"Cal
them traitors who are antsgonistic-
who still stand opposed to the restoration
Of the Union of these States. 1 am free
10 say to you that Pam for the preserva-
lion of this compact. I am still in favor
If this great government going on and
blowing out its destiny. "a voice.
give US the names ri Well, suppose 1
hould give them2 IA voice-"We
znow them:' l most emphatically re-
,eat that the press and citizens who