Daily Ohio statesman. [volume] (Columbus, Ohio) 1855-1870, 1866-08-20
Qrtlt9rap3it,
FROM WASHINGTON.
Official Copy Of tho Proceedings
OF the Philadelphia Convention
Presented 10 the PreHident-Ad-
dress of Reverdy JOhnsOn-The

WASHINGTON, Aug. 18.-The committee
appointed by the National Union COnven-
ton to wait upon the President for the
purpose of presenting to him an official
copy of the proceedings OF the Convention,
held a meeting this morning and postponed
until one o'clock the time for so doing, It
was originally intended that ten A. M.
should be the hour at which their inter-
view would be had. The committee, fol-
lowed by the delegates to the late CNnven-
tion, and after them the citizens, will form
In. regular order at half-past IL o'clock and
proceed to the Executive mansion.
SECOND DISPATCH.
About one O'Clock the committee, preced-
ed by band of music, reached the White
House. They were conducted into the east
room by Marshal Gooding, and so arranged
as to form circle. The delegates to the
Convention were then ushered In and took
position In the rear of the committee.
President johnson soon appeared, accom-
panied by Secretaries McCulloch, Welles,
Browning and Postmaster General Ran
dali. The Hon. Reverdy johnson then ad-
vanced and said:
Mr.. President I'VE are before you as
committee OF the National Union Con-
vention which met in Philadelphia on
Tuesday, the 18th inst, charged with the
Gated copy of the proceedings. Before
placing 1t in your hands. YOU will
permit US to congratulate you
that in the object for which
the Convention was called, in the
enthusiasm with which every State and
Territory responded to the call, in the un-
broken harmony of its deliberations, In the
unanimity with which the principles it has
declared were adopted, and more especially
In the patriotic and constitutional charac-
ter of the principles themselves, we are
confident thaty you and the country will find
gratifying and cheering evidence that there
exists amongst us a public sentiment which
renders an early and complete restoration
of the Union, as established by the Consti-
tuition, certain and inevitable. Party fac
tion, seeking the continuance OF misrule,
may mumentarily delay 1t, but the princi-
pies of political liberty for which our
fathers successfully cOntended, and to Sc
cure which they adopted the Constitution,
| are so glaringly inconsistent with the con-
dition In " bich the country has been placed
| by such misrule, that 1t will not be per-
mitted much longer duration. We wish.
| Mr.. President, that you could have wit
messed the spirit of concord and brotherly
affection which was manifested by every
member of the Convention. Great as your
| faith ever has been in the intelligence and
patl iotism of your fellow-citizeDs, in their
deep devotion to the Union and in the ex-
pressed determination to reinstaJe and
maintain it, that confidence would have
| become positive conviction, II you could
have seen and heard all that was done and
said on the occasion. Every heart was evil
IDENTIFY full Of joy; every eye beamed with
patriotic animation; dependency gave
| place to the assurance that our late dread
full civil strife was ended, that the blissful
| reign of peace, under the protection, not of
arms, but of the Constitution and laws
would have sway and be in every part of
our land oheerfully acknowledged, and in
perfect good faith obeyed. You would not
have doubted that the recurrence of dan
gerous domestic insurrection In the future
Is not to be apprehended. If you could
have seen, sir, the men of Massachusetts
and South Carolina coming into the Conven-
/ tion on the first day OF It's meeting hand in
hand, amidst the rapturous applause of
the whole body, awakened by heartfelt
qualification at the sight, the eyes of thou
sands filled with tears of joy which they
neither could nor desired to suppress, you
4 would have felt, as every person present
felt, that the time had arrived when all sec
tional and other perilous discussions had
ceased, and that nothing would be heard In
i the future but the voice of harmony, pro-
claiming devotion to a common country !;
of pride in being bound together by COM
mon Union, existing and protected by forms
| of government proved by experience to be
eminently fitted for the exigencies of either
war or peace. In the principles announced
by the Convention and the feeling there
manifested, we may have every assurance
that harmony throughout our entire land
| mil ponF VNrauail Wo EnnHxy- nc In form or
days, as was eloquently declared by Web
ster, the nations most gifted statesman, as
Massachusetts and South Carolina went
shoulder to shoulder through the revolu-
ton, and stood hand in hand around the
Administration Of Washington, and felt
his own great arm lean on them for sup
port, so will they again, with like unanim-
ity, devotion and power, stand around your
| Administration and cause you to feel that
you may also lean on them for support.
In the proceedings, Mr.. President, which
we are to place in your hands, you will find
that the Convention performed the
duty imposed on them by their knowl-
edge of your devotion to the COnstitu-
ton, the laws and interests Of your
country, as illustrated by your entire
Presidential career, Of declaring that
| in YOU they recognize Chief Magistrate of
|
your lot is cast. Itgives us unmiXcd pleas
ure to add, we are confident that the Con-
vention have but spoken the intelligent and
patriotic sentiment of the country, ever
| Inaccessible to the low influences which
often control the mere partisan, and gov
erned alone by an honest opinion of consti-
| tutional obligations and rights, and of the
| duty of looking solely to the true interests,
safety and honor of the nation. Such class
is incapable of resorting to any scheme for
| popularity at. the expense of the public
| good. In the measures which you have
adopted for the restoration of the Union,
1.-THE Convention saw only continuance of
| the policy which, for the same purpose,
was inaugurated by your immediate prede-
cessor; his re- election by the people after
that policy had been fully indicated and
had been made one of the issues of the
contest, by those of his political friends who
are now assailing you for sternly pursuing
1t, forgetiul or regardless of the opinions
which their support of his reelection
necessarily involved. Being uDon the same
ticket with that much lamented public SER
want whose foul assassination touched the
heart of the civilized world with grief and
horror, you have been false If you have not
endeavOred to carry out the same policy.
And, judged now by the opposite one which
Congress has pursued, its wisdom and pa
tfictism are vindicated by the fact that
Congress has but continued broken Union
by keeping ten of the States in which at
one time the insurrection existed, as far
as they could accomplish it, In the
condition of subjugated provinces, denying
to them the right to be represented, whilst
subjecting their people to every species Of
legislation, including that of taxation.-
That such stateOf things is at war with the