The Manitowoc pilot. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1859-1932, 1866-04-27
SPEECH OF PRESIDENT JOHNSON.

dress he spoke as follows ....
l confess that, in the peculiar posture
Of public affairs, your presence and address
gives encouragement and confidence TO
me in my efforts to discharge the duties
incumbent upon me as Chief Magistrate
of the Republic, and, 10 what | have TO
say, ] shall address you in the character
Of citizens, sailors and soldiers. Ap>
planse ...
We are to-day involved in one of the
most critical and trying struggles thai
have occurred since the Government came
into existence. The Government has
another uial still to undergo, and that is
TO give evidence to the nations of the earth
and to its own citizens that it has power
to put down treachery at home and trea-
son within its own borders. Cheers.
We have commenced that ordeal, and
trust in God wa will pass through it sue
cessiully. Cheers.
l feel complinented by the alusion oi
your representative to the fact that stood
III the Senate in 1860 and 1861, when
the nation was turning TO this o:deai
and raised my voice and hand against trea-
sou and treachery At home. Cheers and
cries of" Good.' | stand here to day
holding and maintaining the same prin-
ciples which | then enunciated. stand
opposing traitors and treason whether they
be in the south or the north. Loud
cheers | stand here to day as | then
stood, using all my powers, mental and
physical, to preserve this nation 10 passing
through the third phase O. its existence
The organized and combined powers that
recently stood arrayed against US are aban-
doned and driven frcu the field but it
does not follow that there are no enemies
against our present form OF government
and free institutions. then stood in the
Senate of the United States DENYING the
doctrine of secession. | denied them, as
do now, that any state has the right Of
it's own will to separate itself from tie
other states, and thereby destroy the
Union and break up the Governmen, ; and
| thiuk have given some evidence that
| have been sincere and in earnest. And
uow want to know why i, IS that the
whole train Of SANDERS. calumn etors and
traducers are barking and snapping At
my heeIs' (Ch4ers.) Why is i, iha,
they array themselves against me: Is il,
because | stand on the side of the people?
And when | say the people | include the
soldiers and sailors. (Cheers.) Why is
it they are arrayed in traducng aud Will,
fy ing, and calumniatirg me2 Where we're
they during the rebellion 2 "a voice,
At home in bed" taughter). III the
Senate raised my voice against it, and
when ii was believed that it would be to
the interest of the nation to assist in put
ting down the rebellion, did not leave
my place in the Senat "a place Il f emolu>
ment, ease, and disiinctlon-ard take my
position where the enemy could be reached
and where mems lives were in danger.
(Cbeers. anu cries OF That's so y While
| was opposed, personally and publicly.
by some of m present +radacers AMI cal
unniators, who were far removed from
the foe, and were eI Dying ease end com
fort? CHEERS
But | care rot for them. care not
that SANDER, the foul wheIp Of sin, has
been let loose against ne. | care not for
all that. And lie, ne tell osshere, 20 la,
that, although pretty well advanced in
life, feel that | shall live long enough
to live down the whole pack of traducer~
and slanderers Applause They have
turned the whole pack loose to lower me
in your estimation. A ,oire: +" The,
can't do it," Tray, Blanche. Swee'lear,
and all little dogs come along snappu G
at my heels but heed them not.
The American people, citizens. sol!
diers and sailors, know that. from my adj
ven, into pubic life to the present mo.
ment. | have always stool, un,iel'iinelv
and unwaveringiy, the defender Of lh-ir
rights and interests. ....
We are now in the nations third ordeal
We are not yet through it. We said that
States could not 90 out of the Union
We denied the doctrine Of secession, and
we'vebeeunstructed that We are righ; We
demonstrated it by the strong ann. Ies
the soldiers and sailors God oless them
- have demonstrated, bv their patriotic
hearts and strong arms. that States have
not the power to leave the Urion What
followed The Confederate armies were
overpowsred and disbanded, and there
was willingness on the part o. the poo
pie OF these States to come back, be
obedent to the laws, and ackGow edge Q
supremacy of the Constitution of our falh
ere. For what have we passed through
this third ordeal IL was to establish tie
principle that no State had the power TO
break up this Government For vha,
have all these lives been scrifced. and
all this treasure expended' Was it fol
the purpose of destroying States No
1t WAS for the purpose OF preserving the
States and the Union Of the Mates? That
Ia what we have been conipnding for, and
10 establish the fact that the nation can
lift itself ab I'VE and beyond intestine foes
and treason and traitors a. home.
When the rebellion in Massachusetts
wasput down, did that put Massachusetts
out OF the Union and destroy the State I!
When the rebellion 10 PeLnsy Ivania was
put down. did tha, DESTROY the State and
put i. out Of the Union! So when the recen.
great rebellion was put down, and the
Constitution and laws Of the country were
restored in The States engaged in tie rebel
lion, those States, constituting ra,t OF the
glorious Iniru we're restored.