Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1866-04-06
GREAT JOHNSON MASS MEETING.

GREAT JOHNSON MASS MEETING.
Speeches of Marshal Gooding, Ex-Gover-
nor Johnson, General Swift, senator
Cowan, Hon. Green Clay smith, and
others.
Last evening the great Union Mass Meeting
called TO endorse the course OF President John
son. under the auspices OF the Nafional Union
Club took place in front Of the City Hall.
On the portico was stationed the Marine Band.
under the leadership OF Scala, which discoursed
appropriate music, previous to and during the
meeting. Over the poruco was a beautiful star
| in gas Jets.
BY ~ o'clock there was quite a large num-
Der of persons present among them many la
dies, and by sk O'Clock the space IN front of
the stand was packed with a dense crowd, and
the greatest enthusiasm prevailed.
Hon. Green Clay Smith called the meeting
| TO order and nominated Hon. ID. 3 Gooding, of
| acclamation.
Judge Gooding, on taking the chair, said that
| the meeting was called TO support the cause of
| the President. In other days the people of this
| country had been divided into political partes;
| but they had lived to see the day when ssold
things had passed away, and all things had
| become new" They had had first the Federal
| party, then the Old National Wing party
| under the leadership of Henry Clay. That was
| succeeded by the Know Nothing party. and
| that, in its turn, by the Republican party; and
| 1t, too, had passed away. [Applause.l 1t had
| passed away with the firing ON For: Sumter,
| when Union party was formed. He had
| been an active member of that Union party
| which had put down the war, and had well
| nigh restored the Union, but not entirely. The
| National Democratic party had outliyed other
| parties but II had been divided into secession
| lists and UnionIsts. He had stood by tina
| party in many political battles. and had had
| The honor OF supporting Stephen A. Douglas
| for President. We had had a great rebellion
| in this country. but he would not go over that
| ground. He had believed, and still believed,
| that the Government Of the United States was
| justified In enforcing its authority against Sc
| cession. against notification, against rebel
| lion. Every State was now in submission to
| the Government, and they were all alive-no
| dead States in the Unen. The only thing TO
| be done was for Congress TO welcome the IovaI
| men elected from the southern States. IL has
| been asserted that President Johnson has left
| the track-that he has not stood on the platform
| on which he was elected but he denied that
| the President had violated one single prin-
| ciple on which he was elected. He stood
| now just where he stood in 1854.
| He would say keep faith with everybody:
keep faith with the army; keep faith with the
soldiers who fought, ana bled, and died for the
| restoration of the Union" IApplanse.l He
| was for keeping faith with the people at home;
| who were told that the war was for the flag,
for the Union, for the country. Abraham Lin
| coin told Horace Greeley that if he could save
| the Union without freeing Il single slave he
| would do IL; that If he could save the Union by
| freeing all the slaves he would do it; that If
| he could save the Union with freeing some
| slaves, and not freeing others. he would do So
| Was not that so! [CrIes of "Yes.''l And yet
if Abraham Lincoln should say so now, he
| would be told by the Radicals that he was a
"butternut' and 'scopperhead" Laugh
teri He went for keeping faith with the SOL
| diers and the people; butthe Radicals said they
| OF African descent. daughter, and cries of
| that's it'll He went for keeping faith with
the negroes too. He had told the people of In
| diana that If the war was successful there
| would not be a slave left between hell and the
| wabash. lLaughter.l Had not faith been kept
with them There was to-day no slave under
| the flag OF the United States They had their
freedom, and owed it largely TO the man they
now denounced-Andrew johnson, President
OF the United States. rApplause.I Andrew
johnson had telegraphed TO the convention
held in South Carolina that they must agree TO
emancipation, and they did it. He telegraphed
the same to the convention in Mississippi and
they did ii. And so with all the Southern
| States. In that way the emancipation procla-
nation had been practically enforced.
| Judge Gooding introduced ex-Cioy. John
son, OF Pa, who argued that the course of the
President was right in vetoing the Freedmen's
Bureau and Civil Rights bills.
| The Chair here read the following dispatch
from eX-Gov. Randall, the President of the
Club, dated Eimira, which was received with
| prolonged cheers:
"Say 10 the meeting Ter me that 1 endorse
iuily the objects OF the meeting. The policy OF
President johnson was the policy of Mr. Lin
| colh, and the policy Of the Union party at the
| last Presidential election. There is neither
| palliation nor excuse for the war upon the
President. He will outlive it, 1 believe his
policy is right, and embraces the only consti-
| tutional mode of settling our diff culties, and
VIII do all In my power TO sns ain it.
| "a. w. RANDALL"
/ Ieh SWnt next addresqD6 the meeting, stat
| ing that he could not be asAesed as a copper
| mead, for he had voted for such men as Hale.
| sumner and Wilson, and had done his duty in
the field TO put down the rebellion. He argued
| that the war was for the restoration of the
/ Union, and the rebellion having been put
down, the country ought to go as before
Inc mon would nave been united before this,
but radicalism would not have it so. Every
| point contended for by the Government had
| been obtained, and he We uld ask them 10 stand
py the poIicy OF the President 10 administer
4 no yryh
| not FOR one end OF it, They should never cease
| unrelenting opposition to this radcalism until
the light OF thirty,slx stars should blaze from
their standard. They should stand by the
| principles for which they had contended in the
| field and at the ballot box. If the principles
OF the Baltimore platform were good in 1564
4 they would hold water now. Tss(Iood If
| anybody left that platform, the radicals would
have to do il: and if they did, they would be
whipped out OF every State in the Union, even
out of the grand old State of Massachusetts
| lLaughter.I
Senator Cowan, of Pennsylvania, was the
| next speaker. Looking down at the meeting,
ne SAID, How are you! tLaughter.l There's
good many of you down there. Where did
| you come from IA voice, "From ANDY John
son iaughter.J He said he had been at home
| recently, and an old farmer had asked him
| what the devil was wrong at Washington: why
| was not the Union restored The next TO ask
MN the same question was an old soldier. The
| next was rich old gentleman, who wanted TO
| know the same thing. What WAS the trouble
| That was the question. They had gone TO
| "oIh hNe years ago 70 put down the rebellion,
which was got up by parcel of demagogues
The speaker proceeded 10 state what the trou-
| BILE was, and his capital hits were received
with enthusiastic applause and shouts of
| laughter.
| Gen. Green Clay Smith, OF Kentucky, was
| the next speaker. He proposed to ask how il
| was possible to have peace and Quiet in the
| country, and the Union completely restored
| otherwise than on the policy of President
Johnsoni IL that policy were to be uprooted
| and destroyed, what would be the censeQuencel
| Was all that had been done TO be now undonel
| Would not that necessarily involve another
revolution! And what policy would be es
| tablis he'd for 1t. The people would still have
l &c elect their governors, their legislatures and
| their representatives in Congress. The Presi-
dent had proclaimed to the world that peace
was restored 10 the United States. Why then
had not the representatives OF the State Of
Tennessee been admitted to Congressl Re-
presentation and taxation must go together.
The people OF the South were not taxed during
the war; but no sooner was the rebellion put
down than assessors and collectors were sent
| to the South to collect taxes. With that should
II A0x Ano.- .s.ts n,.r