Fremont journal. [volume] (Fremont, Sandusky County [Ohio]) 1853-1866, 1866-03-09
Jofinson's Speech and the Crowd that


JOnnBOn7s Speecn ana tn0 OTOB0 tAEt
Listened ionTt.
washington Correspondence New York Tribune.1
/ happened to be in the crowd that yelled
franticaily for Andy. Ny curiosity induced
me to Join in, as saw it moving up from Gro
vers thealer. 1t is not more than five
minutes walk from Growers to the White
House. and during that time the shouting was
wild. There were Mosby's men, and Wash
ington rebels who had been in Virginia and
Maryland regt's during the war, and who had
returned from hog and hominy, and long
marches with Lee, to get fine places from the
Departments Then We had the crusty, moul-
dy, messy, curious race of Washington office
holders, who have been in Office under every
Administration since they were old enough to
sign pay-roH. What. jolly rats they afe!-
What noses they hayelz How they divine the
precise moment when any political chip is
about to sink. Go against the President Not
they-as they pushed their jolly way with the
Jolly crowd that were bent on a speech from the
Jolly Andy. Mixed in with all, were repre-
sentatives of that dreadful crowd of roughs who
used to make Washington a most unenviable
place, and make special policemen necessary on
every election day
When they passed in front of the State De-
partment and swarmed into the President S
carriage paths, and crowded around the White
House, Lne Sc6De was sITdISe duu dIhuslnS, luO
to me very sad. ''Well, said friend who
strolled with me- "Lee has taken Washington
after al" T" ventured the suggestion that his
last visit to the city was to arrange the move
ment. Then to hear the comments. otis in
the blood, by GOd,' said one sallow gray back
"when man is once for the South, he's always
for the south, and be can't go back on his
mother no how. If johnson is poor white he
is true to his State Another philosopher,
who pronounced South "Sooth, and said
"Look va, for look here, ventured to say that
Booth knew what he was about, and had not
killed Lincoln for nothing. A still meaner
crowd were seizing on the negroes, cutting them,
kicking their shins, and bestowing upon them
all manner of opprobrium. ''Say, Sambo,
said one as he crushed the hat of a poor Afri-
can over his face, sis your name Sumner? do
you come from Massachusetts," The execra-
tions heaped on Congress were frightful. 81
wish to Heaven" unused one of the crowd,
who seemed to be Drowned by Southern sun,
and who had Carolina patois, candy johnson
was soldier, and would call for volunteers;
guess he would get enough to drive these Con-
gressmen off Capitol Hill" Napoleon did
It" said one. "Yes, and Cromwell, replied
another "And if Johnson" rejoined the
first, "were to do it, and hang the Senate on
the trees around the Chamber, he would be i'm
mortal ''That he would" said twenty; and
the twenty proclaimed their purpose to vOlun-
teer.
Around the President, as he spoke, were a
rare crowd of carrion birds The fancy seized
me as stood in the crowd, and heard the howl
ng andteeth- -gnashing of His Excellency, while
they grinned and shrieked that those men were
carrion birds indeed, lowering over their vic
tim, and only waiting for his fall that they
might devour him. Oh, Andrew johnson Of
| 1860, Andrew johnson of the Senate Chamber,
Andrew johnson of the dark December days
when Southern Unionism was chaos, and thou
alone the bright star that kept alive nation 6
hope, be thyself again, be man once moreI-
Look on that gang of devils around you'll They
offer you the kingdoms of the earth if you will
only worship them, if you will but bow down
| and call them master.