Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1866-10-10

of an accident ID inferior in ability and obar- /
acter, while the House OF Representatives is
eminent in both respects. A President, who |
has alleady sunk below any other President, |
esen Buchanan madly undertakes to give the |
law to a House of Represent atives, which, |
there is reason to believe, is the best that
has sat since the formation of the Constitu-
tion. Thus, in looking at the parties, we are
tempted to exclaim: : Such President dictat
Ing to such a Congress! 1t was said of Gus
tavus Adolphus that be had drilled the Diet
OF Sweden to vote or be silent at the word oi
command; but Andrew Johnson is not Gus
tavus Adolphus. and the American Congress
is not the Diet of Sweden.
PRESIDENT LINcoLN's POLICY.
Partisans of the Presidential "polcy" are
in the habit Of declaring that it is a continu-
alton of the policy of the martyred Lincoln
This il mistake, Would that he could rise
from his bloody shroud to tepel the oalumny
But he has happily left his testimony behind,
| iD words which all who have ears to hear can
hear. On one occasion the martyr presented
the truth boldly when he said, in a suggestive
meta phor, that we must '.buid up from the
sound materials" but his successor insists
upon building f. om materials rotten with trea-
son and gaping with rebellion. On another
occasion the martyr said that ian attempt to
/
ment, constructed in whole or in prep0nder-
uting part from the rery element againse whose
hostility and violence ir Is to be protected, is
simply absurd" But this is the very thing
which the President is now attempting. DE-
is constructing State governmental, not merely
in preponderatlng part but IN Whoie from the
b .s,ile element. Therefore, he departs open
ly from the policv of the martyred Lincoln.
The martyr says to his successor that his
H., - II
though he might cay more than this. It's
absuIdity Is too apparent. It Is as if. IN
sbollshing the Inqulsltion, the inquisltors had
been continued under another name, and Tor
| ouemada had received fresh lic~nse tor cru
city. 1t Is as if KING William, after the over
throw of James III had made the Infamous
Jsffries Lord Chancellor. Common sense and
common justice cry cut against the outrage !;
and yet this is the Presidential "policy" now
80 passonately commended to the American
people.
i HOW TIE PRESIDENT FILL.
You will ask how the President fell. This is
hard TO say. certainly, without much plsinnesa
of speech. Mr. Seward openly confesses that
he counselled fhe present fatal policy" Un-
questionably MIR. Blair, father and son, did the
same. So also, | doubt not, did Mr.. Preston
King. 1t IS easy to see that Mr.. Seward was
not a wise counsellor. This is not the first
costly bunder. In formal desp i,ches he early
announced that d" the rights of the States and
the condition of every human being will re-
main subject 10 exactly the same laws and
forms of administration, whether the revo!u-
ton shall succeed or whether il shall fail. -
And now he labors for The fu lfliment of bis
| own prophecy. Obviously from the beginning
} he has failed to comprehend the rebellion,
while IN his nature he is abnormal and eccen-
tric, jumping like the knight on the chess
/ board, rather than moving straigh. lines.
Undoubtedly the influence of such man over
the President has not been good. But the
| President himself has been his own wors,
counsellor, as be has been his worst de-
fesder. He does not open his mouth without
furnishing evidence against himself. Fne e
? part he is now playing will justify me in some
' details.
t The brave words with which he accepted hi.
4 nomination Vice President re.ounded
e through the country. He was elected. Then
: followed tSo scenes, each of which filled tn
e people with despair TIE first was Of the new
g Vice President taking the oath OF ofhce-ir
d the presence of the foreign ministers, the
Judges of the Supreme Court and the Senst,
= while in such a condition that his attempted
: speech became trivial and incoherent, and hs
) did not know the name of the Secretary o.
the Navy, who is now the devoted supporter
cf mis- policy as he has been his recent travel
! ing companion. One month and one weel
e afterwards President Johnson assassinated
d The people, wrapt IN sffi ction at the grea
i tragedy, trembled as they saw drunken mai
sscend the heighJs OF power. But they wer'
u generous and forgivlng-atmost forgetful. II
i WAS our President, and hands were outstretche'
II 10 welco me and sustain him. His early utter
|. ances as President, although commonplace
{ loose and wordy, gave assurance that The rebe!
lion and is lhors would hnd little favor frou
L him Treason was to be made odous'
: PER soNAL RELATIONS WITH THE PRESIDENT.
t II was at this time that my own relations
:, with him commenced. | had known hir
slightly while he was in tie Senate but | los
u no time in seeing him after he became Pres
dent He received me kindly. hope sha
e not err, If | allude briefly to what passed b'
'e ween US. You my constituents and Wis
e you 10 kuow the mood of the President
'e That time. and also what your representative a
n tempted.
g. was in Washington during the FIRST mont
Dc of The new administration, destined TO bill sue
re an unhappy place in history. During this p
~ Rod / the President frequently, sometime
Vi al the private house he then occupied, an
IN some time. at his offce in the treasury U
!. these occasions the constant topic was " recol
10 struction," which considered in every var
4 ETY. of aspect. More than once ventured
AZ press upon him the duty and the renown
u carrying out the principles OF the Declaratie
OF of independence and of founding the ne
a. government in the rebel States on The consei
q of the governed, without any distinction
color. To this earnest appeal be replied c
re one occasion, as | sat with him alone, IN wore
os which l can never forget :" On this questlo
no Sir. Sumner, there is no difference be ween u
ne You and are alike" Need l say that "
Ne touched to the heart by this annuncis;io
~ ~ which seemed TO promise victory without
o'- battle. Accustomed to controversy, l %
te' clearly that if the President declared hims'
in favor of the Equal Rights of All, the go'
A. cause must prevail without controversy. A
'e' er expressing TO him my JOY and gratitude
-, remarked still further, that it was mPorta
ii1 that there should be no division in the gre
~ -. Union party-that there should De no line
" through it, on one side of which there wou
oy be gentlemen calling themselves the Pre-
eso dents friends" but that We should be kept
u ou together as one seamless garment. To this
o. promptly replied: Z" | mean to keep you all
'ue gether." Nothing could be better. We VI
to be kept altogether on the principle OF Eq
Rights. As walked away from the Preside
=. that evening, the battle of my life seemed
be ended, while the Republic rose before q
refulgent in the blaze Of assured Freedom,
example to the nations.
.se, On another occasion, during the same
Ia, riod, the case OF Tennessee was discussed.
His 81 1apIes'e. 1ps - nu p ~. ~ ;,anarcs drectlv
vs.. the establishment of impartial suffrage in I
Ible State, saying that in this way tennessee wo
or be put at the head OF the returning colu
and be made an example in one word, all
oo otbsr States would he Obliged to dress i