The Nashville daily union. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1862-1866, 1866-04-15

AVh OF AhCrcw JOhnsOn-His Vet
Of the Civil Rights Bnl-His Pc
culiaTities and His Firmness-Hi
Administrative Ability, etc.
The following interesting letter wa
written by an intelligent gentleman
who uniformly voted against Andrew
johnson in his political contests in Ten
nessee:
CLGRKsvILLE, Tenn, April 10, 1866.
Editors Louisville Courier
! Reading Just now a special dispatch
from Washington to the Chicago Times
/ plcturesquely describing the scene IN
the Senate on the passage OF the Civil
Rights bill" over the Presidents veto
| was more than ever impressed with
the grandeur Of Andrew Johnson's po-
sition. l sat and unused of all that !
had known of him, personally, during
his political history in Tennessee. /
recalled to mind how he had moved on
with an unWavering selfrelisnce to an
unvarying success, in all his political
campaigns in this State, in spite of the
disfavor Of the prominent politicians
Of his own party, and against the ad-
vice of many warm friends, who earn
estly sought to dissuade him from the
advocacy Of what they believed to be
unpopular views. / thought also OF
the first time l had ever seen him, on
the occasion of his speech here during
his gubernstorial canvas with NJ 2.
Gentry, whilst the Know Nothing party
was in the flush of recent political sue
cess, and of still brighter future
promise. Although a supporter of Mr..
GentTy's, remarked to a friend, after
hearing the two speeches, that Andy"
as we then rather derisiyely termed
him, was incomparably the greater in
tellect of the two men. Afterwards /
heard the same opinion from the
lips of VIM. I. Haskell, who was also a
supporter of Mr.. Gentry. His expires
sion was uttered in q party Of his DO
litical friends. "Sir," said he, candy
johnson has more brains in his little
finger than N. P. Gentry has in his
whole body" ! think any man of close
observation, after knowing Mr.. John
son well, would unhesitatingly pro-
nounce "Here is a man made to fill
lofty destiny" 1t is true, that neither
from his speeches, his State papers or
his conversation, are you struck with
any remarkable exhibition of Guilt
waited intellectual force; nor does he
even impress you as the possessor of
great natural intellectual power; and
yet he does impress you as a man born
to WELD large control in the affairs
Of men, even to the shaping CT q ma
tons history.
1t will not do TO ascribe this impress
sion Of his greatness to his undisputed
strength of will and bold individuality
and force of character. There is some
force behind these elements of great
ness that sustain him and win success.
What is it2 As some one said of Web
,ter, "What gave most effect to his mag.
1ificent and matchless utterspces, was
he impression every auditor received,
either consciously or unconsciously,
hat the man was grander than all the |
plendid utterances his tongue could |
rame." 1t is true that Mr.. johnson
loes himself far less justice than Web
ter in his oral and written productions.
n his speeches he has sometimes made
himself Justly liable to the criticism of
Inferior minds for gross breaches of
God taste. And yet ] venture TO say,
hat few men, even among his bitter
st opponents, have failed to recognize
hat he is q man of marvellous power,
.oweyer inexplicable, and of most I'M
fashionable originality. l think we
an only find his just comparison
mong those antique heroes whom
pencil has SO graphically
mined. 1t is an inviting subject to
race his past career, and explain the
easons of SO much of the public misun-
about his acts aud notions,
ufiice it TO say that powerful indi-
iduality never yet boldly made its in
ependent way to public favor, disdain-
90 the cOnVentionalsms of politics,
ithout incurring the accusation OF
very mean and selfish notion which
be human heart has cognizance of
To chow this would make our COM
lunicatiOn too long but we will add,
1 this connection, that 1t is our we'll
.udied opinion that the present Occu-
ant of the Presidential chair is by all
dds the acutest and most original
haracter that has yet sat therein. his
palterable self-reliance and unyield-
ng resoluteness, under the present APP
alling political storm, present the
randest exhibition Of the moral sub
Ime the world has ever seen. 10 APP
reciate this sublimity, we must bring
9th his past, present and future, 50
ar as we can, before us. At the out
reak of the late rebellion he without
embraced the side OF the
Government with heart, soul, mind and
trength, and thus forfeited the esteem
# most of his former political friends.
indeed, he went so far IN this direction
hat his name became the synonym in
he South of all that was most despica-
lie. This loyalty on the part OF one
i the South's most distinguished sons,
While all Of any note were forsWearing
he old flag, secured him the nomina-
ion of Nice-Presidential candidate
Since, by a crime which all good men
n the South condemn, he has become
he chief magistrate of the nation.
and now, the Radical element of the
,arty which elected him, accuse him
# recreancy because he will not 60
With them beyond the platform upon
which he was elected, and consider
himself against his oath, the magis-
rate of the Radicals alone, instead of
he whole nationl Who can read the
.ccount OF the passage of the Civil
Rights" bill, and the tremendous sp.
,lause in the galleries, without being
with the striking heroism of
ANDREW Johnsons position, be he
riend or foe2 All, let them obtain the
euuisite majority in both Houses for
.efeatirg his yetOes-let Radical audi
noes make the chamber ring with
heir applause-let hundreds of guns
q fred all over the North over the tri-
mphs of Radical Congress, vet this
lorious, unblanching heart, cast in the
ntidue mold, will not defect from the
olar star that guides his resolute con-
lotions of right He long since for.
,ited the kindly feelings of his old
-iends by q stern adherence to these
and he does not now. fora
,oment, hesitate to forfeit those of
nat dominent political party that
laced him in his present position, in
bedience TO his own sense of duty. II
MS great Nation shall fail TO finally
lstsIn such Spartan greatness and he
0ism, | shall, for one, despair of the
republic TENEEssELS.