The Evansville journal. [volume] (Evansville, Ind.) 1866-1870, 1866-04-21
SPEECH BY THE PRESIDENT.
a Defense ofhis Course
HIS OPINION OF HIS OPPONENTS.

dent, PRESIDENT Johnson SAID: IL confess
that in the peculiar posture of public al
fairs, your presence and address gives en-
couragement and confidence to me in my
efforts to discharge the duties INCUMBENT
on me, as Chief Magistrate of the Republic;
and in what have to say, shall address
you in the character of citizen, sailor and
soldier. Appiause.l We are to-day In
volved in one of the most critical and try
ing situations that has occurred since this
Government came into existence. The ma
ton has another test 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 overcome internal fOeS-that
it has strength enough to put down treach-
cry and treason within its own borders.
Cheers We have commenced the ordeal,
and trust IN God we viii pass through it
successfully. [Cheers.]
/ feel conplimented by the allusion of
your representative to the fact that in the
Senate in 1850 and 1851, when the nation
was entering on this ordeal, raised my
voice and hand against treason, treachery
g Good.''] / stand here to-day holding
and maintaining the same position which
then enunciated. [Cheers.] stand here
wherever they be, in the South or in the
North. loud cheers.l I stand here to-
day, as / then stood, using all my powers,
me9 e, and peysc to Rfef eIy6 this ma
its existence. The organized forces and
combined powers that recently stood ar
rayed against us are disbanded and driven
there are still no enemies against our pres
ent form of goVernment and our free inSti-
tntions.h Applause.lz sac Nss s.sn7s
II then stood in the Senate of the United
States denying the doctrine of separation
and secession. denied then as do now
that any State has the right of its own will
TO separate itself from other States and the
right to destroy the Union and break up
the Government; and think have given
some evidence that l have been sincere
and in earnest; and now I want to know
-lnxvif hot I,Nlka
ers and calumniators have been barking
and swapping at my heels3 fCheers.1
Why is IL that they have @arrayed them
selves against me? 1sit because stand on
the side of the people, and when say the
people, / include sailors and soldiers?
[Cheers. Why is it that they are arrayed
in traducing and vilifying and ealumnia-
rebellion . I aver ct home IN bed. laugh
teri
N the Senate, l raised my voice against
it, and when it was believed that it would
De to the interest of the nation, and would
assist in putting Down the rebellion, did /
notleave my place in the Senate, a place
OF emolument ease, and distinction, and
be reached, and where mems lives were in
danger? [Cheers, and cries of THAT'S
so!,l While was thus exposed, personally
and publicly, some of my present tra-
ducers and calumniators were far removed
from the foe, and were enjoying ease and
comfort. lCheers and laughter.l But
care not for them. care not that Islander,
the foul whelp of sin, has been turned
loose against me. care not for all that,
and let me tell you here to-day that, all
though pretty wen advanced in life, feel
the whole pack of tradncers and SANDER
ers. [Applause.] They have turned the
whole pack loose to lower me in your esti
Blanche, and Sweetheart. little dogs and
all, come along swapping and snarling at
my heels, but heed them not. [Cheers.l
and saiIors-know that rom nv advent
into public life to the present moment
have always stood unwaveringly the advo-
cate and defender OF their rights and in
We are now in the nations third ordeal.
We are not yet through. We denied that
states could go out of the Union. We de-
MED the doctrine of secession, and we have
demonstrated that we We're right. We
demonstrated it by the strong arm. Yes,
the soldiers and the sailors, God bless them,
have demonstrated by their patriotism and
strong arms that States have not the power
to leave the Union. [Applause.l What
followed? The Confederate armies were
Overpowered and disbanded, and there was
q willingness on the part of the people of
those States to come back, in obedience to
the laws, and ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS supremacy
Oflthe Constitution of our fathers Il
For what have we passed through this
third ordeal? 1t was to prove that no
State had the power to break up the Gov
eminent sa rSo It vas e put down the rebel
and for what? Was it to destroy the
States? Verify never. For what have all
these lives been sacrificed, all this treasure
stroying the States? No; it was for the
purpose of preserving the Union of these
states. That is what we have been con-
tending for, and to establish the fact that
the nation can lift its head above and be-
You'd internal wars, and treason. and trail
tors at home. When rebellion in Massa-
chusettS was put down. did that put Mas
saehusetts out of the Union and destroy
the State? When the rebellion in Penn
Sylvania was put down, did that destroy
when the recent great rebellion was put
down, and the Constitution and laws OF
the country restored, did they not stand in
the Union part OF the glorious and bright
galaxy of States? Loud cheers.]
In passing through this ordeal, what has
! been done in them under the directiOn of
my lamented predecessor? Ne succeeded
before came here in Restoring the rela-
tons between Tennessee ana the rest of
the Union, with one exception, and that
was the relation Of representation.
came to WaShingtOn,s and. under ex-
traordinary circumstances, succeeded to
the Presidential chair. The Congress of
prescribing any plan. then proceeded,
as had done III my own State, in the re-
construction of the Government, to restore
| the other states, and how did we begin
| We found that the people had no courts,
! and we said to the judges, District Attor-
neys, and Marshals, go down and hold
/ your COURTS. a NC pGCpl0 eu6GQ. the ITlDll-
mails Of justice to be opened. Was there
anything wrong in that?s The courts were
i opened. What else? We. looked out and
/ saw that the people down there had no
mails. They had been interrupted and
i cut off by the operation of the rebellion
i We said to TIE PostmaStef-Genera let the
| people have facilities for mail communion
| ton. and let them again begin to under.
stand what veal feel and thinR-tllat we
are one people. We looked out again and
saw that there was a blockade, that tho
i Custom Houses were all closed. 1--WE said
/ omen the doors ofsthe Custom Houses, anG
i remove the blockade. Let the pursuits O
peace 90 on, and it was done. We thus
travelled on, step by step, opening custom
! houses and appointing collectors, and es
tablishing mail facilities, and restoring al
the relations that had been interrupted by
the rebellion. Was there anything under
taken to be done here that was not author
lied by the CONSTITUTIONS that was mo
Justified by the great necessity of ith,
case? that has not been clearly colasonan
with the CONSTITUTIONS with the genefou
4 sss,irif ~ e11t. f3ovfrrfnef1t2s efCheeIs.lF