Fremont journal. [volume] (Fremont, Sandusky County [Ohio]) 1853-1866, 1866-09-14
rFrOm the Cleveland Leader. ;

=
We confess ourselves almost weary of
commenting upon the speeches by which
Andrew johnson is daily disgracing the Of
flee which he holds, and the nation which
elected him to it Each of these orstori-
cal efforts of our perambulating President
repeats the stereotyped disgrace of the
former speeches. Each befouls the Pres
dental robes by dragging them in the
mire of partizan politics. Each displays
the trickery and deceit of an unprincipled
demagogue. Each upbraids the party
which put down the war and which stands
by Congress, as Northern traitors. Each
is incoherent, passionate, unconnected and
ungrammatical. Each runs overthe catch
phrases about the flag with thirty-six stars,
the circle which is swung around, the line
at both ends of which traitors are found,
and the altar on which Mr. J. proposes to
pour out his blood as last ibation to hu-
man freedom. But in each the President
seems to sink to lower depth of wicked
ness and weakness. As the Cleveland
harangue was more incoherant and dis
graceful than any previous one, SO the St
Louis speech is even worse than that de-
livered in this city. The new feature of
the st. Louis speech, which Mr.. johnson
adds to the hackneyed ones of other eff
forts, is the argument to prove that the
''radical Congress- planned the New Or
leans riot Thus this falsehood, which
even copperhead papers have not brazen
impudence enough to assert, is recklessly
hurled against the Legislative department
of the national government by the head
of the executive department. Mr.. John
son coolly declares that the members of the
Louisiana Convention were traitors to the
Constitution of the United States. How
far are we from Dictatorship when the
President declares himself the govern
ment of the United States" denounces
Congress, a coordinate branch of the gov
ernment, as originating rebellion, because
it does not bow to his usurped authority,
and declares all persons ''traitors to the
Constitution of the United States" who
are with Congressl
The President declares that the radical
Congress were responsible for "every drop
of blood that was she'd" If all that he
had said about the illegality of that con-
vention had been true-snd the people
know it to have been shamelessly false
it would not Justify the massacre of its
members. The Legality or illegality of
the gathering was question to be tested
by the Courts, and not by a mob of New
Orleans Thugs; nor will even President
johnson contend that the ofense of sitting
in an illegal question is one that deserved
death at the hands of brutal mob. And
yet this IS what actually occurred. Per-
haps the testimony of that excellent SOL
dier Philip H. Sheridan is worth as much
as johnson on this point. And Sheridan
testifes that sit was an absolute
massacre by the Police, which
was not exoelled in murderous
cruelty by that at Fort Pillow.
It was a murder which the
Mayor and Police of the City
perpetrated without the shad.
ow of a necessity" This is the tes-
timony of Sheridan-testimony which Mr..
johnson suppressed, lest the indignation
of the people, excited by this stern truth,
should overwhelm him and his rebel
friends in New Orleans. We leave the
people to Judge between Mr.. johnson and
Sheridan.