, 1866-03-03
SATURDAY, MARCH 8, 1905,
THE pRf.s1DENT,s ..ERouNp.n

THE ERRktS1DENT7SsA SsAtsROUND.n
The President says In his recent address to
The Baltimore Corpcfhcads TINT 8. he stands
precisely on the samc ground upon which he
stood in December, 1890" This accounts for
his incapacity to understand the feelings Of
the peopic al the present dry. America does
not staud precisely uron the same ground
where It stood in 1850. Ifnn the mighty
events crowded within the past five years
Ind no effect in shaking Mr.. Johnson's
ground, such is by no means The case with the
American people.
Shortly after the SENIOR from Tennessee
took !" his ground, ~ on Dec. II and IS, 1860,
lis Governor Perry. Of South Carolina mud
other rebels took theirs, and fired on Fort
Sumter. The "fucds and differences" which,
In Mr. Jobnson's opinion, brcak ont some
times In the best Of families, soon eliminated
iu blood. MIR. Johnson's ground was still I'M
changed; but that Of the American people
underwent somo considerable change The
people rose in their might md put M end for
ever to these a,niable d tends and dIaercncca," !"
and, since slavery was 9: the bottom Of them
all, It was felt universally that nothing was
done until That ''institution'' (dr. johnson
sill calls II an inBtitution) was uudone. =
Mr.. Johnson's ground, however, remained
unchanged In 1861, and in 1862, and In 1865,
aud ia 1864, and BY his own admission he
stands still precisely on the same ground as In
1850. Thousands OF heroes fol- !; hut Mf.
Johnson's ground We unchanged. Forcign
nations aided the rebels in driving our ship
ping from the oceans but Mr.. Johnson's
ground was unchanged. Mexico was invadtd
at the instisation Of the rebels hut Mr. John
sons ground wes unchanged. Mankind,
which Ind withheld It's sympathics from us,
willie we Withheld our sympathfes from the
slave,npl}lauded the heroIsm IF Our soldiers
and sailors as soon rs Abraham Lincola's
Emancipation proclamation had consecrated
our cause but Ar. Johnson's ground was un-
changed,
Afler having lost al their military forces
and alt the hopes for which thcy had sece-
ded and warrcd, nothing rcmaiued to the rebels
but 10 wrcak u 1oul and impotent revenge
upon the slayer Of slavery md the saviour Of
the lawful government Of tho Tni.ed States,
Abraham lincoln YVES consequently assassins-
ted Ey one Of their minions, but Mr. Johnson's
ground was still precisely the same rs that
upon which he stood In 1sG0, though this
murder 1illed him into Air. Lincoln's place,
Aud now, when Congress and the people arc
engaged In the dclicnte and difficult task Of
enabling the nation to reap the fruits Of these
five evcntim years, MIR. johnson dcnounccs
their efforts simply because their ground has
been changed since 1861, and his, MS 1c himself
avo~s. is still precisely tue same now rs then.
Jefferson Davis Alexander II. Stephens,
Cobb, DFecliniidgc, Benjamin, Sliden aud
Mason, aleo stand precisely upon the same
ground a. they stood in 1860, at least ia thei1
own estimation, and as II now apoeau, also
In that Of S1r. Johuson. Since the President
pleads 80 far guilty In recalling and standing
by the distracted aud bloody slavery and
rebel period of1s6o, hc must not be surprised
lfhe Is sharply reminded by Congress and the
people that the gulf of SIX ycars that stand!
between lii ground aud THEIRS embrace:
centuries Of glories and ttiumphs, for the
preservation Of which the people will fight
over and over again, until they become as in.
dcstrpctible inherItances OF future generations,
as those beeueathed by our lathers In deliv-
cring the American colonies from English op.
precision.