New Orleans daily crescent. [volume] ([New Orleans, La.]) 1851-1866, 1866-05-12
Congressional.
DEBATE ON THE PRESIDENTS ANNUAL MESSAGE
VEHEMENT DECLARATIONS OF MIR. INGERsoLL
AGAINST THE PRESIDENT.

DEBATE ON THE PRESIDENTS ANNUAL MESSAGE
VEHEMENT DECLARATIONS OF MIR. INGERSoLL |
AGAINST THE PRESIDENT.
WASHINGTON May 5-The House met for gen
eral debate on the Presidents annual message as
if in committee of the whole.
Mr.. Phelps addressed the House on the subject
Of reconstruction, supporting the position assumed
by the President.
Mr.. Ingersol was the next speaker, his subject
being also that of reconstruction. He expressed
himself as gratifed at finding the Democratic
party of the North advocating, with the same de-
gree of warmth, and witl1the same lack Of honor,
the principles which they had formerly advocated
at the dictatlon of their Southern rulers. The
Northern Democrats were as ready and willing as
ever. They were to subserve the purposes OF the
whipped, defunct Southern chivalry.
The patriotic people of the North had not only
the defeated rebels to fight, and the Northern
friends and allies of the rebels to fight, but they
also had the executive to fight, with all his
| power and patronage The Southern aristocraey
and the President to boot would have to succumb
4 to the power Of Northern patriotism, fighting the
| battles of liberty and universal justice. false
| issue has been presented to the people, and the
| President has done what he could to mislead the
people but he (Air, IngersolD would DO all ~ his
| power to unmask the deception which the Fresl-
| dent of the United States would impose upon the
| people He (hlr. Ingersol) took the ground that,
| whether the rebel States we're or were not out OF
the Union, every citizen of them became an alen
enemy was liable to be treated In all respects by
| the government as foreigner, and remains an
alien enemy until relieved of his disabilities by
Congress. This position he supported by citations
| from writers on international law.
| He expressed his belief that there would have
been little difficulty in restoration if the President
of the United States had conscientiously and hon
estly discharged his duty to his country and had
more Judgment and less ambition more patriotism
and less egotism. But the President had desire
to make himself conspicuous, and consequently,
blinded by ambition, he refused to do what it was
his plain duty to do-cal special session of Con
gress. Andrew johnson never had been with the
Union Republican people atheart in the principles
on which the war was fought Andrew johnson
/ had been for maintaining the Union, because he
saw no chance of battling successfully against it,
and because he wanted to maintain slavery in the
| Union. Andrew johnson was essentially a South
ern man, with the prejudces the anmosties, ha-
treds and other superstition of the Southern peO
pie. Andrew johnson has never been recognized
by the Southern leaders who managed the rebel
lion as one of their peers; SO that he sacrificed
nothing when he refused to go with them. he
i never had been with them as one of the spokes Of
the Southern political wheel.
He was to-day filed with the poison of the ma
laria slavery, which he inherited in his infancy,
and in the Tpening years of his life he had talked
loud Of the blackness of treason, when it was his
interest to do so, when he could remain in the
United States Senate, or have authority as mill
/ tary governor; but as he was clothed with
the power Of President and locked to bere-elected
| in 1858, he whispered into the ears of the rebels
that all his talk about Furnishing traitors mere
1 CANNON, intended for New England and Illinois.
The President had pardoned his old friends, and
betrayed the party which gave him a name. He
had given the lie by his own actions, to the sent
ments which he had expressed within the last four
| years. The time would come when Andrew John
son would be so low that there would be none so
poor as to do him reverence.
Mr.. Ingersoll read from SaYage's Life of John
SON. some extracts from the Presidents speeches
! in the Senate in 1861 and demanded why it was
that traitors were notified and executed. He Gin
4 gersolD would wager all he owned that Andrew
johnson would never have JEFF. Davis tried, or,
#laa+ fvfa and HFOH A lT-lu
johnson would pardon him. All that traitors had
to do now was to scrape up money enough to come
to Washington and apply for pardon, and they got
it; or if they did not present their applications
personally, they could do SO through the mail just
as we'll
A Member-or the females
He w0uld adoptthe suggestion, and add, through
the females Andrew johnson would find that
when he dared to set the executive power in OPP
position to right and eternal principles, he would
be but rushLght and would be overbone by the
sentiments Of the people. He would find that a
child in the right was more powerful than the
President in the wrong. Andrew johnson himself
had made treason odious by his treaChery to the
party which elected him. If Andrew johnson had
not been traitor to the government and the Con
sttuton of the United States he had been traitor
TO the party that elected him, and to the principles
that he had proclaimed in 1861 and thathad found
response in the hearts Of all loyal m6n. Instead
of being the man entitled to the confidence, the
gratitude and the love of the loyal people, Andrew
johnson had only the love, confidence and support
of the late rebels in arms, and their sympatizer
and their apologists in the North.
The American people had suffered, and were
capable of suffering a great deal; but it was too
= much for them to be afflicted with rinderpest
: trichna, cholera and Andrew Johnson all in one
d year. Andrew Johnson was a cousummate dema
I, gogue--one of the most unblushing demagOgue!
. that existed in this country Andrew Johnson, il
his speech to the soldiers and sailors. told then
q what he had sacrificed for his country. What hat
Q he saorfcedf He has not suffered as much as thu
lTNpTN -lNN Four lNfN
d burg. The humblest private in the ranks was en-
titled to more credit and honor than Andrew
johnson was. Had Andrew Johnson ever been il
a battles Had he ever smelled gmpowder? Eve
. camped in the SHOWS of winter? What had h
: done What had he suffered? The position o
i United States Senator and military governor o
Tennessee. When he occupied the executive
= mansion in Nashville, he wore q brigadier gen
/ erals straps upon his shoulders, and was feaste
and toasted, and had sentries posted at his doo
+ while he was snoring quietly during the silen
watches of the night.
E Andrew Johnson had suffered all that; but di
Q that entitle him TO so much consideration that h
:, was to be allowed to impose his famous polio
J upon the people, even without protest on thei
part? Could any one say what Andrew Johnso
!, had suffered for bis perhdity TO the Union party
Z That suffering might be good for him, and he hope
q he would have plenty of IL, for he certainly ha
u cause enough. Andrew Johnson, consummat
demagogue that he vas had told the blacks tina
\ he was their Moses Instead of being their Moses
% he had tried to be their Pharaoh He had bee
a swallowed up, together with his hosts of admirers
at the present hour in the great sea of destrut
lie ton. There was not enc Of the heroic 10000
j. VINO fought Tor the country that was not enttte
q TO more credit than Andrew johnson with hi
: commission as military governor in his pocket.
j. The question seemed to be whether VIM.
{ Seward or johnson was TO get the thanks of tn
IA Southern rebels fer the crumbs and loaves they az
i throwing to them On every side, He (Ingerson
had not the least particle Of faith in either Of them
g not particle. He believed that VIM seBar
IS was running a race with Andrew johnson to Sc
il which would have the support of the Southtr
: people in 1865 and that they were crawtishug ais
in votes euough to be elected. But they had bet
ter keep their l0ayes and fishes to feed themselve
a in their old age. The loyal people would see tina
4 neither WIN, II. Sewardnor Andrew Johnson Shout
be elected President OF the United States. Thei
prostitution of themselves was apostacy and abar
donment of theirp principles.
4 Mr. 1ngersoll spoke for about two hours, hi
9 speech exciting much nteresta and amusement
Mr. Eldridge sent to the clerks desk, and hai