Marshall County Republican. (Plymouth, Ind.) 1856-1878, 1866-07-19

FOrncy's Letter to Johnson.
President Johnson having published private
letter from Col. J. w. Forney. recommending a
friend for an office, six months ago, and before
Johnson left the Republican party, the latter has
addressed him open letter explaining how he
came to ask favor, and reminding Johnson Of his
base treachery to the party which gave him his Of
fee. FOrney also intimatcs that he may write the
true and full history of Johnson's DISC graceful in
ebriation OH the 4th of March, 1863 The follow
ing is Forney's lctter--plan talk with the Presi-
dent Ii is pointed and pungent, and will be
found COOL reading for hot weather;
TO ANDREW JOHNSON, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED
f. STATES.
WASHINGTON, d. c., July ,. 1866
Ny DEAN SIR: Understanding that you are
iOus TO disclose certain private letters OF mine,
written TO you before and since you became Pres
idcnt by the assassination of Abraham Lincoln,
and also that YOU are troubled with some delicate
doubts as TO the exact propriety OF publishing
them hereby invite you to print them in one or
all OF your four organs at the national Capitol, or
through more convenient medium, the club or
comnlittee representing the " Bread-and- Butter
Brigade" These letters were written without the
slightest concealmcnt, and without the slightest
suspicion that ,on were about 10 betray The party
that had placed you where you There is
charming consistency between the conscientious
prOmpngs that constrained you to separate from
that great party and the spirit which now impels
YOU to reveal to the world your private relations
with those who still adhere 10 that organization;
ard although the practice Is somew hat novel, il
will serve to shed rich light upon the pages of
;he historian when he comes to describe your CRATE
ful and vrtuous Administration. The following
letter, long threatened by your organs, Is at last
! II. Ill ,,.I / rfntI NpI a.
purpose of acknowledging it as for the purpose OF
making some comments upon it:
NEw YoRK, January 3, 1866.
My Dr,R Mr. PREsIDEvr-I have been in this
CITY tor two DAYS, and now write under impulse
which cannot restrain, bt cause feel il 10 be for
your own good and that of the country. take IT
for granite ou rssolrtd not 10 be unmindiul Of
your own fame and that you will not allow your
friends, who heartily sustain your policy, TO feel
that they are without your aid and encouragement.
Whether YOU are a candidate for President or not
--and il YOU are not. shall be greatly surprised,
with the wonderful favor that has crowned your
restoration policy--yOu should not allow the great
Office to 20 TO Indifferent men, or those clearly In
the interests of yonr foes. Gecd not repeat 10
you that ] am now, a. ever. for twenty years
shown in my writings, aud since your great act OF
patriotism in leG0 especially, your open and avOw
cd friend Where am to-day my Two newspi-
pcrs both daily show 10 the world. Hence. in what
now say, 1 speak no ije words. but mean all |
say. The collectors Office at New York city is
post that you should dispose oil outside OF all poll
ticians; not, mean, TO defy them, but 10 select
vou- own man. who should be free only to help you
and serve the GoverEment-one they could neither
attack nor USE Such man is OF this
city, He was elected to Congress i'll
as Democrat, but like you, refused to follow the
nar,y into treason. lie served short time with
great distinction. and resigned on account OF i'll
health. He member of the Committee of
Wavs and Means, and won great applause. He
is very able man, educated to finance, intensely
national. houeSt and independent, and could fur
nish millions of security. He has an organizing
mind would make you party or light your battles
single handed. He is an "A ndrew Johnson Demo
crat iE short. / write in the knowledge that he
would accept and that his appointment would be
hailed with JOY bv this whole community.
1UuI>, uui,, J. w. FORNEH.
To THE PRESIDENT, &c, &c.
When this letter was written there was scarcely
UMion Republican ia the United States who did
not believe that your restoration policy inc uded
impartial suffrage To the coored race, iull guaran
tees before The return of the rebels. and such
change in the basis of representation would
prevent the muriercrs OF American liberty from
rcsuming their former power: The only real diff
ference between YOU and the radicals was whether
the rebellion destroyed the State organizations
not | write with the files of the Washington
Chronicle before me; ard find that two days after
the above letter written Mr.. Trumbull's two
bills for 'the enlargement OF the powers OF the
Frccdmcn's Bureau and the other, "ior the pro-
lection of Civil Rights were introduced into the
Senate in the full expectation that they would
cei,e your sanction. Ii was only when the Cop
perhead and traitor organs here and elsewhere be-
gan TO speak il 10y your authority against the
Union maorties in Congress, that the suspicion OF
the treason subsequently, indicated in your veto of
IL "A;
22,l of February speech. began to pervade and
finally to possess the loyal mind Ot the country.
SO fixed was the belief of the Rt publican party
that you could under no circumstances cooperate
with your sandercrs and theirs, and so willing
were they 20 overlook your suspicious indifference
previous 10 the coming elections in Ohio, Penn
sylyapia and New Jersey that ut the period when
wrote the above letter hundreds OF thousands
checriully recognized you as their political leader
and suuposed YOU attended to stand firmly by the
substantial principles OF their organic itiOn My
own conviction was strong upon this subject
that need only refer to the pages Of the ChrOa
icle and the Press to prove how steadily resisted
the idea that YOU plotting TO be.ray your
friends. and how earnestly endcavored TO con-
vince the country that you had no sympathy with
the common enemy. In all my visits to the Pre-
sidential mansion, and they frequent, it was
not until late in January that began clearly TO
perceive YOU were conspiring with the Copperheads
and traitors. Before that time, not worn hau
ever faenfr0m your lips to excite the suspicion
that YOU were preparing to become the prosecutor
of the colored race, or that YOU were preparing to
bring back into full power the red handed traitors
whom YOU had so bitterly denounced during four
long years. But when, with amaZemcnt that
can never forget faithfully describe. these
facts appeared too plain for doubt. fearessly dis
charged my duty. regardless of. and fully prepared
for all The consequences. | did not stop to calcu
late whether in dcnouncing the dangerous conspi
racy of which you were then proved 10 be the
chief. was helping or harminG the distinguished
gentleman in whose behalf wrote the above let
ter.
And now, sir, word in reference to your per
soral affairs know right well the difficulty. il
not the danger of the position occupy. | know
that for sternly holding you to your pledges am
assailed and threatened by every Copperliead and
traitor between Maine aud Mexico. And know
also that. stimulated by the passions that have
controlled you since you broke away from those
pledges there is nothing that You would not resort
to to demoralze the party tina. elected you. and
ruin those who refuse TO follow YOU into the ranks
of the common enemy. 1t is not the FIRST time
have been thrown n.o conflict with fathess and
corrupt Executive; but it is the first time have
ever been called upon 10 contemplate and to ex
nose such perfdy as yours will not remind you