Baltimore daily commercial. [volume] (Baltimore, Md.) 1865-1867, 1866-04-19
T ROM WASHINGTON
Serenade of the President by Soldiers
and Sailors.
TEE PRESTDENT's ADDRESS

procession of soldiers and sailors and such of their
friends as sympathize with them. in their grateful
acknowledgement to the President, for his order
lately issued directing the heads of the Departments
10 give preference in appointments and promotions,
to the subordinate offices, to persons who have rem
dered honorable service in the army and navy, was
formed and marched to the Executive Mansion with
the Marine Band to serenade President johnson, who
sgnihed to the committee that he would accent the
compliment.
very large number of persons of both sexes, were
previously on the ground. awaiting the demonstra-
uon AT quarter-past O'Clock the band performed
several patriotic airs, when the President made his
appearance, and was greeted with huzzas by the as
sembled thousands, He took stand in the coming
OF the wall near the carriage-way on the north side
of the mansion, when he was addressed in behalf of
the soldiers and sailors by one of their number, in
highly complimentary terms, saying, in conclusion
In return for your kindness we can but offer our
Sympathles and prayers and trust that an all-wise
Providence who has brought our nation through a
baptism of blood. and TO whom we oonseorate it anew
free from slavery and by nations tears, will so
guide and direct you that you may calm the iron HI
waters, harmonic public opinion, and restore our
perity." -
ADDRESS OF TEEE PRESIDENT,
President johnson said-It is not affectatiOn in m
to say that language is Inadequate to convey the
heartfelt feelings produced this occasion by Your
presence here ana by the presentation of your sen
ents as expressed by your representative in his ad
dress and IN the resolutions which you have thought
proper to adopt. confess that in the peculiar pos
ture OF public AFFAIRS your presence and address give
announcement and confidence to me. in efforts to
dlscharge the d,r=a@Fs~5uLrbent upon me rs Chief
Magistrate of the Republic. and in what have To
say shat address you in the character of citizens-
sailors and soldiers, shall speak to you in those
terms End on others.
L reSpeat my thanks for the manifestation of vour
appreciation, and otyour announcement. applause
We are day nyolvedin of the most critical and
trying struggles that have occurred since This
NatiO ind
uals, must have beginning. must have birth In
sIuggLing INTO existence nation passes through its
hrsttrylng ordeal 1t is not necessary for me now TO
carry your minds back to the struggle Wnen This
nation was born 1t is not necessary for me to amde
TO the prlvalons and hardships of those who WEI e
engaged in that struggle to achieve the national birth
1t Is not necessary to point to the blood shed and the
lives lost IN accomplishing that result. The next or
deal through which nation has to pass, is when it is
called upon to give evidence that it has strength
capacity and power to maintain itself among the ma
through the of 1872 and through the war with
Mexico and we passed through all the struggles that
bellion.
This our second ordeal. But nation has
another test still to undergo and that is to give ev-
dence TO the nations OF the earth and its own cii-
zens, that 1t has power to resist internal foes That
II has strength enough to put down treachery at
home and treason within its own borders (Cheers
We have commenced that ordeal, and trust in God
we will pass through it successfully Cheers1 I feel
conphmented by the a!uslon Of your representative
to the tact that stood in the Senate in 1860 and 1861
when the nation was entering on this third ordeal
and raised my voice and hand against treason treach-
cry and traitors at home. Cheers and cries of good
stand here to day holding to and maintaining the
same principles which then enuncated. Cheers
stand here to-day, opposing traitors and treason,
whether they be IN the South or in the North. Loud
cheers.I | stand here day as then stood using
all my powers, mental and physical to preserve this
tenCe.
The organized forces and Combined powers that re-
Gently stood arrayed against us are disbanded and
driven from the field but it does not follow that there
are still no enemies against our present form of gov
eminent and our free institutions. Applause
then stood IN the Senate of the United States de-
nyIng the doctrine OF separation and secession /
denied then as | deny now, that any State has the
other States, and thereby to destroy the Union and
break Up the Governments and l think l have given
some evidence that have been sincere earnest
And now want to know why it is that the whole
train of sanderers caumniators and traducers have
been barking and swapping at my heels? [Cheers.l
Is it because stand on the side of the peopIe-and
when say the people include the sailors and SOL
diers Cheers Why is it that they are arrayed in ira
duclng and vintylng and ca!umniating me? Where
were they during the rebellion? IA Voice-"Home
against it, and when it was believed that it would be
to the interest of the nation, and would assist in nut
ting down the rebellion. did not leave my place in
the Senate-a place OF emo ument, and distipc
ton and take my position where the enemy could he
reached and where mems lives were in dangerH-
lCheers and cries of that's SOL
While was thus exposed personally and publicly
and IN every way some OF my present traducers and
calumniators were far removed from the war and
teri But care not for them-I care not that SLAM
der, 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 although pretty well advanced
in life, feel that shall live long enough to live down
the whole pack of traducers and slanderers. [AE,-
plause.l They have turned the whole pack loose to
lower me in your estimation [Voices-"They can't
do it. Tray, Blanche and Sweetheart, little dogs
and all come along swapping and snaring at my
heels but heed them not. Cheers.
The American people, citizens, soldiers and sailors
know that from my advent INTO public life to the
rights and interests. (Cheers)
not yet through it. We said that Saea cod We are
out of the Union. We denied the doctrine of seces-
sion and we have demonstrated that we were right
We demonstrated it by the strong arm Yes the SOL
diers and the sailers,-God bless them-haVe demon
strated by their patriotic hearts and strong arms
that States have notthe the power leave the Union
What followed? The Confederate armies were
overpowered and disbanded, and there was willing
back, be obedient to the laws. and acknowledge the
supremacy of the Constitution of our fathers For
what have we passed through this third ordeal? 1t
was to establish the principle that no State had the
power to break up this Government. 1t was to put
and for what? Was it destroy the States? Voices
never. For what have all these lives been sacri-
heed and all this treasure expended? Was it for the
purpose of destroying the States? No it was for the
purpose of preserving the States in the Union of our
fathers Cheers. It was for that you fought. 1t
but TO put down the rebellion and serve the Union
of the States
That is what we have been contending for. and to
establish the fact that the nation lit itself above
and beyond intestine soes and treason and traitors
at home. When the rebellion in Massachusetts was
put down, did that put Massachusetts out of the
Union and destroy the State? And when the rebel
lion IN Pennsylvania put down, did that destroy
the State and put it out of the Union? SO when the
recent great rebellion was put down, and the Con-
sttutOn and laws of the country restored the States
engaged in it stood as part of the Union. The rebel
lion being crushed the law being restored the Com
stituton being acknowledged, these States stand in
the Union, constituting part of the glorious and
bright galaxy of States. Loud cheers
In passing through this ordeal what has been
done? In Tennessee under the direction of nv Ia
mented predecessor, he commenced the work Of res
toratiOn he had succeeded before came here in re-
storing the relations which had existed between Ten
nessee and the rest of the Union with one exception
and that was the relation of representation. came
to washington. and under extraordinary eircum
stances, succeeded to the Presidential chair What
then the Congress of the United States had adjourned
wltn9ut prescribing any plan. then proceeded as I
had done In my own State under the direction of the
government to restore the other States, and how
ala we begln2 We found that the people had no
courts and we said to the judges the district attor
neys and the marshals: 80 down and hold your
courts. The people need the tribunals of justice to
be opened" Was there anything wrong In that! Ehe
courts were opened. What else? We looked out ana
saw that the people down there had no mails Iheg