Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1866-03-29
PRESuDENVTA PRACTICE
AND PROFESSIONS.
Address Of Hon. WIN. ID. Kelley


Kelley, the representative II Of that district
in Congress, aud one Of the ablest and most
prominent members Of that body. This
speech is calm aud apparently candid re-
view of the Presidents course, from the
speakers stand point and much Of it is a
mere presentation of facts Let its state.
ments be read and examined:
Judge K. after some other remarks, said
The contest now prevailing is not between
tho parties indicated by the President on
the ed oil February. The people under
stand that tho controversy is net between
Congress and the Executive, but is between
the Executive and themselves; the question
being the maintenance ofthe rights otthat CO.
ordinate branch Of the Gsverpment through
which the voice OF the people is head in the
government of the nation. The attempt of
the President is to coerce the popular will.
Of the result have no doubt They who
have involved themselves in three thousand
millions of debt, and maintained fierce war
until there was ono dead in every house, will
not fail now to maintain that for which they
made these sacrifices For that purpose it
is only necessary that the issue should be
fairly stated and fully elucidated. Ts that
end | propose briefly to examine the career
of the President.
THE CAREER OF ANDREW JOHNSON EXAM
-a... INED. ....
He was for time military governor of
Tennessee, and owes his elevation to the
Vice Presidency to the fact that he did not
retire from the Senate with those with whom
he had previously co-operated and to his
conduct and public utterances while in that
Office. Though his earlier career had been
creditable to him as a citizen and had Sc
cured him the confidence of the people of
his State, there had been nothing in it to
attract. in special degree, the affectionate
attention of the country He had never
borne arms in the countrys service; and
though vehement in defamation and much
given to speaking, he was not distinguished
as an orator. Apart from his support of
the homestead bill, his speeches and his
votes were all in the interest of what he
was pleased to regard as his section, the
slaveholding States of the country, and the
party for which, alas his afinities are now
more powerful than his patriotism. .....
HE FAVORs WHOLESALE CONFISCATION.
During 1863 he twice visited Washington
and conferred with many members of both
Honses of Congress on, among other topics,
the necessity of repealing the clause in the
conf cation act which provides that it should
not be so construed as to work a forfeiture
OF the real estate Of the offender beyond his
natural life." / have a vivid recollection
Of the earnestness of his manner in the con,
ference with which he honored me. Much
OF his language was more forcible than ele
CART / could not with propriety give a
verbatim report of his remarks; but this
| fhut ha
earnestly the assurance that if we permitted
the war to close without having provided
for the confscation and division, by grant,
to discharged soldiers, or sale, of the large
landed estates of the aristocracy in Tennes.
see, we would fail 10 our duty to the Repub-
lie and sacrifice the white Union men OF
that State as well as the freedmen. Sir,
said he, :" you cannot confscate under that
law, and if you permit those people to return
and assume the commanding social position
which the possession OF Heir estates will
give them, you will not punish prominent
traitor in Tennessee, and will make it neces
sary for the Union men to abandon their
property and the State for if you attempt
to try one of them by jury of the vicinage
he will be acquitted by svmpathizing friends
and the prosecuting officer and witnesses
will be hung from the branches Of the near
est tree to the court house door. dc
not mention this incident for the first time
The statement is doubtless familiar to many
of you, for when. after his nomination, ]
was interrogated by earnest men who hat
learned to doubt every Southern slavehold
er, and feared that the nomination of An
drew johnson was a mistake, answered by
reporting the interview, and in my many
addresses before the people during the cam
paign frequently referred to it.
THE RECORD OF HIS PUBLIC ACTS.
1t were better, however, to appeal to th'
record of his public acts. and. in doing so
shall con6ne nav illusions to facts mention
ed in a sketch, which, as was the fellow
boarder Of its accomplished author whil
engaged upon it, could not avoid knowing
had the benefit of Mr.. Johnson's persona
supervision.
The nomination of Andrew johnson, a
Military Governor OF Tennessee, was con
iirmed by the Senate on the 5th of March
1862, and he entered upon the duties of hi
Office one week thereafter. One Of his frs
official acts was to publish :" an appeal to tn
people, "the following extract from which III
startling com mentary on the doctrine amour
ced in his veto of the Freedmen Bureau bill
which, while admitting that it is "the III
=. uuOsLbuduiC IiSht VI SOukioSb W JuueS
each House for itself, of the election, n
turns and qualifications of its own men
bers," denies the right of the represent
tives Of the people and the States, in col
currence with the President, to pass upc
/ the character OF the Constitution under whic
such representatives have been chosen, ar
by which States, the governments Of whiC
have been overthrown, propose to resun
their practical relations to the Union. g
such lamentabe crisis,' said be, ''the Go
g ernment of the United States could not
: unmindful of its high constitutional oblig
tions to guarantee republican form of go
II ernment, an obligation ,obich eoery Stu
e hns a direct and immediate interest IN havii
| observed toioard euery other State
-, HE ARRESTS AND IMPR1soNs TRAITORS
3, Before the month of March had passe
d he ordered the Mayor and Council of Mas
"a vile to take the oath Of allegiance, and '
- Gated their offices and sent them all to {
1t penitentiary because they refused to oh
ttie order. "The press throughout t
State, says Mr. Frank Moore. Z" was plac
under proper supervision, and it was so
D. understood, that spoken or written treas
II would subject the offender to justice.
- April, the editor of the Nashville Banr
4 L