Marshall County Republican. (Plymouth, Ind.) 1856-1878, 1866-09-06
0urPrcsideHt and tue Nig2erS

From the Cincinnati Commercially
Colonel W. b. Stokes. of Tennessee. made
speech few days ago at Shelbyville, in
that State. in which he related the follow
ing tolcrably stiff anecdotc of President
Johnson:
johnson is the father of Radicals. He
said to Governor Sharkey that they ought
to let the negroes vote i'm Mississippi. Not
that he wanted them to do so on principle.
perhaps. but he then thought they would
he cnfranchiscd any way. and he was afraid
Sumner or Stevens would beat him for
President. have from John Wentworth
scene showing Andy's ideas of this mat
ter. At the time of the Inauguration of
Mr.. Lincoln in 1865, il seems that Johnson.
for some reason, was not in condition to
escort Mrs. Lincoln To the Inauguration
hall. as it was customary for the Vice Pres
idcnt to do, and Mr.. Sumner performed
that piece of gallantry for the occasion
/ Well. there is negro living in Nashville
/ by the name of Hickman, but on account,
+ it is said, of similarity of appearance. he is
called Burnside He had gone with An
( drew Johnson to Washington, and at the
request of the latter went with him and
/ Doolittle and Wentworth TO the ball. John
son said:
Il am Vice President of the United
States: I've been sworn i'm. by God. Now
there sits Sumner with the Queen. and am
plain Andy Johnson. He talk Of being a
friend to the niwgcr, Why | practice what
/ | profess.
And he actually introduced Burnside 70
the gentlemen there present. | rive this
! for the benefit of thos1. who are now cry
ing out for johnson. and about Niger equal
ity"
II is well known that about the time oI
his inauguration as Vice President, he was
ON very dmiable terms with the good col
] ored people of Tennessee. When in this
city on his way to Washington, the loyal
Tennessecans who were escorting him took
particular pains to place on exhibition
about town heavy gold watch, upon tho
case OF which was an Inscription showing
that it had been presented to Andrew John
son by his friends, the colored citizens O
Nashville. This was held up as trophy
our own eyes were daZZlcd by the golden
bulls eye swinging by a pondcrOus chain
The Hon. Horace Maynard also address
cd the Shelbyville meeting, and said:
'-SOmc time since President Johnson al
dressed delegation ofnegroes from col
orel convention in Washington. who call
there. with head uncovered. he recognized
them as his common constituents. III there
are any coppcry Johnson men here let then
remember that on that occasion johnson
addressed them as his friends. but it is saiC
; that he had no reference then To- the watcl
which the niggers gave him at Nashville
Laughter have called Andrew John
son the great emancipation of Tennessee
and you see that he claims as much fo
himself but do not say that he claims too
much. Now, all the American people
wanted, was that the negro should be made
truly free. Some thought the negro shoulC
be allowed to vote, and that this right car
, ried protection with it. Col. Stokes anC
myself preferred to leave il TO our own peo
, pie. When a man does thing himself h,
f feels better about it, and when this ques
ton came to Il vote in Congress, not doZ
en- men went against letting Southern mel
take care of the matter. Now, in Eas
2 Tennessee we are independent of the rebels
. and we have but few negroes; but where i
is different another feeling prevails. In New
Orleans the Union men thought they wer
strong enough without Niger votes; but tn
, rebels were off in the army. When thel
came home they assumed control, ant
when the Convention assembled it led {,
| the horrible massacre of the Both of July
that will live in the sickening annals o
crime. Stokes is good and able man, bu
have higher authority for negro suffrage
} Johnson wanted Governor Sharkey to al
| low negroes to vote who were worth TIVE
2 hundred and fifty dollars; but to Majo
: Stcarns he says: ''AIy position is differen
{ here, but if | were in Tennessee. | woul,
I give suffrage on the lst of February to a
: negroes who could then read and write. y
Stokes never went that far. This was Mr.
t Johnson's position in October. 1865, and h
' has never retractcd it. Now Congress too
7 precisely the same view of it, and they sa
5 ii you let the negroes vote, represent then
5 but if not, do not do so; and when / say
' Congress come to the Presidents ground
4 could not see how they were to differ.
: felt as did when our troops were goin
| out to victory, as / thought, but som
: unseen hand had stayed the victor
v for the time, and in this it seems that som
: unseen power had put aside this matter fo
: some great purpose of Him who shape
f our ends, rough hew how we will Whe
: the rebels decided to free the slaves the wa
r stopped, and it seems to me that the res
: son this thing is not now settled is that tn
: negro may, in the end, be given the rigI