The south-western. [volume] (Shreveport, La.) 1852-1870, 1866-05-02
The Speech of the President to the Soldiers

WASHINGTON, April 1S.-ln reply to the crowd ol
soldiers and sailors assembled at the white house this
evening pay their respects to the president, pres
dent johnson said confess that in the present pos
ture of public affairs your presence and address give
encouragement and confidence to me in my efforts to
discharge the duties incumbent chief magis-
trate of the republic, and in what have to say shall
address you in the character of citizens sailors and
soldiers Applause.l We to-day involved in
one of the most critical and trying situations that has
occurred since the government came into existence.
nation has another test still to undergo and that is
to give evidence the nations of the earth and TO its
own citizens that it has the power to restore internal
peace; that it has strength enough to put down treach
cry and treason within its own borders. Cheers. |
We have commenced an ordeal and trust in God we
will pass through it successfully. [Cheers. l feel
complimented by the aluson of one present to the
fact that in the senate in 1860 and 1861, when the
nation was entering on this ordeal raised my hands
against reason treachery and traitors. Cheers and
cries Of 'good."l stand here to-day holding to and
maintaining the same position which l then occupied.
Cheers. stand here to-day opposing traitors and
treason wherever they may be- in the south or in the
north. Loud cheers. l stand here to-day as then
stood-using all my powers mental and physical, to
preserve the nation in going through the third phase
of its existence The organised forces and combined
powers that recently stood arrayed against us dis
banded and driven from the field but 1t does not fol
low that there still no enemies against our present
form of government and our free institutions TAP
plause. l then stood in the senate of the United
States denying the doctrine of separation and seces
sion. denied then, as do now, that any State has
the right of its will to separate itself from the
other States and the right to destroy the Union and
break up the government; and l think l have given
evidence that have been sincere and in earnest
And now | want to know why it is that the whole
train of sanderers and calumniaors have been bark
ing and swapping at my heels? [Cheers. Why is it
they have arrayed themselves against me? Is it be-
cause / stand on the side of the people? And when
say people, include sailors and soldiers. Cheers.
Why is it that they arrayed in traducng and fals
! flying and calumnatiug me9 Where they during
the rebellion just ended? Ever at home in bed
| Laughter In the senate ] raised my voice against
it and when it was believed that it would be to the
interest of the nation that should assist in putting
down the rebellion did not leave my place in the
ate place of emOument ease and dlstncton and take
my position where the enemy cohld be reached and
where mems lives were in danger? Cheers; and cries
of 'that's so." While was thus exposed personally
and publicly some of my present traducers and caum-
naors far removed from the foe, and were enjoy
ing ease and comfort Cheers and laughter. But !
care not for them care not what SANDER the foul
whelp has turned against me; care not for all that
they may tell you to-day. Although pretty well ad
vanced in life feel that shall live long enough to
live down the whole pack of traducers and sanderers
| [Appause They have turned the whole pack loose
to lower me in your estimation. Verify they can't do
it. Tray, Blanche and Sweetheart, little dogs and all
come along swapping and snarlng at my heels, but
| hGeu them not. lODeerS 1De AHleflC3H people
citizens soldiers and sailors-know that from my ad
vent into public life to the present moment have
ALWAYS stood unwaverngly the advocate and defender
of their rights and interests. Cheers. We are now
in the nations third ordea--We not yet through
We denied that States could go out of the Union.
| We denied the doctrine of secession, and we have
demonstrated that we were right We demonstrated
| it by the strong Yes, the soldiers and the
sailors, God bless them have demonstrated by their
patriotism and stroBg arms that States have not power
! to leave the Union Applause. What followed?
! The Confederate armies overpowered and dis
banded and there was willingness the part of the
people of those States to back in obedience TO
| the law and acknowledge the supremacy of the
stitution of fathers. For what have passed
through this third ordeal? 1t to prove the princi
pie that State had the power to break up the gov
ernment. 1t to put down rebellion. The rebell
ion has been put down, and for whatY Was it to
destroy the States? Verify, never. For what have
all these lives been sacrificed and III this treasure
expended? Was it for the purpose of destroying the
States? No. 1t was for the purpose of preserving
the union Of the States. That is what we have been
contendng for, and to establish the fact that the
nation lift its head above and beyond internal
wars and treason and traitors at home When the
rebellion in Massachusetts put down, did that put
Massachusetts, out of the Union and destroy the State
When the rebellion in Pennsylvania was put down,
did that destroy the State and putt out of the Unon
So when the great rebellion was put down, and the
constitution and laws of tie country restored, the
States engaged in the rebellion being crushed, the law
restored and the constitution acknowledged in them,
stood in the Unon and constitution, portion of this
glorious bright galaxy of States. In passing through
this ordeal which has been done in them under the
direction of my amented predecessor, We commenced
| the work Of reform. We succeeded bufore l came
here in restoring the relations which had existed be-
tween Tennessee and the rest of the Union with
excepton-the relation of representation came to
Washington and under extraordinary circumstances,
succeeded to the presidential chair. The congress Of
the United States had adjourned, without prescribing
any plan. ! then proceeded, as had done in my
State in reconsuctng the government to restore the
other States. And how did we begin? We found
that the people had no courts, and we said to the
Judges district attorneys and marshals go down there
and hold your courts-the people need the tribunals
of Justice to be opened. v as there anything wrong
in that !? The courts opened. What else? We
looked out and saw that the people had no mails
They had been interrupted and cut off by the opera
tious of the rebellion. We said to the postmaster
general let The people have facilities for mails, and let
them again begin to understand what all fee and
think. We one people. We looked out again,
and saw that owing to blockade the custom houses
were all closed. We said, open the doors of the Gus
tom houses and remove the blockade; let the pursuits
of peace go on and it was done. We thus travelled
on step by step, opening the custom houses, appoint
ing collectors, establishing the mail facilities and
restoring all the railroads that had been interrupted
by the rebellion Was there anything undertaken TO
be done here that was not authorised cOnSIllu-
ton? that was not justified by the great necessity of
the case and that has not been clearly consistent with
the constitution and with the generous spirit of
government? Cheers. What remained to be done?
One other thing remained to show the civilized world
that we had passed successfully through the trying
ordeal of our national existence and prove that
government popular. A great principle was to
be resolved, which established in our revolution
when our fathers contending against the power
of Great Britain What of the principal
causes of their complaint? 1t that they were
denied representation. They complained of taxation
without representation. Cheers. One of the great
principles laid down by fathers, and which fred
their hearts, was that there should be no taxation
without representation. How now does the matter
stand? Who has been usurping power? Who has
been defeating the operation of the constitution?
What now remains to be done to complete the resto
ration of these States to all their former relations
under the federal government and to finish the great
ordeal through which we have been passing? 1t is to
admit representation. Cheers. When. we say ad-
nit representation, what do we mean? Simply repre-
sentation in the constitutional and lawabiding
which was united the beginning Of the government
The constitution declares in express terms that the
senate and house of representatives each acting for
ITSELF shall be judge of the returns of elections and
oF So, II &c fora ah