The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1866-03-24
The London Times on the President : 22d re-"

InasmUch Is the Radicals profess To consider
President Johusons 22d February speech I'M
dignitied and mbecoullng his high position,
we give below som" extracts from the London
TIMES which show what is thought of that
speech by the leading journal III the world
From the London Times, Marchs.
II was said by the great Athenian orator
that Providence always dellberated better tol
the Republic than the Republic deliberated fol
itself. The same thing may be SAID WIN the
greatest truth Of the United States OF Alne'
RIGA = The best man i'll America was not
TOO strong for the herculean task which de
yolved on Mr.. Johnson. The man VINO closes
q revolution performs even Il mlghtl"r taSh
than the man who begins or conducts II. IL
was hard enough To say what should be dont
between North and South, and how the mon
which such torrents of blood had been shed Il
support. could be- maintained Ii was still
harder 10 deal with the black race, newly
emancipated from its letters, ana to prevent
those who had hitherto been slaves from be
coming either paupers or brigandS. A
meeting al Washington had adopted resolu
lions approving his policy, and he took the
opportunity OF addressing TO them such Il
speech rs has not often been heard Ill America
speech entirely free from tawdry orna
ment or ambitious metaphor, but convey
ing the nrmest determination and the
most enlightened principles III the plun-
est and simplest language. such
language acquires peculiar slgnlhcance
declares himself threatened by Il violent dea n,
standing over the dead body of another. No
one can, of course, estimate the degree OF peril
10 which Mr.. johnson considers himself sub
iect but ii is at least significant of the violence
of the passions and the iierceness of the ami
mosities which the civil war has called forth
that we should find the President even al
luding 10 the probability of his own violent
death in the same city where his predecessor
persisted only year before.
We cannot withhold our admiration from
the position taken up by Mr.. Johnson, and the
manly yigor with which he maintains il. He
does not appear TO be gifted with much felicity
or fluency Of language, but his thoughts swell
beyond his words, and give them weight and
dignity scarcely their own. He surrey, If any
man ever did, occupies nObly and worthlly Il
great historic position. The destinles of mil
lions of the human race depend upon him, and
he rises fully TO the height of the occasion.
Men whose nerves are shaken by the holiday
politics OF such Il country as ours, will stand
aghasI At the audacity with which President
Johnson coufronts his adyersaries. They DOS
sess large majorities in both Houses of Con-
gress They WELD at their pleasure the COM
mittees TO which are delegated in America so
many of the functions here discharged by the
Executive Government. They are supported
by many States, by host OF preachers, and
by legions OF Inscriptions fanatics. To all
this the President has nothing 10 oppose but
his veto his patronage, the power of conduct
ing the Executive Government, and his own
firm spirit and indomitable resolution.
Yet the duel Is not SO unequal rs might be
supposed. The issue which has been SO long
maturing is at last ready for trial. The PEG
pie OF America must now decide whether the
great civil war they have waged was worth
Whglng al all They fought for the Union,
ana now that they have obtained IL, large
pe.S seems disposed 10 reject the verybbiect
OF the contest They appear To have no choice
De.@een bringing back the South into the in.
stitn.ions OF the country, and holding il down
Dy nain iorcs. ihey incur the danger, on the
one hand, OF being once more goyern.a ' ~.
their vanquished enemies, or, on the other p y,
having TO keep them in sublection We d. ~, VI
doubt that the President has decided on tha
wiser course and we wish him all succass Nv
his mission of mercy and justice. No mar
has ever struggled in a nobler cause, and IL il
better 10 fail In such an enterprise than In
succeed In a policy of tyranny, confiscation,
and prescription.