The Kenosha telegraph. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1860-1888, 1866-08-23
Will 1t Succeed ?

Will 1t Succeed?
Never before in the history of this country
has there been such a systematic, persistent at
| tempt to corrupt the people, and induce them
| to change their views and principles and to
accept policy utterly repugnant to their pre-
conceived ideas of right, justice, patriotism
and morality, at the instance of proligate
and ambitious Executive, as is now being
made by President johnson. We have fire.
quently had pointed out to us by strangers,
the vast power that might be welded by the
President of the United States, through the
immense patronage in his hands, extending as
it does through all the ramiications of society
into every town and hamlet in the land. But
we have said, the people are incorruptible,
| they will never barter away their liberty, nor
allow others to steal that one priceless boon
| from them. And hitherto, so universally was
this believed and acted upon, that no other
| President elected in this "Land of the Free
and Home of the Brave" ever thought of ma
king the attempt. And we venture to say
that no American citizen not educated and
brought up under the tenets of slavery, and
for nearly lifetime surrounded by the cor
rupting and debasing effects of slavery, would
ever have thought of making such an attempt.
Mr. johnson has based his calculation upon
the assumption that the "Poor Whites" and
unread planters of his own native south are
fair index of the loyal people of the free North.
| He has labored under the impression that all
he had to do was to buy up few office hold
ers at Washington, to have the whole people
at his beck and nod He has probably not yet
| learned, as he will, that the great mass
of Northern people are his peers in every re-
spect
| We have an army of men at the North, as
| able, as capable, as learned and as loyal, and
patriotic, as the men we send to Congress {:
and we may not be far out of the way in say
ing of many of them-more honest. The
men we send to Congress have no particular
prestige or power among their constituents,
further than they are more active or more able
| in carrying out the principles of the men who
elected them.
| But these are considerations that have not
entered into the calculations OLA. Johnson
He found few recreant Republicans ready to
| do his bidding and become tools in his hands
for the work of corruption. AS preliminary
the apostate Randall, of this State made
the official announcement that, all who eat
Mr.. Johnson's BREAD and Butter" must sup
port Mr.. Johns on's Policy, and thereby earned
renown of infamy that will cling to him as
long as he lives. The next thing was to find
out how many were ready to barter their man.
hood for mess ofpottage-or in other words,
were willing to retain their office at the price
of honor. The Philadelphia Convention was
instituted as a means to this end. Then came
the famous circular addressed to all the Post
Masters in the United States
HEADQUARTERS NATIONAL UNION CLUB
400 TWELFTH STREET,
WASHINGTON, D. c.. June %, 1866.
SIR: Preceding this you will find call for a National
Union Convention issued by the National Union Club
& c Tor a S1aes IN s9e Union
enough to signify by brief letter. with authority to
publish the same. Respectfully, etc,
A. w. RANDALL, President
This had double meaning If the office
holder approved the call, it was taken for
granted that he approved the Presidnet's poll
cy, and if he did not, he had been previously
notified that he could not eat Mr.. Johnson's
bread and butter
OF course, ona change administration and
change of parties and principles, men have
been removed from Office and others, friendly
to the incoming administration, appointed.
And that is well enough. We should not com
plain. But the object of the President was
not SO much to get political supporter in the
office, as it was to make a proselyte to ssmy
policy" Had johnson avowed himselfa dem
ocrat, and removed every republican office
holder IN the country, and appointed demo-
Gratis In their places, we should not have com
planned. But he knew that Democrats would
support his policy because they had no other
10 support, and such a course promised no
converts So the temptationI of 'bread and
butter was held out to every Union Office
holder as an inducement to forswear his nri n
clples and serve A. johnson, instead of the
country.
Again, the usurpations and encroachments
OF MI johnson have always been in the name
OF the people He has constantly opposed the
representatives of the people-vetoed their
well-matured and carefully framed acts. all
in the name of the people, when he had the
most indubitable proof that the great MAORI
ty of the loyal people of the country repud-
ated his policy and approved that of their rep
resentatlves, which he was using his Presiden-
tial prerogative to thwart and obstruct.
4hen comes the final agony, the Philadel
phla Convention of delegates from every State
and Territory of the Union. And its like was
never before seen in this land of Free Speech
and Tree thought The entire programme of
that Convention-the declaration of princi
pies, the address to the people, and even the
slde-shoW OF Massachusetts and South Caro-
lima delegates walking across the scenes arm
In arm, was ''cut and dried' affair, from be-
ginning to end.
The Platform of principles and the address
were Drought from Washington, printed, hay
ing been approved by A. johnson. The Con-
Ventlon only had to go through the form of
adopting them, without the privilege of dis
cusslng them or of offering any amendment to
them. And the farce was played through
and the Platform and the address were return,
GU 10 A. johnson with the assurance that thew
nao oeen unanimously adopted, and a few
crockadile tears were evoked, over a result that
was as well known before as after the Phila
delphia Convention.
The loyal, Union-loving people of the conn.
try have the Presidential policy now before
snem' The main portion of that policy is to
SO corrupt and demoralize the people that
tney VIII elect for the next Congress, major
lty OF Representatives who will consent to the
ADMISSION OF southern rebels and traitors. and
allow the Government to pass Quietly into
their hands and control What the Intimate
OBJECT OF Mr.. johnson may be, we know not
In his speech to the Conventions committees
OF congratulation, he takes credit to himself