The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1866-03-16


Cheered by the hope that good men might love them
andposterity honor their names.
POWER OF PATRONAGE.
Nevertheless. the patronage of cur Government is
power the people should estimate IN calculating
the magnitude of q contest between them and the
Executive Of the. country. The President is the
nomination Of the thousands Of officers upon our
civil st, and of the army and the navy HIS mlnis,
dollars to make them prizes eagerly sought by men
whose counses not without weight in social and
cS ds as TSS T aSsI SS n M se t EecSVe %
verse every mail route are found in the thouiand
posttowns of the country, swarm in our ports Of
perial police of France, but wear no uniform or
badge BY which the public may be admonshed that
they may have secret reason for the political faith
they express or are subOrned against the public
good.
A CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENT. WANTED.
pause to remark in this connection that this now
is and ever will be a source Of danger, and to add
that, though PresidenH johnson, who, when men,
Der OF the SENATE P5opSsSd IN Gne 66si sossS.
that instrument perfect IN all its proportions and
deplecates the suggestion of an amendmont as cal.
Cuated to impair its sacredness in public esteem it
will one day be the duty of the people so to modify
il as to provide that subordinate offices shall be held
for definite period and thus remove from the abso'
Lutte control Of the eEXecuttve the constantly in
creasinR number Of employees of the Government,
When the soldiers who were wounded in following
and maintaining the flag of our country and who
now, IN lieu of the lucrative business they aban.
doned for that purpose, are holding clerkships and
other positions under the Government have to give
place to those who fought the great contest against
the supremacy Of that flag as the logic Of the Pres
attract the attention OF the public, and until then,
pass 1t.
THE CONTROVERSY BETWEEN THE EXECUTIVE AND
THE PEOPLE.
The contest now prevailing is not between the
parties indicated by the President the 22d of Feb
ruary when within the borders if not at the heart
OF the enemys country he pointed out as those upon
whom turbulent IactOn might justifaby intiict its
horrors, the honored Senator from Massachusetts,,
and Tho old rrhn fNHn VtohI
and energy gave Pennsy lvania, IN spite OF an oppos
ing majority of the people, her public school system,
and who through lire stretching beyond the
allotted hree-score years and ten has
from principle or failed to Detrlend the poor, the
ignorant, the oppressed, and the otherwise friend
less, who is venerated by all true men, and whose
name will be honored by the teeming millions of the
people OF our State. The people understand that
controversy is not between Congress and the lEXe-
cutive, but is between the Executive and themselves
the question being the maintenance of the rights OF
that coordinate branch OF the Government through
which the voice of the people is heard in the govern
ment of the nation. The attempt OF the President
to coeree 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 one dead every house. will not
fail to maintain that for which they made these
sacrifices. 1t is only necessary that the issue should
be fairly stated and fully elucidated to overwhelm
during the brief term winch, under the Constitution
he is to hold the rens, would subyert the principles
of the Constitution. TO that end propose briefly TO
examine the career OF the present accidental Presi
dent Of the United States.
THE CAREER OF ANDREW JOHNSON EXAMINED.
He was for o time Military Governor of Tennes-
see and his elevation to the Vice Presidency
the fact that he did not retire from the Senate with
those with whom he had previously co-operated,
and to hls conduct and public utterances while in
that Office. Though his earlier career had been
creditable to him citizen, and had secured MIN
the confidence of the people of his State, there had
been nothing in 1t to attract IN special degree the
affectionate attention of the country He had
borne arms in the country's service; and though
vehement in defamation and much given to speak
DISTINGUISHED
from his support of the Homestead Bill his speeches
and his votes were all in the interest of what be was
pleased to regard his section, the slaveholding
States of the country, and the party for which, alas!
his atinihes are now more powerful than his patriot
whom he gives his confidence, prominent among
whom is our Nell-known townsman, Hon. Thos. b.
owed his election to the lvce-Presidency to these
facts; yet he Is eXereist ng all the functions OF his
Office as though duty and gratitude required him to
look to the antecedents alone Tor key to the
wishes, purposes, and convictions Of the people who
opened the possibility OF his present position IT, to
granty than John Tyler ever did the purpose of
using the patronage of the Cove rnment for the pro-
Of Pennsylvania and IN the presence Of one OF her
Representatives, that he "holds the offices at his
disposal for his friends and the friends of his
friends" Let us then refer to his conduct and re-
marks while military governor OF Tennessee, IN
winch the people nominated and elected Rim aud
how far his manner of redeeminE them jUstlfes
popular confidence in his honor and veIaeity.
HE FAvoRs wHoLEsALE ooNFIsoATIoN.
During 1868 lie twice visited Washington and
conferred with M ~ members of both Houses of
Congress, among other topics the necessity OF re-
peaIng the clause in the Contlscation act which
provides that it should not be so construed as to
work forfeiture OF the real estate OF the offender
beyond his natural life" have a vivid recOllec-
tion OF the (arnestness of his manner in the confer
ence with which he honored me. Much OF his Ian.
Ruage vas more tOrclble than elegant. couldDet
with pTopriety give verbatim report of hls re.
marks; but this may say, that he pressed upon me
most earnestly the assurance that il we permitted
the war TO close without having provided for the
confiscaton and division, by grant, to discharged
soldiers sale OF the large landed estates OF the
aTistocraeY in Tennessee, would fail in our duty
to the republic 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
their estates will give them you will not punish
prominent traitor In Tennessee, and will make It
necessary for the Union men TO abandon their pro-
perry and the State; for If you attempt TO try one
OF them by jury of tho vicnage ne will be acquit-
ted by sympathiAng friends, and the prosecuting
officer and witnesses will be hang from the branches
OF the nearest tree to the courthouse door" do
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 had learned TO doubt every south.
ern stakeholder and feared that the nomination Of
Andrew johnson was a mistake, answered by re-
porting the interview, and in my many addresses
before the people during the campaign frequently
referred to 1t.
THE RECORD OF MS PUBLIC ACTS.
1t were better, however, to appeal to the record
of his public acs, and, in doing so, shall conhne
my illusions to facts mestioned in a sketch, winch,
as L the fellow. boarder OF ITS accomplished
author while engaged upon 1t, could not avoid
knowing, had the benefit Of hr. Johnson's personal
The nomination cf Andrew johnson as Military
Govern of Tennessee wa confirmed by the Senate
on the 9th of March, 1862 and he entered upon the
lufias his Office week thereafter One of mis-