The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1866-04-07
From the Richmond (Va.) New Nation.]
The 18th President Psychologically Con
sff rt~- Sidered -.zsr


When Andrew johnson became President
OF the United States, of course he had to take
broader views of things than it had served his
purpose to take during all his life before A
very eXcellent1 opportunity was afforded him
to do so, by the calm which after his accession
to the Presidency succeeded the storm through
which he had fought his way up to that high
Office. The first of these broader views that
he appears to have comprehended, was the in
ability of a State to get itself out of the I'M
ion. He applied himself to the examination
of this doctrine with much ardor, and having
become convinced of its soundness he attach
ed so great an importance to it, that he seems
to have quite overlooked several other Consti-
tutional and common sense principles. This
was of course disadvantageous position for
him to put himself into, and it exposed him
to the further misfortune of becoming an OBJ
ject of adulation from rebels and copperheads
the country over. But Mr.. johnson appears
not to have considered such adulation in the
light of misfortune at all. He had always
cherished the greatest respect for the wisdom
and virtue Of the people, and when he now
perceived two hostile factions uniting in glori-
flying him, another very broad view at once
flashed upon him, a view of the whole people
reconcied among themselves and made happy
through him. Accordingly he set himself
vigorously about fulfilling his mission as a
Prince of Peace. He proposed to himself to
proceed in the prosecution of this great and
noble work, on new idea which was, that a
mans works and words need have no necessary
connection, or be construed in common. He
therefore worked for the North and spoke for
the South. In order to please the former he
ruled the South as conquered province, abb
rogated the acts of their legislatures, set aside
their elections, and behaved in very high
|, 1oJ rdc fIar, - IT,
order to please the latter, he set forth on many
occasions with much speaking, his broad views
of "once in the Union always in the Union :"
of the danger of "war OF races" lurking UNI
der the seemingly fair guise of universal suf
frage; of the necessity OF trusting the South;
and of its right to representation after COM
pliance with his preliminary requisites. BY
these means he succeeded for season in win
ming the appreciation of both parties. The
one firmly believing that factions speak loud
err than words" was confident that everything
believing that "out Of the abundance of the
heart the mouth speaketh," were equally con-
fdent that nothing would come out wrong.
Mr.. johnson was hopeful OF becoming the
step-father OF his country.
But in an evil hour Congress- assembled, and
at once began to manifest disposition to find
fault with the words of the President while
approving of his works. The majority fiout-
ed his doctrine of "once State always
State, "jeered at his warning, of the danger of
a "war of races" resulting from universal suf-
irage, treated with contempt his dictum that
"the South must be trusted" and laughed to
scorn his demand that the Southern Senators
and Representatives should be Immediately
admitted. Great numbers of the people were
seduced by this contumelions majority from
their support OF the President, and from the
condition of quiet satisfaction with his course
were melted to pass over into that of violent
opposition. His Excellency with dismay be-
held his praiseworthy efforts for the pacifca-
ton of the people brought to nought, and his
fair prospects of becoming Prince of Peace
blasted by the outrageous conduct of Con-
gress. He waxed exceeding wroth, and sud-
denly resolved that since he could not please
both parties, and since the North had greatly
displeased him, he would try to please only the
South. He thereupon laid about him furious
", vetoed the Freedmen's Bureau bill in an
instant, and made a very wrathful harangue-
on Washingtou's birthday, in which he &C
cused the Congress party of an intent to kill
him, and demolished in his rage, it is said, a
good deal of furniture and glass ware about
the White House. The copperheads and reb-
els reioiced greatly over his conversion, and
duly installed him as the head of their happy
family.
Our President, however, is well meaning
man, though subject tozthese sudden fits Of
passion. There is nothing in his course hith-
erto from which we can fairly infer that he
has any natural affinity whatever with rebels
and copperheads. On the contrary, our judg-
ment from such data would be that he is sor-
ry for what he has done, and very i'll at case
among his new allies. With such judgment
the signs of the times concur. There is rea-
son to belive from late developments that he
has returned again to his broad views, in a
very forgiving spirit, and has once more in
mind the reconciliation of all the peoDle
among themselves. If Senator Stewards
proposition has the Presidents sanction, be is
again abroad as the great Pacificator on a
new principle.
From series of observations of his Exec |.
lency, taken at various times since his acr .es.
sion, / am led to believe that had he beey Ar
chimedes, on arriving at the conclusicn that
this earth might be moved, fulcrum . nd leve,
being given, he would have set hims elf at work
at once to find them, and would have nersuad.
ed himself at length that he had found them
l am further of opinion that in the case sun.
posed, ii party OF sages and r,eople had ridi
culed his notions, he woulf. have flown into
such rage with them rs to have determined
to put his lever IN ope ration and pry the earth
high up out OF its o. bit with intent to let II
TALL INTO chaos to'f the purpose of smashing his
opponents np.o, that he would have gotten
over his passion before rrevenging himself in
the way proposed, and set about finding some
new method of lifting the earth that would bt
acceptable to everybody. JOHN Brown.
Washington, d, G. March 1866. !