The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1866-09-01
SpEECH OF PRESIDENT JOHNSON
IN NEW YORK.

ceived II, are, under exlStlng clrcum
stances, peculiarly gratifying to me; and
in saying that they are gratifying to me,
wish not TO indulge in any vanity or ego
tism. If were to say less I should moi
speak the truth; and it is always best tc
speak the truth and to give utterance &c
our sincere emotions; and / am free tc
confess that being so kindly alluded tt
here, and so kindly received upon this oc.
casion and in your city to-day, quite over.
whelms me. But the mind would be ex.
ceedingly dull, and the heart almost with.
out an impulse, that could not give utter.
ance to something responsive to what has
been said here; and believe me on this
occasion warm is the heart that feels, and
willing is the tongue that speaks, and
would to God il were in my power to re.
duce to language the feelings and emotion:
that animate me tonight. LApplause.l
shall not attempt, in response to what ha.
been said, and the manifestations that have
been made, to 60 into lengthy speech, oil
to make to you an argument upon this oc
casion. shall merely content myself
with giving utterancc, in the sincerity OF
my heart, to some Of the feelings and
emotions that are yelling up within me
| would that l could give utterance tc
what ! feel; if not in words, then by
some such means as these demonstrations
by which the popular heart manifested
itself to-day-demOnstrations filled with
so much enthusiasm that, like liquid, II
spreads in every direction and communi.
Gates with every heart in the city. All that
is wanting in the great struggle in which
&c o.; fn
popular heart Of the nation. All that il
needs is q sufficient amount Of friction.
know, as you know, that We have just
passed through bloody and perilous con
test. We have gentlemen here associated
with MS on this occasion who took al
active part in that struggle for the preser.
vation of our countryside army on the
one hand (pointing to General Grant,
and the navy on the other pointing tC
FarraguD. Tremendous cheers.] These
gentlemen have all performed their part
in restoring the country to its present con.
dition, and it would be very derelict in me
if should omit to say that the Secretary
of State has fully performed his part
[Cheers.l AS to what part the humble in.
dividual who now addresses you took il
that struggle for the suppression of the
rebellion and the restoration Of the Go.
vernment will say nothing now but
will say, in summing up, though | may per
haps be included in that summing-I vii
say that feel that the Government ha:
discharged its duty. But there is some
thing else to be performed; the work il
not yet done. Though we have passed
through fields of blood, and at times
almost forced to the conclusion that We
would be compelled to see the Goddess OF
Liberty 60 staggering through carnage and
blood, and our Government failure, yet,
by the blessing of Providence, matters
have been brought to different tcrmina
ton. SO far we have been saved. But
while the enemy has been put down in the
field, there still remains a greater anC
more important work for you to do.
must be permitted to say-and wish no
to trespass upon your time-I must bt
permitted to remark in this connection
that the Government undertook the sup
preston of this rebellion for the express
purpose of preserving the union of thes'
States. lGrcat applause.] That was th'
declaration that it made at the beginning
and under that declaration it went into TIN
war, and continued it until the rebellion
was suppressed. BY the suppression Q
this rebellion the Government established
and announced the great fact that thes
States have not the power nor the right
either by forcible or peaceable means, t
separate from each other. Great cheer
ing.l That was determined and settled b,
the Government of the United States-th
Executive Department oft. But there
another department of your Governmen
which has declared by its official actor
that Notwithstanding the rebellion was sup
pressed for the purpose of preserving th'
union of the States, and to establish def
nitely the doctrine that no State ha
right to secede-I say there is a de
partment of your Government which ha
practically assumed and declared, and III
to the present time carried out, tha
the Government was dissolved and th'
States were out of the Union. [Groans.
We who contend for the opposite doc
trine, years ago contended that State
had not the right even peaceably t.
sscede: and one means Of peaceable sc
ccssion was by State Withdrawing it
representatives from the Congress Of th'
United States, and that would be practi
cal dissolution of the Union. We deniet
that State had any such right, and whel
subsequently they attempted to withdraw
we again asserted that they had no sucl
right and now, when the doctrine ha
been forcibly established that State ha
no right to leave the Union, and when tn
States are again resumiDg their relation
with the Federal Government as fur as il
them lies, we find that when they seek T.
have their representatives admitted t
Congress there are men in that body who
| in violation of our great charter of liberty
deny their right to be represented, ant
refuse to admit their representatives int
the Congress of the United States. Th'
query then comes up, in the struggle tha
is now before us, will we submit; will th'
American people submit to this practica
| dissolution, and this practical assertion
the doctrine that they have already repu
dated and oycrthrowni [Cries of " No
no."l The issue is before you. Will thes'
States be permitted to remain as they arc
so far as representation is concerned, in
state of practical secession and disruption
1t is giving the lie direct to every position
it is subverting every position taken by u
since the rebellion commenced. Are w
prepared now, after having passed through
our terrible war, after the Immense
amount of blood that has been shed, afte
having accumulated debt of over thou
sand millions of dollars, after the injur!
that has been inflicted on the countr!
North and South, are We prepared to per
nit this disrupted and disrupting condi
tion Of affairs to continue Let me ash
this intelligent audience, not in the Ian
guage Of defamation, but in the spirit o