The Kenosha telegraph. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1860-1888, 1866-04-26
Address Of President Johnson to the Soldiers
80 and NailnrS.

"
ident, and in reply to address from Them the
President said:
confess that, in the peculiar posture OF public af-
fairs your presence and address give encouragement
and confidence to me in my efforts to discharge the
duties incumbent upon me as chlef magistrate OF the
republic; and in what have to say, shall address
you in the character OF citizens. lApphusel
We are to-day involved in one OF the most critical
and trying struggles that have occurred since the gov
eminent came into existence. The government has
another trial still to undergo and that is TO give evil
dence the nations of the earth and to its own ci
gems that it has power enough to put down treachery
at home and treason within its own borders Cheers
We have commenced that ordeal, and trust in God
| we win pass through it successfully. [Cheers.l
| teel complimented by the aluslon OF your repre-
sentative the fact that stood in the senate IN 1860
and 1861, when the nation was turning to this third
ordeal and raised my voice and hand against treason
and treachery at home Cheers and cries OF good.
stand here to-day holding and maintaining the same
principles which then enunciated. stand here to-
day opposing traitors and treason, whether they be
in the north or south. Loud cheers stand here
Ito-day then stood, using all my powers, mental
and physical, TO preserve this nation i'll passing
through the third phase of its existence The organ
lied and combined powers that recently stood ar
rayed against us are abandoned and driven from the
field; but it does not follow that there enc
mics against our present form OF government and
free institutions. then stood IN the senate OF the
United States denying the doctrine of secession L
denied then, as | do now. that any state has the
right of lis own will to separate itself from the 9TH
states and thereby destroy the Union and break
| up the government; and think have given some
| evidence that have been sincere and IN earnest.
i
train of sanderers and calcumnlators, and taducers
| have been barking and Swapping at my heels :
| Cheers Why is it that they array themselves
against Is il because stand The side OF the
Ipeople? And when | say the people, include the
soldiers and sailors. LCheers;l Why is ii they are
arrayed in traducng, and Hliltylng, and calumnlat
| ing me? where were they during the rebellion
| A voice, s. AT home, in bed" Laughter. In the
senate raised my voice against it. and when it was
believed it would be TO the interest of the
ton and assist in putting down the rebellion, did
not levve my pace in the senate,-a place OF emolu
iafTO fob
where the enemy could be reached, and where men
lives in danger, [Cheers, and cries OF tThats
so;i] while was opposed, personally and publicly,
by some OF my present traducers and calumniators,
who were far removed rom the foe and were enjoy
ing ease and comfort. [Cheers.
But care not for them. care not that SANDER the
| foul whelp OF sin, has been let loose against me- l
for all that. And let me tell you here, to-day,
that, atho pretty well advanced in life feel that
shall live long enough live down the whole pack of
| traducers and sanderers. Appause.l They have
turned the whole pack loose 10 lower me IN your es-
timation A voice, They can doit IIray, blanche,
Sweetheart and all little dogs may come swapping at
my heels; but heed them not. [Cheers.l
The American people, citizen soldiers and sailors,
know that, from my advent into public lie TO the
present moment have always stood unyleldingy
and unwayeringly, the defender of their rights and
| interests.
| We are now in the nations third ordeal. We are
not yet thro it. We said that States could not go out
of the Union We denied the doctrine OF secession
and we have been instructed that we are right. We
demonstrated it by the strong arm. Yes the soldiers
| and sailors-GOd bless them-have demonstrated by
not the power to leave the Union. What followed!
The confederate armies were overpowered and dis
banded and there was a willingness on the part of
the people of these to come back, be obgdent
TO the laws and acknowledge the supremacy OF the
constitution OF our fathers or what nave passed
through the third ordealI Ii was 10 establish the
principle that state had the power to breark up
this government For what have all these lives been
sacrificed and all this treasure expended! Was it for
The purpose of destroying states No, it for the
purpose preserving the states and the Union OF the
states. That is what we have been contending for,
and to establish the fact that the nation can lit itself
above and beyond intestine foes and treason and
| traitors at home.
When the rebellion in Massachusetts was put
down, did that put Massachusetts of the Union
and destroy the State? When the rebellion i'll Penn
syvania put down did that destroy the state and
put 1t out OF the Union! SO when the recent rebellion
was put down, and the constitution and laws OF the
country restored in the engaged in the
beiIion those states cons tituting part the gOr
GUS Union, were restored.
A great deal was done in Tennessee under the di-
rection OIL my amented predecessor. We commenced
the work together. We succeeded, before came
here i'll restoring the relations which had existed be-
tween Tennessee and the rest of the Union, with one
exceptions and that was the one relative TO represent
tation. came TO Washingtona aud under extraordina
ry circumstances succeeded 10 the Presidential chair
What tnenS The Congress of the United States had
adjourned without prescribing any plan; then pro-
ceeded as had done in my own state under direction
of the government to restore the other states. And
how did we begin? We found the people had no
courts and said to the judges district attorneys
and marshals, 'go down and hold your courts. The
people need the tribunals of justice to be opened
down there had no mails. They had been interrupt
ed and cut off by the rebellion We said to the Post
general 'let the people have the mail tacii
ties and let them begin to understand, what we all
feel and think, that we are one people, We looked
tom houses were all closed. We said open the doors
OF The custom house and remove the blockade. Let
trade and commerce be restored. And If was done.
we thus travelled on opening Customhouses, restor
ing mails, and reestabishing all customs that had
been interrupted by the rebellion Was there any
thing here that was not authorized by the constion
bV no nf he
that has not been clearly consistent with the gener
Gus spirit of the government [Cheers.l
What remained to be done? One other thing-to
demonstrate to the christian and pagan world that
we had passed successfully through the third ordeal
of our national existence, and proved that our gov
eminent was perpetual. great principle was to be
restored, which was established i'll revolution,
when our fathers were conending against the power
of Great Britain What one Of the principal
causes OF their complaint? 1t was that they de
MED representation They complained OF taxation
without repre- sentation (Cheers.) One of the great
principles laid down by fathers, and which fired
their hearts, was that there should be taxation
without representation How does the mater stand
VINO has been usurping powers? Who has been
defeating the purposes OF the constitution? And
what remains to be done to complete the resto
ration OF these states to all their former relations I'M
der the federal government and to furnish the great
ordeal through which we have been passing! 1t is
to admit representation. [CheersJ
And when we say admit representation, what do
we meanl We mean representation il the consIitu
tional and law-abiding sense inIended at the
beginning of the government The constitution de-
clares III express that each ouse-the senate
and house orepresentatives acting for be
the judge of the election and qualifications of its
own members. 1t is the house that must settle the
question under the constitution. And can we believe
that either house Woud admit any member into its
body, to participate in legislation, who was not
qualified. They have power not only to correct
abuses but the abuse itself. All that is needed to
finish this great work Of restoration is for the two
houses respectively to determine the question. Oh
but some one will say traitor might come in. The
answer TO that is that each house must be Judge;
and when traitors presents himself cannot either
a &c a M
ii he is traitor, cannot they kick HIM out of doors
and send him back again, saying to the people who
sent him, You must send a loyal man" Cheers,
and avoice That's logic''l What is the difficulty
about that! None, none, and cheers. If trait
presents himself to either house that house
say, No, you cannot be admitted into either body.
Go back. We will not deny your people representa-
ton, but they must send us loyal representative.
| LCheersI And when the state does send us loyal
representatives, can you have any better loyaltyy
There is no one learned in the constitution and
law that will say that a traitor gets into congress-
no one expel him for treason after he gets in
Hence say, let stand by that constitution, and
in standing by it, the covenant will be preserved
While have been contendlng against traitors and
treason and secession and the dissolution of the I'm
ion, have been contending at the time against
the consolidation OF power here. [CIies of Good
think the consolidation of power here is equally
dangerous with the separation of the States Chees
The one would weaken us and might run in
to anarchy, while the other would concentrate and
run into monarchy [Cheers and cries of Cant do
| it'll On, but there is an idea abroad that one man
| can be despot- that one man can be usurper-but
that hundred two hundred men cannot. Mr..
Jefferson the apostle of liberty tells u.s. so does
common sense that tyranny and despotism can
be exercised by many, more vigorously, and more
vigorously, ana more tyrannicaly than by one
What power has your President to be tyrant? What
can he do? What can he originate Why, they
say he exercises the veto power. laughter What
is the veto power? IA voice-''To put down the
nigger"-laughter Who is your President? [Sev-
eral voices-''Andy Johnson.''l Is he not elected
by the people, through the Electoral College? The
President Is nothing more than the Tribune of the
people. His office IS Tribunitiain its character. In
oil ad in fhn
Roman republic they stood at the door of the Roman
Senate, which was then encroaching on the popu-
lar rights and putting the heel of power the necks
of the people. The people chose Tribune and
placed him at the door OF the Senate, that when
that body ventured an oppressive act he clothed
| with power 10 say FetoH-'I forbid
4 Your Presidents now the tribune of the people
and thank God am and intend to assert the
power which the people have placed in me- Cheers)