, 1866-02-24
FORNEY on JOHNSON.

FORNEY on JOHNSON.
The Loyal Congress Must be Sus-
tanned.
Letter OF John W. ForneT to tho Phila-
delphja PFeas.
= WASHINGTON, Feb. 70, 1866.
While the stannch friends Of the Republic
were taking counsel among themselves last
evening, aiier the reading Of the veto mes
sage Of President johnson, the Copper
head politicians, IN and ont Of Congress,
city, were celebrating the event with 4 Joy
as tnmu1tuous as that With which the seces-
sion sympnthizers here would have hailed
the entrance of Jefferson Davis into the
capital OF the United States after the battle
OF Bull Run, Even before Congress had
adjourned, the aar announced "a sercnade to
the President = and early in the evening
bnnd Of music, followed BY about two hum
dred people, called at the Presidential mau-
sion. His E1cel1ency declined to make y
speech, but somebody announced that he
would address the public on Thursday even-
ing. Not Union member OF either House,
and not ercn IN ot1lce-ho1der, 60 fur as could
this writing I have not conyersed with q
single. Individua1-Seuntor.R Representative or
citizen, who ayows his willingness to support
the policy fcreshadoWedf IN the veto message Of
the Freedmen's Burcan Bill. I FAY this, you
will observe, before wc have received any in
timation from the people If the States, their
legislators, newspapers or politicians, and be-
fore either House has taken action upon that
extraordinary document. In one respect 1t is
far better thlt the relations between the loYal
people and MIR. johnson should be clearly de-
tined and understood. The suspense which
has prevailed in regard to his exact policy,
succeeding and YET rapilly changing the a.
saGe, was almost insupportable. You will
York and Pennsylvania elections
Of last year. although lie President was ro-
peatedly called upon by the prominent Union
men In both States, and solicited to declare In
against the Copperheads, he refused to take
sides with the friends Of the country. In our
own State, 1t cannot be denied, that he prom.
iscd Ito giyc aIr. Cessna, chairman Of the
Union State Central Committee, an answer
which answer was never received. In New
York he was go utterly demoralized By
the Visits of the Democrats who do
that lie was only iuferential1y quoted in
favor Of the Union candidates. In both
these States brave men who had fought
against the rebel enemies headed the Unfou
ticket, and yet, although they stood upon
platforms earnestly approving the Presidents
course, and pledged to him the loyal support
Of the people, be refused to abandon his neu-
Claim him as their supporter. But with ali
this aid the Copperlea'!s were more utterly
defeated than at any period of the rebellion.
Please make q note OF lhis historical fact, In
asmuch as 1t will eervc to dfssipatc
the cry that President Johnson'a veto
was provoked by what Is sailed the radical
policy in Congress. No such complaint
which I refer. The radicals were silent at
homo; and, indeed, had been rather ignored
by the Union party In New York and Pennsyl-
vania. and yet the hand of the President was
turned against rs, and the battle had to be
fought without him. The eame temper char
Congress. Not an intimation WIS given from
the time Of bis annual message Of, his fnten-
tion to carry ont the positive and voluntary
pledges made while he was q candi-
date before the people, md even after he
became President, by the assination Of Abrn-
ham Lincoln. Ills suspicious silence, In re-
gard to the blood stained tyrunt md traitor,
Jefferson Davis, which so alarmed the peo-
pic during the antumn Of 1SG5, became more
ominous and marked alter the Meeting OF
Congress. From the organs Of llsanection,
beginning with tho Nationdl Iatepigenter. nt
this point, We had constant stream OF cal
umny upon the earnest men Of the Re.
e1sls who Acee1aas ss%sasSe oa e. s ane
where took new Heart: It was rs
common to ridlcule and execrate the
radicals in the South. as it WAS to outrage
and cheat the negroes. Delegations Of the
leading aud most proscriptfre Democrats paid
rer,lAr court, and were received almost in
state at the Presidential mansion. From
PENNSYLVANIA we had such men as Senators
Clymer and Wallace-the slandercrs Of An
drew. johnson In 1865, who led the Copper
heads In the Legislature when they refused
to allow him to speak III tho Legislative halls !;
from New York We had such men ns John
Van Burcn, who was almost . guest, and the
daily conf1dant Of the President and from
the South the persons regularly admitted,
and httcntiycly heard, were the desperate
leaders Of the recent murderous rebellion.
Meanwhile, the Onion members Of Con-
grcss watched these extraordinary proceed
ines with undissembled sorrow. Unwilling to
Of the Republic, rejolced In the defeat OF our
armies. denounced the execution Of the assas-
sins Of Abraham Lincoln, and covered the
name of Andrew johnson with indescribnbte
oblo4uy, werc believed, nuch Hess conaded
in; they called upon. the President, .and
III
and fraternal spirit Mortified as they were
to see him entertaining and listening to
the Copperheads Of the North and thc
traitors Of the South, humillated by
his tll-digested, fncohercnt and Illogical
harangues rs he received and answered all
Eorts Of delegatiorS-they sought, in every
instance, to suppress their apprehensions.
and render impossible the condition Of things
which, 1t now appears, has been for months
craltily, sedn1ously and treacherously pre-
pairing. Not measure was contemplated BY
these faithful Representatives that did not
find Its source or encouragement In the
pledges aud assurances OF Andrew johnson
himself. This Is true, even Of the most radi-
cal measures Of Congress.
We can best understand our duties In this
solemn emergency By fearlessly stating the
dangers Of the Republic. Among these latter
may be Chased the postponcment or defeat Of
every essential amendment Of the National
Constitutfon-thc remission to new horrors Of
the freedmen Of the Sonth-the executive op-
position TO every bill for the improvement OF
The District Of Columbia, including the po1iti-
cal and civil elevation Of the resident colored
race-:tle reorganization In every. insurgent
section OF the recent rebcls--the cxpnl-
ton to the south-a system OF vide
and merciless prescription Of independent
md earnest men-the pardon, II not the hon.
orable restoration to their rights, of Jefferson
Davis, John c. Breckfnridge and the leading
traitors; and the resnscitatiou,. BY Federal
patronage, of the entire CoppeEheaa party.
gers, however, that may be anticipated aud
prevented, II VIC are only bold and fearless in
the knowledge and In the discharge Of our
imperative duties. And what arc thcscs In
the first place, to sustain those faithful and
obedient Representatives In Congress, the or
Of the republic, in their recent al
most unanimous votes in favor Of universal
suffrage and in taror OF the bill just vetoed by
the President. Observe that these two
demonstrations represent and typiy the
wishes and the doctrines OF the whole body
ofthe great Union party. As I have shown,
these two measures were, fnot suggested, at
dent, and never, until recently. disavowed
either by word or deed. 1fthe people are true
to this primary obligation, We shall then be
nb|e to control atwo. thirds vote In Congress.
Without these two-thlrds the Government
will be absolutely at standstill, or will be
conducted in the interest aud according to the
dictates Of that calamitous md desperate an
traitors in the Geld and steadily embarrassed
the civil agents Of the people during the re-
bellion, II my man in the Re
public had bitterly denounced the
ingTatitudc Of the. Southern rebels, 1t was
Andrew johnson. He knew that nothing but
the continuous, fragrant exhibitions of insrati-
tude constrained the majortties in Congress to
adopt that decided policy without which we
should have had the traitors crowded into the
high places Of the Government. The Huf:
ffagc question was logical result Of
Andrew Jolnson's own declarations and as-
surances. No man ever supposed that from
him would proceed q single objection to an
attempt to reform the GoVemmeat OF the Dis
trict Of Columbia, and to confer political
rights upon the colored people here. The
eamc remark may be made Of the bill which
be In. just vetoed. The measure was framed
and reported by Senator Trumbu1l, OF Illinois
distinguished for his frequently manifested
desire to maintain the President, and known
for his opposition to some Of 31r, Sum-
ncz's prominent particular theories. It
wns 20 carefully prepared, and the
provisions, that it was popular1y believed
10 have been submitted to him for approval.