Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1866-09-27
Sacrifices and SUFFERING.

Inasmuch as President johnson never
fails to ask his audience this question -
who has sacrificed or suffered more for
his country than the humble individual be-
fore your" it may be profitable to review
the acts Of this particular Apostle, and the
how, when and where he suffered in the
cause of his country.
In 1860 Andrew johnson voted for John
g. Breckinridge for President--he was ac.
tive against Douglas and Lincoln, and was
consequently expected to secede from the
Senate as did the other Breckenridge Dem
octats of the Southern States. He did not
do it, however, hut hung to his seat, to
fight, as he said, for slavery inside of the
Union. He drew his pay and mileage
promptly, which must have lacerated his
tender soul Acute as were the sufferngs
he endured during this period, there were
several distinguished Tennesseeans who
would have gladly relieved him .'''
The war progressed. The Federal armies
won thetictories of Mill Springs, Bowling
Green, Forts Henry and Donelson, Shiloh,
&c. and had Tennessee pretty much clean
ed of rebels. President lincoln had use
for Military Governor of Tennessee, and
Andrew johnson was appointed. The po
sition was q soul narrowing ona-one involv-
ing suffering ef miud and body; but it had
some pleasant features For instance, the
Governor held the rank and drew the nay of
Brigadier-- he had his choice of the man
sions of Nashville for his rosidencc-he had
Federal soldiers to wait upon him and exc.
cute his orders. reasonable or otherwise
the life and liberty Of every citizen Of the
place was 10 his hsnds-he could indulge 10
his propensity for speech making 70 his
hearts content, for when other audiences
failed him, he could order ont regiment Of
negro soldiers and harrangue them. The
position was one of sacrifice, no doubt, but
thousand Brigadiers would each have Civ
en- an eye for it. .T F..
His next sacrifice wos the acceptance of
the Vice Presidency at the hands Of the
Unonists in '64 He was elected to the
second Office iu the gift of the people as
reward for his Unionism and in March he
relinquished his Btigsdiership TO make the
new sacrifice. He suffered all the way from
Nashville to Washington At Cincinnati
he was overcome, with anguish we suppose,
and OF Washington, as viii he remcmbered,
he broke down entirely under his load of
suffering. AS terrible as was the suffering
incident TO the new position, Hannibal Ham.
lin was, we remember, qnite put out because
he was not allowed to shoulder it, A great
many men have been willing TO martyr
themselves in this manner. Finally Booth
made him President. all in consequence of
course, of his Unionism. This position is
the height of the ambition of American pol
iti'ians, ami many IF the greatest in'elleets
of the country have spent their lives intri-
gueing for it. tut he nchirvea it Mt two leaps,
and his espousal of TInionism was the spring
board which hoisted lin.
We have mapped his sufferipgs and sac.
ri6ces tolerahy full. we think Heavy as
were his bufdens, acute as were his suffer
ipes, and bitter as was his anguish. We
would be- perfectly willing to c, ntract to ind
at least Ave men in every school district in
the United States who would be willing TO 60
through Them all, aud who would also give
bonds never to refer TO them afterward p
To be serious, his talk on this head is the
meanest kind Of humbug. He has heen
honored beyond his deserts, paid beyond
his service,-in short, the Unionism which
he yaunts as sacrifice, was all that saved
him from political death Had he followed
his impulses, and gone through with Breck.
ipridee, he would have been with him in
Canada-he deserted him and is President.
IL he counts his four years divorce from
that class of politicians a sacrifice, he caa
console himself, for his trials are over He
is going back to them as fast as he can
indeed, ne is with them now. "Pity the
sorrows OF poor old man"