The Lancaster gazette. [volume] (Lancaster, Ohio) 1863-1886, 1866-03-08

tory, that OF John Tyler.
/ feel an abiding confidence that
Andrew Johnson will not, cannot dc
this; and, sir, who will deny that the
overbearing and intolerant will Of
Henry Clay contributed very much tc
the detection Of John Tyler. But the
division of the Wing party was ar
event utterly insignificant in compari
son with the evil results of a division in
the Union party.
Where will be the four millions oi
slaves whom, by your policy, you have
emancipated? What would be their
inevitable fato if now surrendered to
the custody of the rebels of the Southf
Will you by your demand of universal
suffrage, destroy the power Of the
Union party to protect them in their
dearly purchased libertyP Will you
by new issues upon which you know
you have not the views Of the people,
jeopardize those rights, which you
can, by the aid oflhe Union party,
secure to these freedmen? We know
that the President cannot, will not,
and will never agree to unite with us
upon the the issues of universal suf.
frage.
No such dogmas were contemplated
when, for his heroic services in the
cause of the Union, we placed him side
by side with Mr.. Linco,n as our stand
ard bearer, Why dwell upon tbem?--
Why not complete the work SO glori.
ously begun by our soldiers, by sccu.
ring Union and Liberty to ali men
without distinction of color, leaving to
tho States, as before, the question Of
suffrage?
The curse of God, tho maledictions
of millions of our people, and the tears
and blood of new made freedmen will,
in my judgement, rest upon those who
now for any cause destroy the unity of
the great party that haveled us through
the wilderness of war TO peace and re-
pose. We must now look at our pub.
lie credit. We have duties to per-
form to the business interests tof the
country in which we need the assist
ance Of the President. We have every
motive for harmony with him and
with each other, and for a generous,
manly trust in his patriotism. ri
Ifever the time shall come when
can 10 longer confdein his devotion
to the principles upon which he was
elected, / will bid farewell to Andrew
Johnson with unaffected sorrow. |
well remember when he stood on this
very spot five years ago, refuting with
unexampled courage the assaults of
traitors. He left in their hands wife,
children, property and home, and stalk.
ed his oil on the result. Iwcil rcmem-
Dor that when rctrcating General
would havO left Nashville to its fate,
that again with heroic courage he
maintained his post well remember
the fierce conflict and trials hlough
which he and his fellew companions in
East Tennessee maintained our cause
in the heart of tho Confederacy. ] well
remember the struggle ho had with the
aristocratic element of Tennessee.
Never ashamed Of his origin and
never far from tho hearts of the poo
pie. Sir, you must not sever the great
Union party from this loyal element of
the Southern States. No theories of
possible utopian good can compensate
for the loss ofsuch patriotism and de-
votion. Time MS he tells you in his
message, is great element of reform,
and time is on your side.
l remember the homely and encour.
aging words. of pioneer in the anti
slavery cause, an expelled Methodist
preacher from tho South, who told
those who were behind him in opinion,
swell friends, black or white, we must
all travel together"
l say to all who doubt Andrew John
son, who wish to move moro rapidly
than he can, to block up awhile, to con-
solidate their great victory, with the
certainty that reason and the Almighty
will continue their work. All wisdom
will need be with us. The highest hu-
man wisdom is to do all tho good you
can, not sacrifice possible good to at.
tempt the impracticable. God knows
that do not urge harmony and con-
solidation from personal motives.
The people of my uative State have
entrusted me with q position here cx-
tended four years beyond the tcrmina.
ton of tho Presidential Office of tho
present incumbent. He can grant me
no favors. III believed for a moment
that he would seek an alliance with
those who, either arms or council, or
even by apathy, were against this coun-
try in the recent war, and would turn
over to them the high powers entrust.
ed to him by tho Union party, then,
sir, he is dishonest, and would receive
no assistance from me. But 1 will not
force him into this attitude. If heshall
not prove false TO the declaration made
by him in his veto message, that his
strongest desire was to secure to the
freedmen tho full enjoyment of their
freedom and property, then 1 will not
quarrel with him as to the means used
and while, as he tells us in tho same
message, he only asks for States to be
represented Which arc in an attitude
for loyalty and harmony, and in the
persons ofrepsesontatives whose loyal.
ty cannot be questioned under any con-
stitutional or legal tosts, surely we
ought not to separate from him until
at leastiwe prescribe a test of their
loyalty upon which we are willing to
stand We hn,.a MT dn,,n n 1Srnf [