The Idaho world. [volume] (Idaho City, Idaho Territory) 1864-1918, 1866-03-10
President Johnson,s speech.


CHICAGO, February 23.-The Republicans
Washington special disuatch gives u full re-
port of the Presidents speech yesterday. The
meeting at Growers Theater adjourned to the
White House to present series of resolu-
<ions endorsing the Presidents veto. AS It
arrived in front of the White House, noisy
crowd of 200 persons assembled. The Pres
ident ca1Ae out and said cit was extremely
gratifying to know that SO large portion OF
his fellow-citizens approved Of his policy,
and which lie Intended to Carry out. The
day is peculiarly appropriate for the endorse
ment of policy whose object is the resto-
ration Of the Union as designed by the father
Of his country. / stand here to-day as did
liz the Sealte in 1860 when denounced the
traitors trying to break up the Government.
There were TWO parties, one of which WAS
determined to destroy the government and
save slavery, aud the other almost equally
dangerous, and equally willing to break up
the Government and destroy slavery Wheth-
Pr disunionists came from the North or South
| stand now as cid then, for the Union ard
the Constitutions The Government las put
forth the strong arm and with its physical
power put down the rebellion. The traitors
have disbanded, and they come forward now
in proper spirit, saying We are. mistaken !;
we made an effort to carry out the doctrine
OF secession and dissolve the Union, and we
failed. We have traced this doctrine to log
icai and physical results, and We find We are
mistaken. We acknowledge the flag Of our
country, and we are willing to obey tie Con-
stituton and yield to the supremacy of the
laws. Coming in that spirit, / say to them !:
When you have yielded to the laws, when
you have acknowledged your allegience. |
will 90 "a A,n "a ha
Union. to those who have erred and stray yed
for a time. The spirit of revenge is not the
spirit in which to deal with the whole people.
know that there has been great deal said
about the exercise of the pardoning power.
There is NO one who has labored with more
earnestness than myself, to have principal,
intelligent and conscious traitors brought to
justice, the laws vindicated and the great fact
ludicially established, that treason is crime;
but while conscious that leading intelligent
traitors are to be punished, should whole
communities, States and their people be made
to submit to the penalty of death? mol no!
Let those who have erred be punished, but to
the great multitude forced into the rebellion,
say, give leniency and kindness. We put
down the rebellion in order to prevent the
separation of States, but when the struggle
on our part proved to be successful, we find
now an effort TO concentrate all the power in
the hands of a few at the federal head, and
thereby establish new principle of equality
as Objectionable as separation The Gov
ernment may be revolutionized without war,
and this is most dangerous because lis pro-
gress is not so easily watched. The great
principle which authorizes each branch of
the legislative department TO judge for itself
the qualifications of its own members, has
been virtually taken away from them and
conferred on committee. fought traitors
ard treason ia the South and now turn round
and find men, care not by what name you
may call them, still opposed to restoring the
Union, am free to say to you that / am
still in the field. 4 Voices-"name them
who are they2"l The President continued
You ask me who they are. / say, Tbad. Ste-
vens of Pennsylvania, and Charles Sumner
OF the Senate; also Wendell Phillips. fan
other Voice-"giye it to Forney"l In reply
TO this he said: | will not waste nv ammu.
milton on dead ducks. stand for nv coun-
try, stand for the Constitution; there have
placed my feet from my advent into public
life. They may traduce, they may slander.
or they may yituperate me, but let me saw to
you all it has no influence npon me-. Let me
say further, that do not intend to be over.
awed by real or pretended friends, nor do /
mean to be bullied by my enemies. Ny hon
est conviction is my courage. The Consti-
tuition is my guide. Iknow, my countrymen.
it has been insinuated, no, not insinuated, ii
has been said directly, in high circles, that
if such usurpation of power as am charged
with, had been exercised some two hundred
years ago, it would have cost the individual
his head. Of what usurpation has Andrew
johnson been guilty inone, none Is it
usurpation that | stand between the people
and encroachments of power. From the
same source the exclamation has gone forth
that they were in the midst of an earthquake
and that they were trembling and could not
weld. Yes, feilow-citizens, there is an earth
quake coming-there is a grand swelling of
popular judgment and indignation. The
American people will speak, and by their in
stinct, if not otherwise, they will know who
are their enemies. / have endeavored to be
true to the people in all the positions in this
Government, and what positions have not
at some time filed? Isuppose it will be said
tbst this is YaAItY, pHt nay say that have