The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1866-04-24
Letter from the National Can;tal

TION DAY.
WASHINGTON, April 20, 1865.
To the Editor Of the Press:
Soon after the accession of Mr.. johnson t,
the Presidency, in the first flush and giddines
of his sudden and great elevation, withou
asking the advice of Congress, without takin
the sense of the people, worst Of all withou
waiting upon that development and unfold
ing of events in which the wise and tru
statesman always recognizes the guiding hant
OF Divine Providence; in the fullness OF hi
egOtism, and the plenitude of his self fsufficien
vanity, in a dark day and an evil hour he con
ceived and propounded a policy" That poll
cy he has since followed with determination
| which no ''logic of events" can shake, with 6
faith no impossibilites can stumble. The
| great Doctor Sangrado of Valladolid, could moi
have been more certain that his grand specific
for all diseases-frequent and abundant blood
letting, and copious draughts of warm water
contained all that was worth knowing in med
| ical science, than is President johnson that
"my policy" embodies all political WISDOM
When Gil Bias, disturbed with some secret
pangs OF conscience, mildly suggested to his
master, the great Sangrado, that all the irpa-
tients speedily and invariably died under
their hands, and gently limited some doubts
as to the universal efficacy of their method of
cure, the Doctor admitted the fact, but added
with true Johnson:an profundity,-"y 1 wGs
not so sure as I am of the principles upon
oclsich In proceed, 1 should think ney remedies
acere pe,nicious In almost all cases that come
uader nay care" "If you will take my advice,
sir" replied the pupil, "we win change our
method, and give chemical preparations to
our patients through curiosity; the worst that
can happen will only be that they produce the
same effect that follows our bleeding and
warm water" 81 would willingly make that
experiment" replied the great Doctor, "pro-
vided it could have no bad consequences; but
1 have published book in which have ex-
tolled the use oflfrequent bleeding and aqueous
draughts; and acouldst thou haze me 90 and
decry ny o,on ioork"s So convincing was this
logic that both the Doctor and his pupil went
to work again, and with such zeal and success,
that in less than six weeks they made more
widows and orphans than the seige of Troy.
The manifest and powerful tendency of
Doctor JOhnsOn's specific, as administered by
him to sick States, to everywhere exhaust and
destroy all vital loyalty and real patriotism,
and everywhere revive the partially subdued
disease into fearful activity. might possibly
suggest to another mind than his some doubts
as to the intallability of said specific Doubt
less "if he was not so sure as he is of the
principles upon which he proceeds, he would
thlnk his remedies were pernicious in almost
every case that comes under his care" Be
ing, however, just so "sure as he is" he finds
in the fact that in every one of his recon-
structed State governments the power has al
ready passed or is rapidly passing into disloyal
hands, that his political remedies, SO called,
are hailed with celight by all who openly
fought or secretly sought to destroy the life Of
the Republic, that they are regarded with dis
trust and alarm by the great body of those
who fought in field or labOred in council to
subdue treason-in all this he sees no reason
to reconsider his theory, but still for any and
every ailing of the body polite continues to
prescribe his pet nostrum with the reckless
pertinacity of the genuine empiric
VI the Presidents cure-all we were favored
with an additional illustration on the evening
OF Wednesday the 18th inst. The circum-
stances OF the case may bear brief explana-
ton. At the regular meeting of the Soldiers
and Sailors Union on Monday the 9th inst,
resolution was introduced to make the Presi-
dent an honorary member of the association,
and another to tender him serenade. The
ostensible occasion of these resolutions was
the late proclamation OF the President re-
spectlng the employment of discharged SOL
diers and Sailors Either because the society
above named did not think proclamation,
which merely iterates what has been the law
asenneiorrS srv.-..-- 4han a wear
demonstrations of gratitude, or because the
members of the association, being decidedly
radical in their political opinions, did not wish
to seem to indorse "my policy or for some
other reason, the resolutions were promptly
and decisively tabled. The gentleman who
introduced them, however, still adhering to
his project of a serenade, invited all who
would, to join him in paying visit to the
White House. On the evening OF the 18th
! the grand procession, numbering, according
to the Chronicle, not more than dozen sol.
diers and sailors, started from Wizards with a
band of music. A considerable number ol
miscellaneous persons, led by miscellaneous
| motives, fell in as the pageant progressed, and
considerable crowd finally assembled in front
| of the Presidential mansion. This crowd the
President addressed at length, under the i'm
| preston, apparently, that he was speaking to
| soldiers and sailors. Whether the illusion was
real, or only convenient piece of self-decep.
tion, necessary to carry out the programme, il
were ungracious to imagine Of the charac.
ter of some in the assembly significant indi.
| cation was given in cries of DOUn With the
radicals" "Where's Forney," and in the
| prompt response to the question of the Presi
dent, "What is the veto power? pa response
no doubt uttered from the depths of full
Notwithstanding to put do,cn niggers ,rith.' ;
| Whether the speech were lad captandum
/ eliie uOhioe,OsoiS1d may PCihdpo uO ilACAiOo
from sGch passages as the following: "AnG
| when it comes to talk about soldiers and sail
ors, about this and that to be done, all l want
| is for you to wait and see. -
! Wait and see if do not stand by you if eve
| lry other man falters. a -
stand on the side of the people, and seek to
protect their rights, and when say the peO
| pie, mean the soldiers and sailors through
| whose agency the rebellion was crushed"
| 49, Al Ii
! self to such filings as the following: "Who has
been usurping; who has been defeating the
1 operations of the Constitution 80
| There is an idea out that one man can be 9
| despot, that one man can be a usurper, but q
/ hundred or two hundred cannot"
| But far the most important part of his
| speech was that which related to the politica
situation, and to his own intentions for the fu
ture. His language was brief and explicit
We are to-day involved in one of the mos
| trying and critical struggles that has occurred
since this government was spoken into exist
/ ence." OF his intentions, alluding to his pas
course, he said: II intend to sink or ssctm b,
adherence to the Tine Of duty haze thus fol
lotoed. I shall 90 through up
on that line" ...+..t.
OF the grievous wailing and lamenting
wherewithal the President bemOaned ard pit
led himself, do not care to speak. TIL
whole affair from beginning to end, including
the proclamation above referred to, was s.
transparent as to be mildly amusing, w
have all seen such performances many time
before, usually little before election. The
may serve well enough to carry some back
woods county, on a close canvass, but wi
hardly blind or mislead great people "invol1
ed in one of the most critical struggles" tina
| has occurred since it had an existence
Enough-Sangrado is joined to his practic'