Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1866-10-30
ANDREW JOHNSON.
HOW Ills COURSE Is REGARDED By THE LIBER
AL JOURNALS OF ENGLAND.

A. "ptiRN Atso Of ENhLAAD.
| From the Birmingham (Eag) Daily Post. ~ 24l
English readers not unnaturallv
find II difficult to understand what is
just now taking place in the United
States. A correspondent Of the Lon
don journal endeayors to help them
by suggesting a parallel in the affairs
oftheir own country. "lmagine" he
says, chow you would feel if Prime
Minister in England were, after a
bloody attempt had been made to
overthrow the Government, to be-
gin to fraternise with the late rebels,
TO insist on deciding without the aid
of Parliament on what terms their
political rights should be restored,
and, having quarrelled with both
Houses should commence to summa
rily dismiss servants, and fill their
places with his own creatures"
Add to this the spectacle of Prime
Minister going through the country,
accompanied by some other mem
bers Of the Government, and by i'm
portant officers Of the army and
navy, attending open-air meetings,
making furions partisan speeches,
and freely interchanging alternate
billingsgate and compliments with
the mob The parallel as the wri-
ter admits, is not strictly accurate,
but, substantially, it is close enough
to represent the proceedings in
which President Johnson is now en-
gagged. A all avents it will enable
Englishmen to put themselves very
nearly in the position Of the great
Republican party of the North and
the West; and thus some faint idea
may be formed Of the feeling excited
not less by the personal conduct
Of Mr.. Johnson than by his policy.
If the errors of the President were
simply errors Of taste, they might be
remarked as matters comparatively
trifing Importance. In England, no
doubt any statesman who did what
Mr.. johnson is now doing would lose
place aud power forevcr-would ut
terly destroy his personal influence,
and would probably shatter his party.
In the United States it is doubtless
the fact that much wider measure
Of liberty is allowed to public men
than has ever been, or is ever likely
to be, conceded in England. The
citizens Of the Republic are much
less sensitive than we are to breach
es of those conventional "proprieties"
which in older and aristocratic
countries, hedge in the movements
of kings and statesmen. A ruder
and perhaps healthier tone of pub
lie life disposcs the Americans to
condone eXcentriclty or even ex-
travaganco of manner, in considera-
ton Of honesty Of purpose, fidelity
to principal, and real desire to sus-
tain the greatness Of the Repu Bile
But Mr.. Johnson has altogether
gone beyond the limits of forbear-
anoe. Not merely bis opponents, out
his advocates unite to condemn the
tone and manner Of bis recent speech
es, and to deprecate the continuance
of display which would be discred-
liable to professed stump" ortaor
and which is indecent on the part of
the Chief Magistrate of a great
nation. The wri.cr from who we
have already quoted-the corrcspon-
ent of the Daily Neaos-thus de-
scribes the effect produced in the
North by Mr.. Johnson's conduct
during the few weeks which pre-
ceded the despatch Of the last mail ;
have Che says already spoken of
his speeches during his late tour
| shall not now recur to that nau-
seous theme, except to say that they
have stirred the public of the free
States as no other man has ever
stirred them before. He has now,
for ten days, day by day, abused
and reviled as traitors everybody
here who differs from him-but men
too, who have poured out their blood
for the Union, and given their sons
for it, in the same category with
Davis and Toombs and done this in
terms SO gross and insulting that
peoples lips grow white when they
talk of it, His best friends dare de-
fend him, His organ the New York
Times, has been compelled, by the
indignation, tic deplore these speeches.
and confess their folly and imper-
tinence.