The weekly clarion. [volume] (Jackson, Miss.) 1863-1882, 1866-04-26
TELEGRAPHIC
SPEECH OF
PRESIDENT JOHNSON

L =
/ WASHINGTON, April 18.--1n reply. to TIL
1crowd of soldiers and sailors assent led q
i the White House this evening to peS thei
lrespects to the President, Presto dent John
son said I confess that. IN the peculiar Pc
i sition of public affairs, your presence and I'D
dress give encouragement and ,confdence t.
me in my efforts to discharge the duties EN-
Lcumbent on me as Chief magistrates Of. TIL
Republic, and in what have TO say I shal
address you in the character of citizens
sailors and soldiers. (Applausea. We ar,
to-day involved in one of the most critica
1 and trying situations that Have occurred
since the Government came into existence
Our nation has another test .stii
to undergo, and that is. to give evidences
to the nations of the earth, and to its OWI
4 citizens, that it has the power to restore in
i ternal peace, that it has strength enough te
put down treachery and treason Within its
own borders. (Cheers.) We have com
Fmenced an ordeal, and trust in God, we
will pass through it successfully. CHEERS,
i feel complimented by the allusion of one
present to the fact that in the Senate
i in 1860 and 1861, when the nation was
Ientering ON this ordeal D raised
a ss hands AGAINST treason, treachery and
stand here to-day holding to and maintains
| ing the same position which them enun-
ciated. lCheers.) I,stand here to day OPP
posing traitors and their treason, whoever
/ they be, in the South or in the North,
Cloud cheers.) stand here to day as then
stood, using all my powers, mental and
| physical, to preserve the nation in going
through the third phase of its existence.
The organized forces and combined powers
that recently stood arrayed against you are
disbanded and'driven from the field But it
does not follow that there are still no enemies
against our present form of government and
our free institutions (applause) l then
stood in the Senate of the United States,
denying the doctrine of separation and se-
cession. I denied then, as I do now, that
any State has the right of. it's own will to
separate itself from the other States, and
the right to destroy the Union and break up
the government, and think I have .given
some evidence that have been sincere and
in earnest, and noWI want to know why it
is, that the whole train of of slanderers and
calumniators have been barking. and snap
ping at my heels (eheers)? Why is it they
have arrayed. themselves against me? Is it
because stand on the side of the people!
and when Isay the people, 1 include sailors
and soldiers (cheers). Why is it that they are
arrayed in traducing and classifying, and
eliminating me? Where were they during,
the rebellion Just ended? I answer at home
in bed. Laughter) In the Senate I
raised my.voice against it, and when it was
believed that it would be to the interest of
the nation and would assist in putting down
the rebellion,did / not leave my place in the
Senate, a place of emolument, ease and dis
tinction, and take my position where the
enemy could be reached and where mems
lives were in danger? (Cheers and cries of
that's so.) While / was thus exposed, per-
sonally and publicly, some of my present
traducers and calumniators were far re-
moved from the foe and were enjoying ease
and comfort (Cheers.) All* these foul
whelps of sin have been turned loose against
me. L care not for all that they may tell
you. sirs, to-day. Although pretty well adj
yanced in life, / feel that l shall live long
enough to live down the whole pack of ira
ducers and infamousslanderers. (Applause.)
They have turned the whole pack loose to
lower me in your estimation. Verify they
can't do it. Tray, Blanche and Sweetheart,
little dogs and all, come along swapping and
snarling'at my heels, but heed them mot
{cheers.) The American people, citizens,
soldiers and sailors know that from my adj
vent in public life to the present time, I have
and defender of their rights and interests
(Cheers) We are now in the nations third
ordeal. We are not yet through. We de-
MED that States could go out of the Union.
We denied the doctrine of secession and we
have demonstrated that We were right. We
it by the strong arm.
Yes, the soldiers and the sailors, God
bless them, have demonstrated by their pat
riotism and strong arms that States have
not the power to leave the Union. Applause
What followed? The Confederate armies
were overpowered and disbanded, and there
was Willingness on the part of the people
of those States to come back in obedience to
the law and acknowledge the supremacy of
the Constitution of our fathers. For what |
have we passed through this third ordeal?- |
1t was to prove the principle that no
State had the power to break up the Govern
ment. 1t was to put down rebellion. The |
rebellion has been put down, and for what?
Was it to destroy the States? Verify, never!
For what have all these lives been sacrificed
and all this treasure been expended! Was
it to destroy the States? No. 1t was for the |
purpose of preserving the Union of the |
States That is what we have been contend |
ing for, and to establish the fact that the |
nation can lift its own head above and be-
You'd internal wars, and treason and traitors |
at home. When the rebellion in Massachu-
sets was put down, did that put Massaehu- |
sets ont of the Union, and destroy the |
State? When the rebellion in Pennsylvania |
was put down, did that destroy the State |
and put it out of the Union? So. when the |
great rebellion was put down and the Con-
stitution and laws of the country restored |
the States being engaged in the rebellion be-
ing crushed, the laws restored and the Con
,titution acknowledged in them, they stood
N the Union and under the Constitution
portion of this glorious and bright galaxy of
States. In passing through this ordeal,
much has been done in them, under the df-
lection of my lamented predecessor. We
the work of reform-we succeed
ID before came here in restoring the rela-
ions which had existed between Tennessee
md the rest of the Union, with one excep-
ion, the relation of representation. i came
10 Washington, and under extraordinary
succeeded to the Presidential
hair The Congress of the, United States
lad adjourned without prescribing any plan.
then proceeded as had done in my own
state, in reconstructing the government, to
estore the other States and how did we be- T.
rim? We found that the people had no
ourts, and we said TO the judges, district
Jttorneys and marshals.i go down and hold
our courts, the people need the tribunals, of
ustice to be opened. Was there, anything
wrong in that The courts were opened Il
What else9 We looked out and saw that /;
he people down there had no mails i they
lad been cut off by the. operations Of the re-
'ellion. We said to the Postmaster General.
ct the people have fair chances for mails,
nd let them again begin to understand
vhat we all felt. Bhat we are again onel
eople. We looked out again and saw that
here was a blockade, that the custom
ouses were all closed We said. open the
oors of the custom houses and remove the /
Iockade: let the pursuits of peace 90 on,