Raftsman's journal. [volume] (Clearfield, Pa.) 1854-1948, 1866-09-19
PRESIDENT JOHNSON.
III. defsnce ofthe New Orleans Massacre
= = H He Boasts Of Pardoning Rebels, etc.

His defence 0Ign6 Now OIISduS inao'
he Boasts Of Pardoning Rebels, etc.
On the 9th of September, banquet was
piven to President johnson and party IN
st Louis. at which the President made
l.,otbv speeeh from which we take the fol-
lowing extracts:
The rebellion being suppressed, and the
Shedding of blood being stopped, the sacrl-
fee of life being suspended and stayed, 1t
seems that the time has arrived when you
should be at peace, when the bleeding ar
tcries should be tied up. A voice New
Orleans." Go on; perhaps II you had
word or two on the subject OF New Orleans
you might understand more about 1t than
YOU do. Laughter, And if you Will go
i,ocL if YOU will go back and ascertain the
asuse Of the recent riot in New Orleans.
,srhaps YOU would net be SO prompt in call
r,ng ont New Orleans. If you will take up
the riot at New Orleans and trace 1t back to
it, source or its immediate cause, you will
find out who was responsible for the blood
that was shed there If you will take up
the not at New Orleans and trace it back to
the Radical Congress- [cheers and cries of
-'buly you will find that the riot at New
Orleans was substantially planned. If you
will take up the proceedings in their eau
ctlses you will understand that they there
knew that convention was to be called,
which was extinct by its power having eX-
pired that ii was said that the intention
was that a new government was to be Of
ganizcd, aud on the organization Of that
government the intention was to entraHchlse
one portion of the population called the col
nred population, who had just been emancl-
pated, and ut the same time dlsfranchlse
white men. When you design to talk about
New Orleans confusion you ought to un-
dcrstand what you are talking about. When
you read the speeches that were made and
take up the facts on the Friday and Satur-
day before that convention sat, you will
there find that speeches were there made
incendiary in their character, exciting that
portion of the population, the black popu-
lation. to arm themselves and prepare for
the shedding of blood A voice-''that' $
SO" and cheers. You will also find that
that convention did assemble in violation of
law, and the intention of that convention
was to supercede the reorganized authorl-
ties in the State government of Louisiana,
which had beea recognized by the Govern
ment of the United States, and every man
engaged in that rebellion in that convention
with the intention Of superceding and up
turning the civil government which had
been recognized by the government of the
United States. / say that he was a traitor to
the Constitution of the United States
lcheers and hence you fnd that another
rebellion was commenced, having Its orr
gin in the Radical Congress. These men
were to go there, a government was to be
organized, and the one in existence in Lou
iSlana was to be superseded, set aside and
'overthrown. You talk to me about New
Orleans: and there the question was TO
come up, when they had established their
government-a question of political powers
which of the two governments was to be
recognized, new government, lnaugurated
under this defunct convention, set up in VI
oiation of law and without the will of the
people. Then when they had established
their government aud extended universal
and impartial franchise, as they called it, to
the colored population. then this Radical
Congress was to determine that a govern
ment established on negro votes was to be
the government of Louisiana. Voices,
Never" Cheers and cries of ''Hurrah
for Andy ri
have been traduced, [ have been SLAM
dered, have been maligned, have been
called Judas Iscariot and all that. Now,
my countrymen here to night, it is very. easy
to indulge in epithets; it is easy to call a
man Judas. and cry out traitor; but when
he is called upon to give arguments and
facts he is very often found wanting. Judas
1scariot-Judas. There was a Judas, and
he was one of the twelve apostles. Obi
yes, the twelve apostles had Christ. A
voiee-''Anda Moses too laughter. The
twelve apostles had Christ, and he never
could have had Judas unless he had had
twelve apostles. If have played the Judas,
who has been my Christ that have played
the Judas with? Was it Thad Stevens?
Was it Wendell Phillips? Was it Charles
Sumner? Kisses and cheers. These are
the men that stop and compare themselves
with the Saviour, and everybody that differs
with them in opinion, and to try to stay and
arrest their diabolical and nefarious policy,
is to be denounced as Judas. ''Hurrah
Tor Andy and cheers In the days
when there was Christ, while there was
Judas, were they unbelievers? Yes, while
there were Judases there were unbelievers.
Voices heard, ''Three groans for Fletch-
er Yes, oh yes, uabelievers in Christ,
men who prosecuted and slandered, and
brought Him before Pontius Plate and pre-
ferred charges, and condemned and put Him
to death on the cross to satisfy unbelievers
and this same prosecuting ,diabolical and ne
to day, would persecute and shed
the blood of innocent men to carry out their
purposes. Cheers.]
But let me tell you :; let me give you a
few words here tonight. But short time
since heard some one say in the crowd
that We had Moses. Laughter. | Yes,
there is a Moses, and know sometimes it
bas h..av, sal tIo3 II L., @la NJ
ses of the colored man. tCries of '!snever"
and cheers. Why have labored as much
IN IN the the cause of emancipation, as any other
mortal man living but, while | have striv
felt