The Cecil Whig. [volume] (Elkton, Md.) 1841-current, 1866-03-10
The Cecil Whig.
ELK1ON. MARCH 10, 1866.
President Johns6n's Principles
before his Election to the Vice
Presidency

" hSh httSltihS WV l'''biib'h - '''N''
nomination for vice President, in his speech
at Nashville, on the 9th of June, 1864, and
his letter of the succeeding I'd of July, An
drew johnson set forth his principles in the
following strong and radical declarations
''If any of your Secessionists have lost
faith in men capacity for self government,
and feel unfit for the exercise Of this great
right, go straight to rebeldom, take jeff
Davis, Beauregard and Bragg for your mas
tiers, and put their collars on your necks.
And let me say that now is the time to Sc.
cure these fundamental principles, while the
land is rent with anarchy and upheaves with
the throes of n mighty revolution. While
society is in this disordered state, and we
are seeking security, let us fix the founda,
tons of the Government on principles OF
eternal justice which will endure for all time.
But in calling convention to restore the
State. who shall restore and re-establish it
Shall the man who gave his influence and
his means to destroy the Government? Is
he to participate in the great work of reor-
ganization? Shall he who brought this mis-
cry upon the State be permitted to control
its destinies? If this be so, then all this
precious blood of our brave soldiers and
unwantonly spilled. All the glorious vcto-
ries won by our noble armies viii 60 for
naught, and all the battle fields which have
been sown with dead heroes during the re.
bellion will have been made memorable in
vain.
Why all this carnage and devastation? II
was that treason might be put down and trai.
tors punished. Therefore | say that traitors
should take back seat in the work of res.
toration. If there be but five thousand men
in Tennessee loyal TO the Constitution, loya
to freedom, loyal to justice, these true and
faithful men should control the work of re-
organization and reformation absolutely
Loud and prolonged applause say that
the traitor has ceased to be u citizen and in
joining the rebellion has become public
enemy. He forfeited his right to vote with
loyal men when he renowned his citizenship
and sought to destroy our Government.
Treason must be made odious, and trai
tors must be punished and impoverished. =
| Their great plantations must be seized, anC
divided into small farms, and sold to honest
industrious men. The day for protecting
the lands and negroes of these authors o
rebellion is past 1t is nigh time it was.
have been most deeply panied at some thing.
| which have come under my observation.
We get men in command who. under the
| influence of hattery, tawning and caressing
grant protection to the rich traitor, while til,
poor Union man stands out in the cold
often unable to get q receipt or voucher fo
his losses. Cries OF THAT SOL
Can more cutting sarcasm upon Presi
dent johnson be written than his own Ian
guage as above quoted, in view of his 22t
of February speech and his veto message
On this platform of princi pies Andy John
son was elected to the Vice Presidency
On these identical principles the Republican
Congress is proceeding to reconstruct thu
late rebel States without however going t.
the Vice Preside 1tial candidates confsca
ton extremes. 4 nd yet we find the Presi
dent denouncing Congress, and claiming
that members sent from these States to rep
resent them in Congress, composed of ''fhel
, who gave their influence and means to de
stroy the Government should be admitted
without delay. Is it to be wondered at tina
the Union party who elected Mr.. johnson
on the principles above laid down in his owl
words, should be dissatisfied, when at thu
most critical moment he deserts them anc
adopts the Copperhead theory of reconstruc
ton, and tells Congress in his veto message
that, in his Judgment, most of tle State
have already been fully restored, and arr
entitled to enjoy their constitutional right
as members of Congress, when the evidenc,
gathered by the Joint Committee on Recon
struction, clearly establishes the fact thai
without the protection of the military, Unor
men and freedmen would be prosecuted tt
| determination?
The men sent from those States to repre-
sent them in Congress are almost exclusivcl,
composed of the most active traitors in the
rebellion, as are also their governors ant
legislators.
Congress desires to look into the reorgan
ization of those States and make sure tina
''traitors take back scat in the work of re
organizations" thus making the pledges or
which Andy johnson was elected, good
To sum up the difference between the Re
publican members of Congress and the Pres
ident; the former is determined that nc
State shall be organized on the plan which
the late rebels in arms choose, but in &C
cordance with the dictates of the loyal peo
pie of the nation who overthrow the rebel
lion and have the right to prescribe terms
while the President, having strangely revers
ed his policy and views, seems willing ant
anxious to accept those traitors on their owl
terms, without an effort to guarantee the
future good behavior, and it is not at al
strange that the rebels themselves, with al
the Copperhead party, who were through thu
rebellion their fast friends and we'll wishers
should prefer the Presidents new policy o
reconstruction to that on which he was elect
ed, and Congress is determined to carry out
let Mr. President johnson say what he may
Tile Democrat understands" tina
some members of the "Clique of office hold
| orsH in th;s towp hoyo hon, +.,;,, - ua+ -.