Rutland weekly herald. [volume] (Rutland, Vt.) 1859-1877, 1866-09-27
The Accidental President.

1t is the every day argument of cop
perheads and bread.and- butter poll
ticians, when told of the perfdy of Andy
johnson to the party through whose in
strumentality he was elevated to power
that it was the Republicans who placed
him in the position he now holds and
put the reins Of government in his hands
and if they are disappointed in the man
they, and not he, are to blame. To be
sure he was placed on the Republican
national ticket in 1864 for the second of.
flee in the gift of the people, but not fol
the Presidency. For that elevation he
can thank alone the pistol Of the assas-
sin Booth. Andrew Johnson, when, at
the outbreak of the rebellion, he stood
up in the United States Senate, and de.
nounced secession as treason, and said
that, were he President, he would hang
traitors upon conviction, was honored
by all who had the welfare of their
country at heart, his sentiments emana-
ting as they did from q Southern man.
But had 1t even been imagined that he,
by accident or otherwise, would ever be
put in the Executive chair, do these cop
perheads suppose for moment that the
Baltimore convention would have placed
him upon its national ticket for any Of
fee? There is no question that at that
time the Unionists Of the North believed
that Andrew Johnson was as thoroughly
loyal as any public man, but even then
they doubted his ability to fulfil the
functions of the Presidential Office as
much as they do at the present day,
and when upon the day of his Inaugural
ton as Vice President he degraded him.
self, and the nation whom he represented,
by drunken harangue before the high
est body of our national legislature
their worst fears were realized.
Upon this subject we extract the fol-
lowing able article from the Detroit
Post
Andrew johnson was not nominated
as Vice President by the Republican
party because he was good Republican,
or because of his snti-slavery record, or
because of his craftsmanship, or because
OF his great sacrifices, or for the sake OF
compromising him for the loss of that
high office offered him in the Confede.
racy, or for his personal popularity, or
because he had been especially promi-
nent for his faithfulness. The honor &C
corded to him was simply'a recognition
OF the fidelity and the patriotism Of the
Southern Union men. He having been
longer in public life than most of them,
was selected, in order to give expression
to the determination of the loyal North
to reward those who had been true to
their country, and to support, protect
and encourage that element. 1t was dec
laration that few aud weak as they We're.
they were worthy of a representation in
the government, and that to them the
loyal people Of the North would commit
the responsibilities of government in
subduing the rebellion end reconstruct
ing the Union. There is no reason to
suppose that he would have been their
choice for President under any circum-
stances, and were he q man of any sensi-
tiveness to the proprieties OF the case,
he would carefully and considerably
defer to the opinions Of the people and
their immediate representatives, who
were elected especially to carry out their
wishes, rather than force upon them
any policy whatever, even if it was re-
plete with wisdom and practical states
manship.
But not only does he take advantage
of an accident and attempt to persuade
himself or persuade others that he was
individually selected by the people to
establish and perfect policy, but in
that very policy he ignores and brings
into contempt the Southern Unionism
which in his subordinate capacity he was
elected tie represent. He thus adds
treachery to presumption, and meanness
to vanity. His desertion of the Union
men of the South, black and white, the
deliberate manner in which he turned
them over to their rebel enemies, the
.cold-blooded Indifference in which he
discourses of their murder and massacre,
and makes political harangue on the
strength of it, add at each occurrence of
the fruits of this shameful conduct, an
other shade to his already blackened
name. He was elected to represent
Southern Unionism, and, gaining power
by chance, he ruthlessly tramples upon
the virtues (which gave him the opper-
tlnity.