The St. Cloud journal. [volume] (St. Cloud, Minn.) 1866-1876, 1866-10-18

Its as good as play" -
"lt's better than most Of them" !" said
ne, knocking the ashes out Of hi, pipe,
'tor m this IS true. Good night, sir"
The Treachery of Andrew
W. =. .' =''."> ... Johnson.
HOW HE FELT-A. TERRIBLE INDICr.
=" 'MENT.'
Hoa. Charles Suner delivered a
speech at Boston on the Sd inst, from
which he select the following, touching
the treachery Of A johnson
You will ask how the President fell.
This is hard to say, certainly, without
much plainess of speech Mr. Sew
ard openly confesses that he counseIled
the present fatal "policy." Unques-
tlvnably MIR. Blair, father aud son. did
the same. So also, I. doubt not, did
Mr.. Preston King. 1t is easy to see
that Mr., Seward was not wise coun-
sellor. This is not his first costly blum
der. In formal despathes he early au-
nounced that "the rights of the States
and the condition of every human being
will remain subject to exactly the same
laws and forms of administration
whether the revolution shall succeed or
whether. it shall fail" And now he
labors for the ful6llment of his own
prophecy. Obviously from the begin
ming he has failed to comprehend the
rebellion, while in his..nature he Is ab-
normal and eccentric, jumping like the
knight on the chess board, rather than
moving on straight lines. Undoubtedly
the influence Of such man over the
President has not been good But the
President himself has been his own
worst counsellor as he has been his own
worst defender. He does not open his
mouth without furnishing. evidence
against himself: The pa,t he is now
playing will justify me in some details.
RI The brave words with: which he &C
cepted his nomination is Vice-Presi-
dent resounded through the country
He was elected. Then followed two
scenes, each of which filed the people
With despair The nrst was the new
Vice-President taking the oath of Office
in the presence of the foreign minis
ters, the Judges Of the Supreme Court
and the Senate-while in such a con-
dition that his attempted speech be-
came trivial and incoherent, and he did
not know the name of the Secretary If
the Navy, who is now the devoted sup
porter of his policy, as be has been his
recent travelling companion. One
month and one week afterwards Presi-
dent Lincoln was assassinated. The
people, wrapped in af1iction at the great
tragedy, trembled as they beheld a
drunken man ascend the heights Of
power. But they were generous and
forgiving-almost forgetful. He was
our President, and hands were out
stretched to welcome and sustain him.
His early utterances as President, al
though commonplace, loose and wordy,
gave assurance that the rebellion and
its authors would find little favor from
him. Treason was to be made odious.
It was at this time that my own re
lations with him commenced. I had
known him slightly while he was in the
Senate; but l lost no time in seeing
him after he: became President. He
received me kindly. I hope that 1
shall not err, if I allude briefly to what
passed between US. You are my con-
stitutepts and I wish you to know the
mood of the President at the time, and
also what your representative attempt
I was in Washington during the first
month of. the new administration, des-
tined to gil such an unhappy place in
history. . During this period I saw the
President frequently, sometimes at his
Office in the Treasury. On these occa-
sions the constant topic was "recon-
structiou," which vas considered in
every variety of aspect. ! More than
once I ventured to, press upon him the
duty aud the renowng of carrying out
the principles Of the Declaration Of
Independence and Of founding the new
governments in the rebel States on the
consent Of the governed, without any.
distinction of color. -... To this earnest
appeal he replied, on one occasion, as: I
sat with him, alone, in words which can
never forget: ''On this question, Mr..
Sumner, there is no difference between
US. You and I are alike" Need I
say that was touched to tho heart BY
this annunoiation, which seemed TO-
promise a victory without a battle
Accustomed to controversy, I saw clear
ly that if the President declared him.
self in favor of the equal rights Of all,
the good cause must prevail without
controversy. After expressing to him
my joy and gratitude, / remarked still
further that it was important that there
should be no division in the great
Union party-that there should be no
line run through it, on one side Of
which, would be gentlemen calling
themselves 'the Presidents friends"
but that We should be kept ali together
Us one seamless garment, To this he
promptly; replied: q mean to keep
you all together Nothing, could be
better. We were to be kept all ,ogeth.
er on the principle Of equal rights. A.
I walked away from the President that
evening, the battle Of my life seemed
to be ended, while tho Republic rose
before me, refalgent in the blaze Of
assured freedom, an example to the
nations. 81 - '.2s'' =. ''' - u, 49,.
| On another occasion, ,during,the same
period, the case Of Tennessee, was dis
oussed. I expressed the hope most
earnestly that the President would use
his influencs directly for the establish
| ment, Of impartial suffrage in, that
State, saying that in this way Tennes.
SEQ Would be put It the head Of The
| returning column and be made IN &.
ample-in one word, that all the othe,
Estates would b obliged to dress er