Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1867-09-27
Democratic Reputation Of President
Johnson

ton of President Lincoln. that ambition has
been to he the head and front of great
party. and he has at all times been hard at
work TO secure an endorsement of his policy
by large portion of the people To this
end he has at times, made hundreds OF re-
movalr from office. has subsidized newspapers,
aud used al the vast patronage OF has oihce IN
efforts L, make proselyteS 10 his cause He
first tried to persuade the Republican party
Ia part company with its principles, and fol-
low him n conservative President: and
Randall. and DOolittic. and Seward, and
Weed. and Raymond laborcd zcalously TO
bring about that result. These politicians
THEN continually insisted that Mr. johnson s
republicanism was undoubted, aud that he
hal ~ intention cr desire T. abandon the
party thar elected him. but only anxious
70 save the country. This effort. after rial
nf little more than year. WAS given up a. a
failure
Mr. johnson : next attempt 10 form
grand Conservative party. u he composed OF
moderate Republicans. is. those who
wore their principles rather loosely ,-and
Woods. and some Of the more unpopular
CoppcrheadS. and the radical Republicans
were not expected 10 Join this movement, as
it was thought the Johnsonites OF the coun-
try would soon he sufficiently numerous to
yet along without them. The Philadelphia,
arm-in-arm. muzzled Convention, was the
great consolidating agent which was to unite
this new BODY of otfce-holderS and Office
seekers into "A full and successful life; and
it performed it, office but did not achieve the
result The new party never had "A chance
for life and what vitality there was in it
was most cfectually destroyed when the
Democrats of New York, at their State Con-
vention held not long after the Philadelphia
conclave. refused 10 give up it party organi-
zation name or candidates, for the sake of
aiding the success of the johnson party.
Since that time it has been entirely mani
fest that there could and would be only two
parties in the country, the radical Republic
cans and the radical Democrats, and that the
President could have no party following ex-
ccpt by one of these organizations and Mr.
johnson has found himself in the unpleasant
prcdicament Of being in reality, and quite
justly. unpopular with both these parties
The Republicans knew him to be treacherou.
in principles. and. with the exception of those
Republicans who make a trade of politics,
would give him confidence or have any
thing TO do with him The Democrats, on
the other hand. could not quite manage Mr.
Ubo1- b,.l no lido, # rea1I,- IN L iny
him party leader. and they were careful to
try to keep themselves free from all RESPONSE
bility for his acts yet they praised and flat
tered him continually in the hope of getting
him pull their chestnuts out Of the fire
In order to use Mr.. johnson, however. they
have been obliged To approve 80 generally
of his course. and To- applaud stoutly his
usurpations, that many OF the more simple of
the party have come to look upon him az a
pretty reliable Democrat and more especi-
ally since he removed sheridan and Sicklcs,
and threatens other removals. Democrats
have hockcd T. the White House 10 tell Mr.
Johnson how much they thought of him.
how firm they We're III their support of his
policy. what a great name he winning
Nv his fight for the Constitution. and--if a
Democrat was put into the p0st-oiice at the
four corners in their town there would bc a
great political reaction in that locality.
Some enthusiastic Democrats in California
telegraphed Mr. johnson that the result Of
the late election in that State an endorse
ment Of his policy, and other Democrats sent
word from Maine that the wlliskey drinkers
of that State who voted against Chamberlain
were animated by an unbounded admiration
Of the great Andrew. The more ugly the
President has been, and the more he has APP
preached direct issue with Congress and
the people in the matter Of reconstruction.
the more sure ne has been Of Democratic ;p-
plause, and il is not surprising that he should
have counted himself at last az so secure of
the unqualified sdmira ton and cheerful sup
port of that party, TO make secret of
his attachment To it's principles and his de-
sire for its success and we accordingly find
him tclegra phing TO VaIandigham in Ohio.
the special news received by him from Dem
ocratic sources in California announcing
Haight's election
But the more cunning Democrats see at
once that it viii be fatal to them to become
in any sense responsible for Mr. johnson,
and the New York World. the leading Demo
cratic organ in the country, thus mildly
breaks this fact u him
=. As soon as the result of the California
election known many congratulations
were rendered or sent to President johnson.
Whether he has also been fclicitated on the
Democratic gains in Maine we are not in
formed but his share of the credit is Just as
great in one case is in the other or, to speak
more bluntly, it is nothing in either. We do
not DENY that the great reaction ought to
give him considerable satisfaction. although
nothing h. has done had any tendency to
produce il. But inasmuch AZ
President johnson has proper Identified
ton with the Democratic party, and as a
false impression Of that kind would be drag
On the reaction, it may not be amiss to place
the subject in its true light The zeal with
which the Democratic press has defended the
President SO far as it deemed him right must
mislead nobody to suppose that he is in any
degree responsible for us. or we for him. He
can take no just offence at our repudiating
his modes of operation. since he has uniformly
discarded and repudiated ours
We happen to agree with him ON a point on
which he differs from his party but that
must not be taken Endorsement of his
maladroit, unstatesmanlike, unpopular adj
ministration. Mr. johnson not being a Dem
ocrat, we are unwilling that, with his great
weight of unpopularity, he should be classed
as such Mr.. johnson is you-
President, Messrs. Republicans, not ours
from your party he has taken all his respon-
sible advisers on you he has bestowed all