The Waynesburg Republican. [volume] (Waynesburg, Pa.) 1867-18??, 1867-11-13

conciuding to go on with the work
without the authority of the law. We
looked on, anxiously waiting for the
fruits of the work. 1t was called at
the time "an experiment" He was
going to see what would be the result
Of it; and it was finally to be submit
ted to Congress for ratification. His
Secretary Of State declared this ex-
plicitly to Gov. Martin, of Florida,
and Gov. Sharkey, of Mississippi; and
when Congress assembled, Mr.. John
son presented us with the results Of
his policy. And what were theyi
In every State that had been recon
structed under his policy, Governor
had been elected, who had either beer
in the armies of treason orin the coun-
ellis oftreason-not one solitary excep-
ton. In every State reconstructed by
Mr.. johnson, in the Legislative de-
partment the Rebels had supreme and
unlimited power. In the Judicial de-
partment twas the same. They were
triumphant in every branch of every
department of every one of the Rebel
States reconstructed by Mr.. johnson
The Union men were ruled by a rod
of iron, and the freed men were gov
erned by laws merciless in their char
acter, and intended to restore those
emancipated slaves to a condition that
that would be worse than that from
which they had by the will of the ma
ton just escaped. Mr.. johnson show
ed us his policy, and said to the
American Congress, "These are my
Jewels" We looked at them. W.
did not dare, before the country and
before the unlocking world, to say
"Yea and amen" to it. How could
we? And because we did not, he has
warred on us ever since, and the
highest ambition of his heart now is
to destroy the party which elevated
him from the Military Governorshir
of Tennessee to the Vice-Presidency
of the Union; and to-day, if he could
he would surrender the party which
elected him Vice-President into the
power of the men who elected Jefferson
Davis their President. He talks about
our usurpation! Usurpation! He
said we put those States under mill
tary rule! So did the President. He
said we required Conventions to be
called. So did the President. He
said we required them to submit their
Constitutions to the people for ratif-
cation. So did not the President
He said we established test vote fol
suffrage. So did the President. He
said we demanded the ratification of a
Constitutional amendment. So did the
President--he doing it without law
we doing it by law-he having no
power to make a law; we having by
the Constitution the power to make
laws. Yet he call us usurpers! That
is not all. When he came to appoint
officers in the Southern StSes, whom
did he select? Did he take the faith
| full Union men, who dared to stand
fast against enormous odds by the
banner of their country? Oh, no
When he came to appoint officers
revenue officers, custom-house officers,
surveyors, &c.-nearly every one Of
them was, taken from the traitors Of
the South, and not from the Union
men. And those men, thus clothed
with power by your President, turned
round to these Uunion men in the
South, and said to them, "You
thought, when the old flag came back
in triumph, you were going to hold
positions Of trust over lis. The Gov
ernment at Washington know better
than. that. They know you havn't
any influence. They want the men
who dared to defy the Nation, and to
wage war that cost the blood of hun
dreds of thousands of you Yankee SOL
diers. You take back seats and if we
allow you to remain here, you may
thank us for the permission" That
was the result of his policy. But
these officers could not take the test
oath. We passed a law in 1862 that
no man could hold an appointed or
elective Office under the Government
unless he could take an oath that he
had not voluntarily participated in
Rebellion; and we put in, furthermore
this section: That no officer should
draw money out of the Treasury until
he fled this oath. So, when these
men bad served, they came to the door
Of the Treasury and said, eve want
our pay, but we won't take the OATH"
They went to johnson, and through
his Cabinet official he said, "These
men held office, but they can't draw
their pay" and we said to him, "Not
one farthing of the peoples money
ever shall 60 into the pockets of these
men," ('Goodp Applause.1 And
because we said that, he has been war
ring upon us ever since, denouncing
us. ["Turn him outP'] Sometimes
those who defend him say he is carry
ing out Mr.. Li1coln's policy. Look
at the States Mr.. Lincoln attempted
to reconstruct during the Rebellion
Louisiana, Arkansas, Tennessee, and
West Virginia, carved out Of old Vir-
Iginia. He placed them all in the
hands Of loyal men. Look at the
States reconstructed" by Mr.. johnson
every one Of them into the hands Of
Rebels-the difference between the
brilliant light of the sun at MONDAY
and the darkness Of midnight. Mr.
Lincoln never made johnson Cover
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