The daily phoenix. [volume] (Columbia, S.C.) 1865-1878, 1867-01-10
Jackson, Lincoln and johnson.


Blach'cood's Magasi'ac, there is well
written essay upon the character of
our first Presidents, and the inAu-
ences they exercised il the Govern
ment; bat especially 50, in regard to
the three remarkable men whose
! names head this article. We make
brief extracts, that our readers nav
see how these three Presidents of the
United States have impressed the
public mind in q country where nc;
ther fear nor favor letracts from his
torical views of even the great men
Of foreign countries, though national
prejudices may not always be sub
dued by the writer's thereof. OF
JacksoA, as President, the writer
says:
CAS- President, odd Hickory as
he was familiarly and affectionately
named, from his toughness of charac
ter, had three hates, (in addition to
his private ones, which were immune
rable, and "a single love He hated
debt. paper money and the United
States Bank; and he loved, with :.
love unntterable and Interchangeable
with love such as only aD Ar.ericnn
can understand, the unicn Of the
States; the Union that vas to make
the republic the frs. power in the
world, to spread itself over the whole
continent, from .he Atlautic to the
Pacific, from inc Arctic Sea to the
Isthmus Of Panama, and, dearest and
most ardently wished-for consunma-
ton of all, that was to domineer over
Great Britain, and press it down into
the second or third rank by an ire
sistible epreponderance. He had fought
and bled for it against foreign foes:
he was equally ready to fight and
bleed for it against domestic enemies.
How he conquered his favoritc aver
sion-the bauk-and toppled it to
the ground never to rise again how
he kept himself and the country ont
Of dcbt-and how desperately he
fought the battle OF hard money
against paper, need not here be re-
counted. But how he struggled
against disunion, and gave it a blow
from which 1t never recovered until the
election of Abraham Lincoln, twenty
eight years afterwards, is a part of
our purpose 10 narrate, for the better
comprehension of the tragic history
of which is still enactiug before our
eyes, and CT which no one can foretell
the catastrophe.
Speaking of J%ckso,i's love for the
Union, which the writer states he
cared for much more than he did for
free trade or protection. he thus re-
iers to Abraham Lincoln:
"ln like manner, Abraham Lincoln
cared very little for the negro and
his freedom, though lie disliked
slavery; but he cared greatly, and
with his whole heart and soul. for
The Union. Weak and irresol. . as
to the means to be pursued, he was
steady and faithful to the end in
view. Sometimes doubtful OF the re-
suit, he was never doubtful of his
duty. In his character, there was no
inailce-no anlmosit ty-no o77'ierc pen
''Nt' l. " LILO A.i1i4II, VIC kCOuIn Olu QOU
appear to him as it die to some of the
people about him-a wicked rebel, to
be scourged, to be decimatcd, to be
cxterminated, if need were; but a be-
loved brother who had gone astray,
and to be brought back into the right
path by concession of all points that
did not involve tho one great and
fundamental principle Of the integri-
ty Of the republic. In the darkest
days of the deadly struggle, when
few Northern men ventured to hoDe
for ultimate success-when the best
attainable boundary between North
and South was almost the only result
that the clearest-headed and most
sangnine men anticipated-Mr. Lin
coin, half despairingly, half hopeful,
but wholly rcsoiute, saw nothing for
it, except, to use his own homely
phraseology, to keep pegging away
trusting to Providence to shape the
ends, however men might rough -hew
them. He would let the South main
tain slavery without extending it into
new regions, until the Southern peo-
pie were wise enough to let it 60,
provided only that the South would
remain il the Union. He would ex-
cuse everything, forgive everything,
condone everything, if it would but
rehoist the starry banner Of the re-
united republic.