Bloomsburg democrat. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1867-1869, 1867-03-13
ANDREW JOHNSON AND THE
RADICALS.

One year has passed since Andrew John
eon made his open declarations of opposition
to the Radicals. On the 22d day Of Feb
ruary, 1866, at the Capital Of this country,
Mr.. johnson openly and in the strongest
terms, declared himself in opposition to
traitors North or South. He classed Sum-
ner, Stevens, Forney, and others, as clan
of traitors, against whom he would throw
his force, and challenged them to contest
of power. lie made his declarations posi-
tive, and asserted without any qualifications,
that he would carry his opposition to radi-
cal measures to the extreme point, and would
not yield to them nor conferwith them upon
unconstitutional plans of reconstruction, nor
upon any unconstitutional proposition that
they might attempt to force upon the peo-
pie Of the country, either as law or as an
amendment to the Constitution of the Uni
ted States. This is the ground we supposed
Andrew johnson to stand upon one year
ago, and, although we were well aware Of
his unconstitutional procedure and absolute
tyranny practiced in Tennessee, as military
Governor Of that State, We were willing to
accept his promises as being made in good
faith, and we gave him praise-we accorded
to him that which is due to every faithful
public servant, and amos: every Democratic
paper in the country said as we have said:
$50 long as President johnson clings
to the Constitution as his guide to conduct
us from turmoil and war to peace and hap
piness he shall receive our commentator. "
This much we said in support Of President
johnson, and to this extent we became
johnson men, and no more. We have
not yet fallen from this position nor 'ciN we.
As citizen of this country we and all cti-
zens are duty bound to endorse the action Of
an executive officer whose course is in accord
ancc with the prescribed rules in the Con
stitution. We never bartercd ourselves TO
johnson in the hope of receiving executive
patronage or pardon, We had too much
self.respect to buy ourself position by pledg-
ing to follow the dictation of Andrew John
son, Or any man or set of men, be they even
Doolittlc, Randall, Cowan, Raymond, or any
other of the lesser lights of the Philadel
phia Convention. Again, we had commit
ted no crimes for which We must beg cxccu.
tive pardon. Neither had we violated the
rights Of citizens by coward-like calling upon
the Government for armed soldiers to arrest
and carry off mc6cn'';ng citizens and have
them confined in most barbarous manner,
even working out murder, and We need
ed no executive protection. In truth We
were free American citizens, unbiased and
fearless. Hence the support VIC gave to
Mr.. johnson was dictated to us through a
love of our Constitution and an earnest de-
sire for an early and proper adjustment of
the difficulties into which we are brought by
q great internccinc war. Welfare not fa'ter-
ed from the position ue then took. We stand
now as then, ready, onnious, to support
Andrew johnson if he may not prove faith
less. But we are admonished that there is
danger ahead.
We did not ask President johnson to give
us appointments. We do not ask it now
We did not ask him to join the Democratic
party, but when he proposed to unite with
us in destroying the power Of Radicals and
instituting a proper execution Of laws under
the Constitution, and to oppose the passage
of laws unconstitutional we desired him to
recognize some votes~pt least if he was
not willing to acknowledge just principles
and power in the Democratic Party
We wanted, therefore, that the Democratic
party should retain and maintain its usages
and organization as party; not because
there is any magical power in the name Of
Democracy, but because the principles and
policy of Democracy are the only means
whereby the government Of the country may
be brought to its former integrity, and the
only means by which justice may be done
to the great mass of citizens of the whole
country. Hence we desired that while the
President and his Republican friends enjoy
ed the executive patronage and its disposal
as they wished, that the great Democratic
party might be supported in its organization
in the great States Of Pennsylvania and N.
York last fall, and We expected Johnsonism
to influence at least a te,r rotes for the Dem
ocratic candidates for Governors of these
States. But then arose the ground of sus-
picion in the course of johnson and the
Conservatives toward Democracy. The con-
servatires-e" so-called called Conven-
ton ut Philadelphia previous to the fall e'ec-
tions Of Pennsylvania and New York, and
previous to the Gubernatorial nomination
of the latter. What benefit resulted to us
from the work Of that Convcntion2 Many
Of the Delegates were Democrats and were
well disposed to the success Of the party,
but Johnsons special Republican (Conven-
tiou?) friends were cut out to "run the ma.