Daily Ohio statesman. [volume] (Columbus, Ohio) 1855-1870, 1868-04-15

:
as President.
Three years ago to-day ANDREW john
SON was inaugurated President of the Uni
ted States. And while the whole country
were shocked at the assassination of Pres
ident LINCOLN, Republican politicians and
Republican political preachers, particular
ly, said they recognized in the event the
hand of Providence; that by the assassina-
tion of President LINCOLN the Southern
people had lost their best friend, inasmuch
as he was too much inclined to leniency
and mercy that such was the confidence
of the people in him, that there was dan
ger, had he lived, that unworthy conces-
sions would have been sanctioned by our
people; but now all danger of that was
put out of the way. ANDREW JOHNSON
was the man, of all men, reserved by Prov
Iidence to deal out justice to the Southern
people just as it should be dealt out to
them. In him they and Providence had
unlimited faith. President JOHNSON went
to work to right up the Union and
pacify the people. In May, 1865, he ini-
tiated his policy through what is known as
his North Carolina proclamation, provid-
ing provisional Government for that State.
From the Republican party this received
no opposition. In Republican State Con-
ventions the policy was indorsed as wise
and patriotic. When President JOHNSON
asked the Southern people to declare by
| amendment to their State Constitutions the
perpetual Abolition of Slavery, some Rad
| icals there were who declared the South
| would never consent to do that thing
cheerfullys> President JOHNSON put the re-
quest on the ground that i. they would do
so the Northern people would accept it as
indubitable evidences of "a purpose ever
! more to remain obediently in the Union,
ard that the Northern people would, con-
lsequently, deal with them in spirit OF
generous magnanimity. Cheertully, the
Southern people complied with the re-
quest. Everybody supposed that every
thing was going on finely, until a
few days before Congress convened
in session in December, 1866, when THAD-
DEUS STEVENS commenced stunning the
ear of the public with growls of dissatis-
faction. This policy OF President JOHN
SON, which had been indorsed as wise and
patriotic by Republican State Conventions
and through the Endorsement of which the
Republicans were enabled to carry almost
every State in the Union, did not meet his
appreciation. 1t was not sufficiently pro-
scriptive and partisan. 1t did not ins1re
to the Republican party perpetual mastery
in the South. Herein lay its defects. There
were Republicans who could not see any
thing in it obnoxious to condemnation,
and they said that STEVENS was an old i'm
practicable codger, not worth minding; but
he and not President JOHNSON, has kept the
country in hot water ever since. He has
-oeen the bane of the country. In the outset.
he laid down his Radical ultimatum, which
was that the South should be given over
to the rule of Negroes only lately set free
from slavery. His terms were not accept
ed at first. There was halting and hesita-
tion on the part of the Republicans. 1t
had to be diluted at first. They took it in
mild form, until they now gulph it down
without a grimace in the form STEVENS
originally presented it. President JOHN
soN-this protege of Providence-has re-
fused to swallow STEVENS prescription in
any form; and for this contumacy, STE
VEINS is having him tried, gravely tried,
with view.t to Impeachment and removal.
The pretense is that he committed 'shieh
crime and misdemeanor' in attempting to
dismiss the Secretary of War for the pur-
pose of appointing one who would enable
him to conduct his administration in way
that would be satisfactory to the country.
At immense expense, while the country is
lett to suffer for the want of the right kind
of legislation. it has been proven in ''the
High Court of Impeachment," Chief JUS
tice CHASE presiding, what was known to
the whole country before, that Presi-
dent JOHNSON did actually undertake,
by peaceable measures alone, to get Secre-
tary STANTON out of his Cabinet. Neither
upon polite intimation that it would be ac-
ceptable, nor upon direct request, would
STANTON resign. He persisted in remaining
and making himself as disagreeable as his
huge capacity would enable him. The
President had no other alternative than to
resort to removal, and STANTON called to
his aid the military to thwart him; and
thwart him he did. Ostensbly this is the
crime for which the President is arraigned;
but in reality this is not the ''head and front
of his offending" His crime is insubordi-
nation to THADDEUs STEVENS and adher-
ence to the notion that this is White
Mans Government, which should be ad-
ministered by and in the interest of White
Men.