The native Virginian. [volume] (Orange Court House, Va.) 1867-187?, 1869-03-26
Ex-PREsIDENT JOHNSON.

Ex-Presidcnt johnson was received
and welcomed with great cordiality by
the citizens of Lynchburg on Thursday.
An elegant banquet was given in his
honor, attended by large number
To toast in compliment, Mr.. johnson
replied in q speech, from which we make
the following extract:
81 to night. as your fellow citizen,
propose to take that POSITION as a citi-
zen which cOndlces most to bring about
a cOnsum nation OF the wishes | have
expressed as to the prosperity, peace
and happiness of our country. Famil-
lar as am with matters, | am perhaps
not as hopeful as some. Yet / have
great hope for redemption. | have a
great and unialtering confidence in the
people. The recent results may midi
cate that that confidence mas been i'm
properly reposcd. That confidence
still have, and my hope and trust is
unfaltering that when tyrannical pow
er shall have had its day our Constitu-
tion and laws will resume sway. Hope
that the peoples apathy and inditfer-
ence and submission, without alarm,
will give way, aud the crust of preju-
dice will be dissipated.
repeat that l have enjoyed more
real and unfeigned pleasure and salts
faction during the two weeks, since my
retirement from office, than during the
preceding four years. When l look at
the contrast it is alarming. One de-
partment OF the government has been
resolved into an absolute despotism by
the two Houses of Congress for the last
four years. They have exercised pow
ers and usurped prerogatives at Which
Kings and Princes would have shudder-
ed in their separate individual capacity.
Acting together in body one has en-
couraged another in preparation of
enormities. We have seen the COnsti-
tuition set aside, and seen Congress ex-
ercise all the powers of government,
and have perfect parable! of what Mr..
Jefferson described when, speaking of
State Legislature, he said that "when
unlimited authority is conferred on
numbers, it was an exact definition OF
despotic power" Many will do what
an individual would shrink from. l
trust these evil appearances Will soon
give way to a better state of affairs.
There is one other thing to which |
would invite your att ention. We have
witnessed an increase OF expenditures
and taxation. Corruption has permeat-
ed into every department of the Gov
ernment; and in retiring from public
office, where corruption has pcrvaded
every department CT the Government,
might almost exclaim,
when vice prevails and vicious men have
sway, ..
The post OF honor is the private station;''
and if do no more when | return to
my rustic country home, | may adopt
Cato's advice to his son, to "retire to
his Sabine field and pray for his couE
try"
A committee of students from the e.
University of Virginia met Ex-Presidei.t
j Johnson at Keswlck depot yesterday
and returned with him to CharlOttes-
vile. Upon his arrival at that place, a
dense concourse of citizens had assem-
bled to greet him, to whom he was in
troduced by Mr., G. ii. Mckinney. The
Ex-President addressed the crowd for
about fifteen minutes In words of earn
est patriotism and devotion to COnsti-
tutional liberty, which thrilled the en-
tire concourse, and which was listened
to with the deepest attention, and greet
ed with the most enthusiastic applause.
In the course of his remarks he made
an appeal to the students of the Uni
versity, and the young men present, as
the rising generation by whom the ma
tion's destiny is to be hereafter guided
which for sublimity and eloquence has
rarely been equalled.-Lyachb,Tg Ne,cs
of Friday.