Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1869-07-03

Rejected Treafy-ReveFdy Johnson
and the State Department-Post Of
Zee Affairs. etc. % sA.-s -
WASHINGTON, July 2.-Preident John.
son was serenaded to night at the Metro.
politan Hotel and made speech, tender
ing thanks for the welcome. He said the
time would come, and that ere long, when
the American people will be aroused to
the Importance of preserving the great
principles which have been Oversighted
and trampled under foot so long. He be
lieved that the glow of the morning of re-
demption could now be seen, and that the
time wss coming when the constitution of
our fathers would he restored. He spoke
of the usurping and tyrsnnical Congress
which dominated over The Judicial de-
partmeut Of the government which at
tempted TO absorb all the powers Of the
President, and stood with the mailed heel
of power on all the necks Of the free
men in the United States II he
were compelled TO take his choice,
which, thank God, he was not, he would
lake an individual who was honest, wise,
patriotic and just rs his ruler or master in
preference to the Congress so usurPiDg,
car ricious, and corrupt. Already feelers
had been sent out to develop the seuti-
ment Of the country on the question OF
Empire. A paper printed 10 New York
had on its little page "The Empire is
Peace" and on the other side "Let Us have
Peace" The meaning of this wac let us
have The Empire, with Grant at Its
head, and, we shall have peace, but you
find lurking behind this debt of twenty
five hundred millions. The great fear is
the people are not to be trusted, and hence
we must have a strong government with an
army at our backs, and when the people
become resiiye as TO payment Of taxes they
are to be compelled to do 30 at the point
Of the bayonet.
Mr.. johnson alluded 10 the dePrecla-
ton of the currency, to the measures look
ing 10 reputation advanced IN Congress,
and to the disappearance of slavery and
its temperance in the shape Of govern
ment stocks and bonds, locked up 10 vaults,
and corroding and eating into the vitals
of the country, instead of the cap iial they
represent being used 10 develop the ma
terial interests of the nation. be said We
had a second Washington, and he would
like 10 see what kind of an animal he Was.
He suspected he was a. little like the hrst
Washington as was DiOgenes' version 10
the shape of a goose stripped Of its plum.
age. A later definition of man is an an.
imal with tive legs and without feathers.
Again, returning TO the constitution, the
speaker expressed determination to cling |
10 il as the palladium of our civil and re-
ligious liberty, saying the American peo-
pie have high and noble duties to perform.
Let US not lalter. They day is not far dis
tant when they would meet under more
suspicious circumstances than now.
He was much spplauded. 3
Mr.. Reverdy johnson, late minister TO |
England. ia still in Washington, conierrIng
with the Stale Department and getting nj. |
material for q reply to Summers speech on |
the Alabama treaty. 1t appears by con-
fdentisI document, just made public to-
day. hist Mr.. johnson, on February IL IN
last, addressed letter to Secretary Seward
detailing and defending his efforts IN me-
eotiatinQ the boundary and the Alabama
treaty. Some of the contents of this letter
are interesting. 10 speaking Of the natu-
raliz alton treaty, be says to Mr.. Seward:
As directed by your Instructions, 1 ad-
dressed myself first to the question oil nat
uraIizstion. The English doctrine was so
wholly unfounded 10 reason that Lord
Stanley did not hesitate 10 abandon It. IL
assumes that allegiance is due the SOIL
upon which man is born. 1t makes him,
therefore, political serf, and denies to
him the power to better his condition. No
free people can consent to such doctrine,
and. notwithstanding Her Majesty's courts
are hoary with age, il never for moment
was questioned by Judicial authority even
up 70 the moment when our protocol was
signed. 1t fell at once before the light Of
British and American freedom. Whenever
a subject of Great Britain becomes natural
lied under the existing laws Of the United
States, his rights are Identical with those
that belong to native citizenship.
Regarding the Northwestern boundary
dispute, Mr.. johnson says that Lord Stan
lev aud himself at once agreed TO leave 1t
TO arbitration. He then alludes at length
to tbs Alabama treaty, and proceeds TO
show how s foreign war would iall to
secure the payment Of our claims on Eng
land, and cities the fact that both Lord
Russell and Lord Stanley refused TO sub
NIT to arbitration the alleged unauthorized
recognition of belligereHt rights. The
question, however, as well a. the question
whether that government had observed
her neutral obligations in suffering the
| Alabama and other vessels to be built and
escape from her ports, Mr.. johnson Gays
would have been before the commission
and its umpire, and he does not dOnbt if
the treaty had been ratified but that de-
cision would have been in favor Of the
United States. Mr.. johnson maintains
that we obtained in the reje tied treaty all
we ever asked for, and with perfect oppOr-
tunity of knowing what GAe sentiments of
the British government and people are, he
is satisfied that nothing more can be ac-
complIshed.
The POstOfice Department has intro
duced an entire new system of surveillance
which this morning, the first day of the
fiscal year, went into operation over every
!, State by divisions and districts, embracing
every postofiice and every mail route II
the land, and 80 connected that in shor
space of time the efforts and energies o
two or three divisions can be combined II
the suppression of wrong doing or promot
ing the interests of the department unde
, any emergency.
, The President to-day informed th
Georgia representatives that he should nc
change postmssters unless the incumbent
proved incompetent. -....
rTL. ,,ant will nnrchaaa hire