The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1869-07-28

Ex President johnson revisited the FeC
eral Capitol hast week, and his visit is nC
1 ticed as being the first instance in Whic
an American President has been 10 Wash
ington after having left theexecutive cha
since the tims Of John Quincy Adams
Mr.. Johnson's object was to attend u
commencement of Georgetown College 8
which his only remaining son Is q student
The ex President is described as 'flookin
quite fresh and hearty"
A Herald reporter made q call on MI
johnson and obtained from him his opin
ion concerning President Grant, and tn
state of the country. OF the latter Mr.
johnson said
"Wel, think we are tending to des
potism or anarchy, unless a proper direc
ton is given to the disorderiy elements q
work We are threatened with an aris
tocracy of bondholders. A moneyed aris
tOcracy, they say, is the most detestable
but 3 credit aristecraey, which is only thu
shadow Of the substitute for money, i
worse still for it is the moneyed srlstoc
racy diluted and adultersted. say the
bOndholder is credit aristoerat Here i.
the producer, raising his wheat or hi.
corn. What is It worth to him7 HS
sells It for the credit of the boadholder. =
The bondhOlder gives his credit to the pro,
ducer In exchange for the latter's goods,
and says, 'CYou may take our credit bui
we viii put the gold and silver into ouI
1 pockets and take your produce also. p
When by and By the producer finds the
credit Yalueiess, what will he be worth p
When the great reVulsion comes, what viii
he our condition Where is all the gold
and silver, that has been dug from our own
soil and coined IN our own mines Where
IS it all gone2 Can you tell me, @sirf
don't speak of such as we imported, but
what we coined OurselYes-that vast amt.
| dug out of our own earth. Why, 1t is lock
ed up in the vaults of the credit aristocracy.
Now, sir, it is a singular thing that no
country has ever yet paid of a great ma
dOnal debt without Eepudiation-i It may
starde you to hear it, but il is true. Look
over history and you. Will find am right
and wherever you will find q permanent
national debt, one that has not been paid
off, you viii find there is no freedom
Spain is not frees France is not free, Rus
sia IS not freeY England is not free, because
each of f7-those countries has a. permanent
national debt 1t is in the nature of things
for wherever there are power and moneyed
aristoeracy there is always desire for ,un-
II
executive power controlled by the bond
holders, Grant Is controlled by misera-
BILE set of hucksters and bondholders, He
is in their hands completely, and therefore
we are IN danger. The country is in peril
for the bondholders are struggling TO rule
the government. The people ought to be
made TO understand this condition. The
people need to be indoctrinated with the
truth, and you, geRtlemen of the press,
can do 1t. You write great deal and all
that, but sometimes you write things and
1qoot of to the public without due eonsid-
Grafton YOn do. = good deal of harm, and
Il takes a good deal of time to remove the
effect. Now you have an opportunity to
do good by explaining these matters to the
people through the press. The farmer and
producer, no matter how humble, are al
ways disposed TO do what is right. You
can show them the right. They have an
interest in doing what is best, but yen
must explain what the best course is, and
then they VIII adopt it. So you must
make them understand what produces Is
worth and what the credit of the bond.
holder is good for. You must give prop
er direction and these wiz follow"
3 The correspondent asked the ex-Presl-
dent what was thought of the present ad q
ministration down in Tennessee, and Mr.
johnson answered frankly:
81 don't know that you ought to ask me
such a question. People would be very
likely to attribute an unfaYerable opinion
from me as prompted by improper mo.
tives. You know very well, sir, for you
were familiar with my views while was
President, what my estimate of Graut was,
and don't know of anything that has
since occurred that has caused me to change
my mind the slightest. I know Grant
thoroughly. had ample opportunity to
study him when I was President, and am
convinced he is the greatest farce that was
ever thrust upon q people. Mhy, the lit
tie felloW-excuse me for using the ex'
preston, but I'can't help plying him-the
little fellow has nothing In him. He has
not single idea He has no policy no
conception of What.the country requires,
He don't understand the philosophy of q
single great question, and is completely
lost in trying to understand his situation.
He is mendaeioHs, cunning and treacher.
Gus. He Lied to me fagrantly, and con-
Eieted him by my whole Cabinet but
that even would have been tolerable were
it the only instance, but it was not. He
He'd on many other occasions. / tell you,
sir, Grant is nothing more than bundle
Of petty spites, jealousies and resentments.
And yet they say Grant is second Wash
ington. Only think of ii, when you COM
pare him with Washington or. jefferson,
where is he Why he is so small you must
put your finger on him. He, little up
start, a coward, physically and intellectu'
ally, to be compared 20 George Washing
al-, -
more pity for the man than contempt, for
I have no spite against him. But fear
for the country when such o man Is liken.
ed to the father of his country Why,
Just look at the inaugursi of Washington.
He speaks about his fesHi and trembling in
accepting the PresidGncy, even. after all
hls experience and s1ccess. But this little
fellow Grant. az dpstart mere accident
of the war, creature without the ability
10 comprehend the philosophy of single
great question, says In his Inaugural, 81
know the responsibility Is great, but &C.
cept ii without fear.n Is that like Wash
ington or JeffersohG Pshaw It's mon
strous to think of. Grant, tell you, sir,
has no ideas, no policy, Why, Washing
ton considered that mans greatness was
measured by his morality, by the standard
of his soul. And / have always considered
that the more soul or intellect within him,
the more Godlike he became. But, sir,
Grant has nothing. Physically and men
tally and morally he is nonenity. Why,
sir, his soul is so mall that you could put
it within the periphery of hazel nut shell
and it might float about for a thousand
years without knocking AGAINST the walls
of the shell. q That's the size of his soul. :
Just look at the man sitting at Cabinet
Council. He has no idea, no policy, no
standard, no creed, no faith. How can
he guide the people How can he i'm
press any great improvements or moral
ideas upon the nationI He has no object
to look forward to, no leading aim to draw
the people towards any particular end
He sits there with his Cabinet. One mem
Der has bought him house in Philadel>
phia, another has given him 500, 900, an
other has given him carriage, and so on.
Itis degrading to the Office of President of
the United States to have such man there.
They talk about his generalship. Well, he
was mere incident of thewar. Men and
arms were supplied in abundance, and his
forces were 50 massive that they simply
scrnshed out tbs rebellion. Itwould have
been done had Grant never been born.-
Therefore he was q mere incident. But
the little fellow has come To think he Is