The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1869-03-18
gulitits aud News,
! <. "A ID DE u 8 9
AN a Nf,IDREW JOHNS ON
PEOPLE OF THE UNITED STATES.
Ialo. l The. ti People. of The United States

10 thes Eecpses gf 9EBe. Sgaetea- otdtee
,rsThe robe eef Office, by constitutional
-liinitatian, this day falls from my should
4ersS to be Immediately assumed by my
successor. For him the forbearance and
co.operastiuneof the American people, in
all hissoff96t;tssse sadmiRister2 the Govern
-inent within the pale of the Federal Con-
.ssitutioil, are Sincerely invoked. Without
ambition to crafty party ends to sub
serve, or personal quarrels to avenge at
The sacrifice of the peace and welfare OF
the country, my earnest desire is to see
the Constitution, as defined and Limited
blythe fathers of the Republic, again re-
cognized and obeyed as she supreme law
Of the land, and thewholo people-North,
South. East aud West-9prosperous and
happy under its wise provisions. =,
io ih s. fsurrenderin,s the high Office to which
was called four yeats ago, at memo
Tablc and terrible crisis, tits my privilege:
trust, to say to the people of the United
States a few parting words, in vindication
of an official course SO ceaselessty ass;tii-
ed and aspersed by polisical leaders, to
whose plans and wishes my policy to re-
store the Union has been obnoxious. In
aperiod of difficulty and turmoil almost
without precedent in the history of any
people, consequent upon the closing scores
Of great rebellion and the assassination
of the then President, IL was, perhaps,
tootmuch,i on my part, to expect OF devo-
ted partisans, who .ode on the waves OF
excitement which at that time swept all
before them, that degree of liberation and
masnanimity which I sought to recon-
mend and enforce. and which believe in
rood time would have advanced us infin-
itslyt further. on the road to permanent
poace and prosperity than we have thus
far attained. Doubtless had | at the
commencement of my term of office un-
lsesitatingly lent its powers or perverted
tirem to purposes and plans "ontside OF
thS-Constitltion," and become an nstru-
ment to schemes of confiscation and OF
general and oppressive disqualiications
[ would have been hailed as all that was
true. loyal and discerning: as the reliable
head of party, whatever. | might have
been as the Executive of the nation.
Unwilling, however, to acccde TO propo-
sitions of extremists, and bound to ad-
here, at every personal hazard, to my
oath,to defend the Constitution, [ need
not, perhaps be surprised ut having met
the fate of others whose only rewards
for npholaing constitutional right and
law have been the consciousness of hav-
ing attempted to do their duty, and the
calm and unprejudiccd judgment OF his
tory.
At the time mysterious Providence
assigned to mo the. office of President l
was, by the terms of the Constitution,
the Commander.in-chie of nearly mil
lion of men under arms. One vf my first
acts was 10 disband and restore to the
vocations of civil life this immense host,
and to divest myself, SO far as could, Of
the unparalleled powers then incident to
the office and the times. Whether or not,
in this step, ! was right, and how far de;
serving the appreciation OF the people, all
can nov on reflection Judge, when reihin-
ded of the .ruinous condition OF public
affairs thatsmust,have resulted from the
continaanes in ;the military service OF
such a vast numberot men. tie
The, close of our domestic conflict found
the army, eager to distinguish itself in a
new Held, by an effort to punish Europe
an intervention ip Mexico By many1it
WAS bsliesSyissd' and M urged that, aside from
the ASSUMED ,justicc.iof the proceeding, a
foreign war, in which both sides would
cheerfnilg ulnfteto vindicate the honor of
the natro5nai flag, and further illustrate
the NATIONAL prowess, would be the surest
and specdiest way OF awakening national
enthusiasm rsviving deFotion to the
Union, and occupying force concerning
which grave doubts existed as to its will
ingness, after four years of active cam
paigning, at once to return to the pursuits
OF peace. Whether these speculations
were. true or false, it. will be conceded
that they existed, and that the predi!ec-
tions of the army were, for the time be-
ing, in the direction Indicated Taking
advantage of this feeling, it. would have
been easy, US the Commander.in-chief Of
the army and navy, and with all the pow
er aud patronage of the Presidential
Office at my disposal, to turn the concen-
trated military strength of the nation
against French interference in Mexico,
and to inaugurate movement which
would have been received with favor by
the military and large portion of tho
people. .,. :
should refer to the almost unlimited ad-
ditional powers teidered to the Execu.
tive by the measures relating TO civil
RIGHTS and the Frecdmen's Bureau. Con-
trary to most precedents in the experien-
ces Of public men, The powers thus placed
within my grasp were declined, as IN
violation of the Constitution, dangerous
to the liberties of the people, and tending
to orgrayate, rather than lessen, the dis
cords naturally resulting from our civil
war. With large army and augmented