American citizen. [volume] (Canton, Miss.) 1864-1890, 1869-07-10
THE Elk PRESIDENT.
Andy Johnson's Washington Speech.
Congressional Plots and Plans-A
Few Of A. US Center Shots.

J.
Washington city, on the evening of
the 18th, is lively reading:
1t was not necessary to turn atten-
ton to the other end of the avenue
/ [cries of "hear, hearn-nor was it
necessary to do more than point to
the tyrannical body called Congress,
which attempted to absorb every
single power of the President. He
had called them ''tyrants standing
with the mailed heel of power Oh all
( the necks of the freemen of the Uni
ted States" endeavOring to blot out
! the lines which separated the State,
to wipe out the other two coordinate
branches of the Government, and in
tins Congress stood Omnipotent.
tell you here, my cOuntrymen," he
said, " that if l were compelled to
make a choice-and | thank God |
am not so compelled as yeti would
take one individual who was honest,
wise, patriotic, and just, as my ruler
or master, i'll preference to Congress
so usurping, capriciOus, and corrupt.
A voice: That's SOL Let us talk
about these things as they are. We
even find a difference among them as
/ to whether they would take such a
government as an Omnipotent Con
gresS would impose, or an imperial
government. Such feelers have been
sent out. They wish to develop what
sentiment there is i'll the country.
Take a paper eSpeciallyin New York,
i'll which, no doubt, is the emanation
and reflection of certain combination
of individuals, some of them perhaps,
residing in Washington; and when
we turn to the title page what do we
see? On one side, "The empire is
peace" and OH the other side the
quotation "Let us have peace ~
Laughter. The meaning of this is,
% Let us have the empire with Grant
at its head and we shall have peace"
Laughter and applause. But you
find lurking behind this debt of
twenty five or twenty eight hundred
millions of dollars. The great fear
is the people are not to be trusted,
and will not pay it; and hence we
must have strong government with
an army at our backs, and when the
people become FESTIVE as to payment
of taxes, they are to be compelled to
do so at the point of the bayonet. l
know what | say, and, not to be ego
tistical, know what is being prepar-
cd for the American people. We
find the single item of one hundred
and fifty millions to be collected for
payment of interest on the bonds,
and what is it? Interest to be paid
in one-half years time. You run
yonr hand into your pockets and pull
out something so dim and worn that
you cannot tell what it is. But see
what it calls for on its face, as COM
pared with the currency of the world.
AS admitted by both Christian and
barbarous nations we find this paper
to be thirty or forty cents below par.
But what about the men who have
so many millions in bOnds' / must
here repeat story. 1t has been so
long since any of the people in my
section saw a five, two and half, or
ten or twenty dollar gold piece, that
/ made it special point to carry
home with lie few pieces in order
that they might see them. 1t had
been stated i'll a paper that III con
vcrsation had remarked to some
botly that ono nation had ever yet
paid a national debt created in war
except by reputation" If l stated
fact, is there any harm in it ? Cries
of g No, no." What political econo-
mist dare deny the proposition. |
also state there is not nation on
earth that made debt interminable
OF permanent that is free. Is there
any harm in stating such facts and
great truths! 7" No, mop Then
how does the matter stand Because
/ have uttered truths which cannot
be controverted, it is said favor re
pudiation. But go to Congress
What has it dOneR You will sec
that in the inaugural address it is
stated that if any body is in favor o.
reputation to the extent of a single
farthing he cannot hold an office un
der the Government. Laughter.
But when you go to this Congress
| so conscious were they of the great
) fraud practiced in various atrociou:
ways, they came forward and pro
posed to repudiate one third of thu
/ whole debt. alt is nominated in tn,
, bond" to say six per cent, and We
, Congress, in the face of this solemn
contract, propose to reduce it to five
four and three per cent. But this
interest is to be paid i'll geld and sill
/. yer. Go to the Department. A EaI
f comes in with coupons, and at on'
counter gets god and silver for them
another man comes in and goes tt
another counter with claims for som,
widow or orphans of him who fell il
+. his country's cause-who was buried
with no winding sheet around his
body but the blanket stained will
+ his blOOd-and this man acting fo
4 the widow or orphans is handed de
!. preciated paper, while the bOndhold
er receives gold and silver. Whel
: the rebellion commenced, l was on,
of those who opposed it. My proper
l ty was imperilled. l raised thirty
: seven thousand men for the struggle
] ! am out of Office now, and ask fOl
), no place, therefore | can talk plail
$ on the subject. The war commenced
: and was called on our part, as wa
;. solemnly declared in Congress, 70
| the purpose Of preserving the UnioI
!, and restoring the States to their pro
I per relations. The rebellion progress
+ cd, and what was the effect! Their
4 was an institution III the South t,
$ which there was great prejudice. |
e was estimated, when considered il
!, its character and shape as property
$ to be worth three thousand millions
+ of dollars. | was no advocate o
:, slavery. The negro walked off, anC
= Just as this property disappeared il
one section, it appeared in the shap
of Government stocks and bonds IA
i the other end Of the line, instead o
' existing IN an institution which wa
productive to the nation and TIN
= world. | can tell you where it is