The Idaho world. [volume] (Idaho City, Idaho Territory) 1864-1918, 1869-03-11
ANDREW JOHNSON.

not agree with us, we know. but we sincerely
re;o;ca that Andrew johnson has retired to
nrivate life and we hope he will never again
he called to fill any public station in the land
He WINS almost the foremost to apostatlze from
Democracy, and to turn against his own peo-
ple, before the war commenced; ana us On OK
tremist among the Constitution-spurnlng' law
defying loyalists of the years OF the war; 'e"
eoualled or attempted to rival him. 1t was
Andrew Johnson. rs Provisional Governor OF
Tennessee, who said "When you hear man
prate about the Constitution, spot him - mes
a traitor" For our own part we do not think
more Infamous or reasonable sentiment was
ever uttered. After having deluded the kadi-
calls into nomination and on election of HIM
self as Vice President, he most foully disgraced
the high Office ut his inauguration, and when
called to the Presidency by Lincoln's death, he
was more venomous and proscriptive towards
the South than ever Lincoln had shown himself
to be. He thought Gen. Grant TO be too indul-
gent and too generous towards the Confederate
leaders, and proclaimed reward of 100000
for the arrest of Jefferson Davis, aud other
large rewards for the capture Of other distin-
guished Confederates, on pretence that they
were implicated in the killing of Lincoln. He
knew them to be entirely guiltless OF that
charge. Next, he signed the death warrant of
an innocent lady, and, like Dahomey or n
Nena Sahb, refused to allow the anguished
daughter of the condemned lady to plead to
him for respite or for pardon tor her fondly-
beloved mother; and yet he must have been
perfectly cognizant of that murdered woman's
innocence Soon, he turned against the party
to which he had proselyted, and to which he
owed his elevation and then became pro-
fessed champion OF the Constitution. On look
ing back over his official record during the Pc
Rod extending from his apostacy from the
Democratic party, in 1860, down to the last we
know of his Presidency. We can find no place
in which he hesitated to violate the Constltu-
ton, when it could have served his own az
grandizement, in a popular or selfish sense, to
do SO; nor can We discover wherein, III Il single
instance, he played the part of the defender of
the Constitution, or invoked Congress to It's
observance except it was in order to benefit
himself as demagogue, or to protect himself
as the Executive, in the iull measure of the
righttu authority which belonged to that high
station or as against the dangerous Ito himself
personality aud desperate encroachments Of
Congress, rs in the Impeachment case.
1t is because of these acts of his, and for the
reasons We have assigned, that We have never
had faith in Andrew Johnson as q champion Of
Constitutional liberty. and we can never be-
leyc that he was actuated. in all his long pub
lie career, BY any nobler or better motives than
those of foRdness for popular appreciation the
love of place and power; and the disposition
to WELD the authority incident to lofty stations
which only great and good and noble charac
ters should be called to occupy. He has gone
from the Chief Magstracy of the nation. and
howsoever President Grant shall administer
the Government, we think we shall never cease
20 rejoice that Andrew Johnson is no longer
the President of the United States