Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1871-04-09
Ex.PRESIDENT JOHNSON.


The Banner of yesterday has the fol-
lowing in its editorial columns : -
The Washington correspondent of the
Cincinnati Times telegraphs that "a gen.
tleman, whose authority in political mat
tiers cannot be questioned, and who is q
personal friend of Andy johnson, says
the sage of Greeneville has gone back on
the Democratic party, and declares him
self subscriber to The Republican party
and wants to be taken into the party in
full standing"
We do not know when this was tele-
graphed to the Cincinnati Times, but we
do know that the story is both stale and
untrue. Some time ago the came in sub
stance was communicated from Wash
ington to the Cincinnati Gazette. The
Sentinel, published at Greeneville, the
home of ex-President johnson, by au-
thority, contradicted the report. That
article, published in the Greeneyille Sen
tinel and copied into the UNtoN AND
AMKRIoAN and many other of the papers
not only in Tennessee but through the
Union, must have been seen by the Ban
ner. What new scene hath ROscius now
to act The article of the Sentinel is as
follows:
q The editor of the Cincinnati Gazette,
writing from Washington, informs his
readers that there is q gentleman now in
that city who, few days ago, had an in
terYiew with the Hon. Andrew johnson,
of Tennessee. The gentleman happened
to stop at GreepeVille, and was called
upon by the ex-President. The letter
goes on 10 state that
s'Since his fall this man had not spoken
to the ex-President, but the latter having
called he received him respectfully. He
says johnson is greatly distressed in mind.
He has been cut by the Rebels on al
| hands, and he does not hesitate to de-
nounce the Democratic party OF the
| South as a party of traitors. My IN
formant says johnson would gladly gel
back in the Republican party if he could
see any way through which he coulo
pass" .-..- -.....
The above is going the rounds in the
newspapers of the juntry and lest somt
having remarkable credulity, might be
lieye a single statement it contains we give
it passing notice.
Every sentence of the paragraph con
tains a falsehOod. No such character a!
the @gentleman" described has "hdppen
ed to stop at Greenevillen within the pas
few months, nor has Mr.. johnson ''call
edn on any such person; nor is he in thu
habit of doing 80. We are no little sur
prised that the editor of the Gazette wa
SO credulous as to give credence and pub
licily to this self important statement o
the t'gentleman. Nor have we discov
cred any marks of 'tdistress" in the uni
formly cheerful face of Mr.. Johnson, ans
our mesns for ascertaining are equal, a
least, to the gentleman" who 'thappen
ed to stop,
Nor has Mr.. johnson been ''cut by tn
Rebels" Some of them opposed him il
the Senatorial contest, but the leader o
the opposition (Mr. Etheridge,) and hi
betrayer (Mr. Edmond Cooper and hi
successful rival (Hon. Henry Cooper,
| were neither Rebels nor Democrats. No
| has Mr.. johnson denounced the Demo
cratic party of the South as party o
traitors" Nor has he any desire to ''ge
back" into party to which he never be
longed, and which he hates with an inten
, | sity equalled only by his love for the grea
Democratic principles on which he found
his hope for the political salvation OF tn
republic. Mr.. Johnson's political opir
. | ions have been uuslterably fixed for thirf
; | years; they are part of our country
history, and he who could be induced
believe that Mr. Johns wished to aft
late with the Republican party, could B
/ | made believe the statement of the Mort
/ | Carolina witness who swore that Andre
, johnson was the Grand Cyclops of th
| Ku-Klux in the South.