Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1872-09-13

ANDREW JOHNSONh AM
CRIMES
Johnson's reputation az a stump ora
tor has not been much overrated
though heEs by no e the colossu
that rumor makes him. With n
feelings Of personal animosity, Of
the contrary with much of admira
ton for his success and conduct in life
we feel the fun consciousness Of OWN!
him Justice. We were to some exten
disappointed in the He has il
the first place q sinister expression 0
countenanee, particularly about th'
eyes, and although that isa small mat
ter, it mars in no small degree the effecr
of his measured elocution. Thirty year
in public life would make even a small
man ar fat in dealing with public
questions. Intimate association with
politicians for a lifetime might makt
n man at home in surveying the
trickery Of our political system, and i
thereview besprinkled, however lightly
with witicisms and rounded with so
norous oratory, the good natWed public
are prone to cry out "GreF S Allah
and Mahomet is his prophet" We lis
tened TO Mr.. johnson through the long
hours Of his speech, and we must con.
fess that We were less "a johnson man
at the close than at the commencement
Every student Of Blackstone knows
everything the ex-President said th,
first halfh0ur of his address in refer
ence to systems of government, while
the figures, showing the true con-
ditiOn of our financial system
under the present national administra,
ton, are to be found in one or other o
campaign documents which have
been scattered like autumn leave:
through every hamlet in the land. The
doctrine Of funding the public deb
surely is not news in Memphis, though
Mr.. johnson seems to think SO. There
WIS certainly a little informationon thi:
subject here and elsewhere before the
Great Commonerv directed our at
tentiOn to the matter. On this subject
Of the public debt Mr.. johnson was
rather obscure. He ~contended that enc
nation upon earth has ever paid a great
national debt without repudiation;' p
that funding the debt is Sin disguise a
proposition TO make it permanent"
that there is no nation upon the earth
that has 8 permanent debt that is, to-
night, free" He denies that he is in
favor of reputation; then if he opposes
the funding Of the public debt, and de-
MES the possibility Of its payment, how
Is he going to dispose Of it outside of re-
pudiation? We fancied there was much
Of the al cdptGRdUm UJlgus in this.
Ii was clear lucIs q non lHceRdO. As
southern men and ex-soldiers of the
defunct COnfederacy, we were a little
amused and sometimes all but insulted
by Mr.. JohnsOn's labOred attempt, il
that portion Of his speech touching Sc
cession, TO prove himself right and four
millions of his fellOW-cOuntrymen
wrong. While all the other United
States Senators and Representatives,
who retired from the Congress Of the
United States, in obedience to thatvoice
Of public duty and Of patriotism, which
was never raised without being respect
fully listened to and obeyed in every
corner Of the United States up TO that
time, the voice Of the people demanding
the rights Of the StatsS-when these
grave and revered statesmen and war
riors, honored by the whole Republic for
wisdom, patriotism, learning, oratory
and State-craft, retired to join their
fortunes with their States, their
cOuutrymen, their neighbOrs, and their
kindred, Andrew johnson remained
i'm the easy elegance and safety Of the
Senatorial Chamber. the only wise man
of them all. The State that sent him TO
the Senate be abandoned; the people
who lifted him from obscurity to fame
he deserted in their hour Of trouble; and
when the war came and the sword Of
the invader was red with the blood of
Tennesseans, Andrew johnson sat in
the capitol Of Tennessee as a military
chieftain in the commission Of the in
vadens. Ii was wise, indeed; time and
the fortune of war have shown the wis
dom Ofhis action, but neither hightsnor
depths, nor municipalities nor powers, nor
things present nor things TO come, can
show aught else than that Mr.. Johnson's
decision, then as now, was cOwardly,
mean, vile, and ~treacherous. How
would il have been if the COnfederacy
had been successful? Would it have
been honorable in Nh. Johnson them
Ii not, it cannot but be dishonorable
nor. Mr.. Johnson indirectly insulted
the whole Southern people. He proved
them fools or knaves, OF both, and trait
to the constitution, while he was the
Of forecast, the Christian philoso-
pher, the only Senatorial head from the
in Congress that preserved its
balance. There are few men, minus his
fine intellect, like Mr.. johnson in the
country, who would like 10 i'm
pose their intense seIishness upon the
as wisdom and patriotism; who
would rejoice to find the people esteem
as a virtue their inability to hear the
;Glls Of their country in the hour of dam
ger. Granting for the argument that
he State calls her children to her de-
.ense ia a doubtful cause, does that ex-
use abandoning her to her fate, or
still, joining the ranks Of her enc
mics? The gallant and glorious S. s.
Prentiss, Of Mississippi, answers this in
sentiment, 1.-The State may she be
right; But RIGHT OR WRONG,
STATE" The man who deserts
nls country upon any pretext forfeits
every claim to that country's co~nfdence!
cannot indOrse Mr.. Johnson's seees-
sion record, nor should he ask Southern
people to dishonor the raves Of
Confederate dead by voting
for a man who pronounces the cause
which they died treason. and
i%enounces themselves as traitors
Touching the Baltimore Convention.
MIR. johnson was no less unbappv
spoke in language bordering
on contempt Of its proceedings, and
sneeTed at its members as being of ques-
appointment. "He did not
know whether the delegates to that
convention were properly appointed, .
aud Of course, Mr.. johnson not know
ing it, it was doubtful if any delegate to
that convention had been properly ac-
credited. Mr.. johnson was not at that
convention; had be been, he might have
/, LITTLE more resDect for fha nur