Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1872-10-05
HARRTs AND JOHNSON.

4 tA-ATOEeC
nor and an ex-President. ia not verv credit
aole to American politics. when the eI1arae
|. ter and antecedents of the comhattants ar,
: considered. But the President mada N,
I attack on the Ex-Governor. and n embraced
disgraeeful and false charge. Our onI,
regret is that the ex-G Governor fell into The
coarse vein ofthe ex-President, and, follow
4 ing tne impulses of a natural indignation
used language and adopted tone at once
uhDecomlng an Ex-Governor and man o.
social position.
The story of the feud between Andrew
johnson and Isham G. Harris is curious
one and yet withal characteristic episode
IN Tennessee politics; for Tennessee has al.
. ways been sort ofpelsonal battles ground.
Away back in 1856, Isham G.. Harris, a
J brisk, thorough-going young fellow, who
had served one of the West Tennessee dis
tricts in Congress, and the year before had
had himself outfanked for hisre-election by
legislative process, was made an elector for
|. the State at large on the Buchanan and
! Breckenridge ticket. He was pitted against
I Neil s. Brown. Harris was obscure.
Brown had been Governor of the State and
Minister to Russia, and was regarded the
most eloquent speaker, and the most effici-
ent party leader, in Tennessee. But what
could Fillmore man do in 1856? Il was
lost cause at the start. Moreover, Gov.
Brown trusted TO his popularity and decls-
nation, whilst Hsrris-young and ambiti-
ous-equipped himself with facts. He
showed, during the oratorical duel that fol-
lowed, surprising vigor, information and
tact. He had the argument on Brown. He
was peripatetic magazine of campaign
knowledge. Ee
The State was carried for the Democrat
ic ticket and next year Harris was elecled
Governor TO succeed Andrew johnson, who
was promoted to the Senate Of the United
States.
There are many stories as to the original
quarrel between johnson and Harris. The
likelihood is that split was inevitable.
Tennessee was not big enough for both Of
them. They were ambitious; they were
popular; they were able. They were bound
to become rivals. They did become rivals.
Harris took the Southern schultz cary in
the struggle. johnson, older and more
cautious, wavered. At length the crash
came. Harris was an open; avowed,
daredevil secessiOnist. johnson was a
temporizing, cunning Southern Rights
] Democrat. Harris made q square fight
| IN February, 1861, for the South, and was
squarely beaten. johnson did not Lift
hand either way. He did not appear at
home. He remained at Washington CO.
! quoting with both sides. There is not he
least doubt that, if johnson had seen the
| smallest show for it, he would have gone
into the Confederate movement. 1t is
easy TO explain why he did not. Eas. Ten
nessee was the other way. He was per-
sonally at outs with each one of the Con.
] federate leaders. He had quaITeled violent
ly with JEFF Davis, who hated and deSpised
him. he was detested by his secession
! colleagues in the Senate. There was no
hope for him in the South. So, after hav-
ing chung doggedly to Washington City, re-
fusing all active assistance to the brave men
who were making a game fight in TenHes-
see, be fell with the strong side-which, as
far as he was concerned, was the only prac-
ticable side-when the war began.
We do not mean to charge johnson with
total insineerity. There was struggle in
bis mind. Unhappily, there is always q
struggle. He is a natural temporizer, who
can never be worked up to square issue
unless his private interests and personal
feeling-his ambition and his piques-are
directly involved. By habit, he was an ul-
ira Southern-rights man; by nature, he Is
not a positivist, violently as be expresses
himself. He thought OF Davis, Tombs,
Wigfal and IVerson, who absolutely
loathed him. He thought Of Harris, his |
immediate adversary. He thought of |
East Tennessee, and, after much and sore
travail, he went for the Union; became an |
invader and q prosecutor, and, finally, !
reached the PRESIDENCY, where he tried to |
fortify himselfsnd build up johnson par |
ty by compelling the personal allegiance of |
all the respectable and influential people Of /
the South. He failed as he should have /
failed, and has since disgraced himself not
only by most Qndignified public conduct /
as candidate for Office, bat by shameless
and notorious private indulgence as a man. |
Harris, on the other hand, took pOt-luck
with the SoEth of his choice. He is an inn
pulsiye, warm-hearted, courageous man, |
open and intrepid, but, wIthal, possessing
judgment of no mean order in business and |
in affairs. A truer, more genial, a more |
generous, more audacious, more vigor
GUS man, is TO be found nowhere. Johnson
calls his flight from Nashville 'dastardly."
1t may have been precipitate; but its pre-
cipitation had no reference to his personal /
safety. He was not merely a brave man |
upon the field, but foolhardy. BE was |
more. He was the friend and companion /
Of that Confederate soldier with whom |
johnson invidiously compares him, His |
presence at the front was synony- |
nous with a coming battle. As /
surely as he appeared upon the lines |
it was muttered from one end Of |
the army TO the other, "here's Gov, Harris |
There's going to be fight, boys John
son says he ran away with the school fund |
and stole il. This is absolutely false; be |
carried it South; he protected it as if it were |
his LIES blood; he brought every dollar of |
il back In safety, and Johnson's friends
Johnson's ppointees-stole it. Everybody |
in Tennessee knows how that was. But |
everybody does not know that johnson be- |
ing President of the United States, he was |
appealed to, entreated, TO do something |
to say some little word-for the relief Of |
Tennessee at the critical moment Of dan |
ger, and that he refused it. We make this /
Statement. We declare that johnson not |
only betrayed Tennessee, but sacrificed it |
to his own cowsrdiCe and ambition; and we /
know perfectly well what we are talking
about.
There never was a time during all Of |
Johnson's splendid and successful career
that he would have raised his finger on the
call Of Tennessee, however urgent. There /
never was time, during all his wanderings /
and misfortuneS, that Green Harris would /
not-did not-leaye everything behind him /
comfort, social cheer, convenience, busi- /
ness-to ride through the night, through the /
rain, through danger in answer to the APP l
peal of some friendless, poor devil, who
simply claimed to be soldier Of Tennes-
see.
We know what We are talking about
here, too; as johnson has invited the COM
parison-as it is purely a personal compari-
son-be must take the consequences. Every
word we write is the truth. We know both
of them better than they know themselves.
We owe neither of them anything, either
of grudge or gratitude, and can speak freely
in the interest of fair dealing and open sail
ing.
We blush that an ex-President has 50 far
forgot himself as to use the language en-
ployed by johnson. We regret the harsh
tone of Harris rejoinder. But, as John
son has made certain charges, it is only
right that some competent, impartial out
side opinion should be given, and, so, hay-
ing an audience in Tennessee and a neigh
borly interest in Tennessee affairs, we offer |
it, defyiDg contradiction.
We do not desDair of the Harris marty in 1