The Eaton Democrat. (Eaton, Ohio) 1875-1903, 1875-08-19
ANDREW JOHNSON.
"reminiscences of the Late Ex-President-
Some Notes of Interest About the I'M
peachment Trial.

"reminiscences of the Late Ex-President-
Some Notes of Interest About the Inn
peachment Trial.
[J.B. McCullagh, in ST. Louis Globe.l
One day. think it was very soon after
the reassembling of Congress in Janu-
ary, 1867-word was sent to me in the
reporters gallery that President johnson
would like to see me that evening at s
o'clock. Well, of course called at the
White House that evening. was
scarcely seated when Mr.. johnson asked
me if 1 had not written letter to the
Cincinnati Commercial about Senator
Drake. He had seen or heard of it, and
he wanted to get copy of it, to have it
republished in the National Illtelki-
gencer, since defunct. The letter re-
ferred to was review of Mr.. Drake's
early career as pro-slavery Democrat
in Missouri, provoked by rebuke
which, as a Republican Senator, he had,
very soon after his admission to the Sen
ate, administered to Wilson, Fessenden,
and others for their " timidity and con-
servatism." Johnson's personal interest
IN the matter arose from the fact that
Mr.. Drake had introduced resolution
censuring him (Johnson) for one of his
reconstruction messages. 81 would
like to have that letter printed in the
IntelLigencer ON the same day that Drake
makes his speech in support of his reso-
luton against me. D-n him, I want
to let the people see the kind of men
who are calling me traitor and rene
gade." promised to comply with his
request, and in due time the letter found
its way into the Iatelligencer. 1t made
Drake'very mad, and called him into the
Senate one morning with hatfull of
manuscript by way of personal explana-
ton, but the facts were against him, and
he never afterward shook his finger at
the old Republican Senators to tell them
they were timid.
The impeachment scheme had not
then assumed very important proper
tions, but I think Mr.. Ashley had
already offered resolution of impeach-
ment; at any rate Mr. johnson seemed
to know what was coming, and he talked
freely and bitterly against his enemies,
whom he denounced as usurpers, and
rebels, and traitors,-all in league to
subvert the Constitution. The elections
of the previous fall-1S66-had gone
largely against him, and his Philadel-
phia Convention had proved great
failure, but he attributed great deal of
this to the treachery of the Democratic
party, whose leaders, he said, were
afraid he wanted to be Democratic
candidate for 1868, whereas, according
to his own declaration,- nothing was fur
ther from his purpose. "Six months IN
this position" }" said he, "would disgust
anybody. You hear nothing from morn
ing till night but the cry of sOfice-
office-ofice.' It's the old cry of Beef
-beef-beef, that Patrick Henry talked
about in Revolutionary times" Having
listened rather than talked to Mr.. john
son for an hour or more, as I rose to
leave I asked him if might use the sub
stance of his talk for a letter to the
Commercial, and he replied, with care
less cheerfulness, i'll the affirmative !;
"that is" said he, eff you put me down
right; but the id newspapers are as
bad as the politicians in misrepresent-
ing me. I don't want you to take my
side" said he; 81 can fight these fel-
lows single-hapded; but put me down
correctly. assured him I would do SO,
and afterward got his own word for it
that the promise was kept. He was
greatly pleased, and soon-in less than
two weeks, 1 think-he sent for me
again. 81 want to give these fellows "
this was always the term he used in
speaking of Congress, pointing in the
direction of the Capitol as he spoke
"hell, said he, "and think can do
it better through your paper than
through message, because the people
read the papers more than they read
messages"
JOHNSON AND GRANT.
When, very early in 1868, Gen.
Grant, after the Senate had refused to
sanction the surrender of Stanton, re-
signed the position into the hands of Mr..
Stanton, there was no measure of de-
nunciation of Grant by johnson. 1 had
heard him abuse Thad Stevens, Sumner,
and all the rest of the Republican lead
ers, but his language was mild and dec
orous compared with what he called
Grants treachery. He told me once of
cabinet meeting in which he confronted
Gen. Grant with the question of veraci-
ty, and said he, 81 pinned him down to
it, and he looked as if the floor would
open under him and let him through" "
The quarrel thus begun lasted while both
men lived, and it furnished the occasion
for the violation of precedent as old as
the country. The custom had always
been for the outgoing and the incoming
Presidents to ride to the Capitol in the
same carriage on Inauguration Day, as
joint participato-s in the quadrennial
ceremonies. On the 4th of March, 1869,
it took two carriages to do what one had
always done before. The next day l
met Mr.. Johnson on Pennsylvania ave-
nue. and spoke of the matter to him.
"Well," said he, "I did my part of the
business. 1 sent him an invitation, but
he didn't accept it. This, it is proper
10 say, is an expurgated report of the
Presidents observations. It must
not be supposed that Gen. Grant was
al denunciation. He kept his end of
the line up in less demonsrative but
quite rs effective way. What his curses
lacked in loudness they made up in
depth.
| JOHNSON AND CHARLES !.
I was walking with Johnson one Sun
day evening on general subjects of poll,
tics, when he suddenly interrupted me.
s id he, "Do you remember what sort
of court it was trat tried and convicted
Charles II" 1 replied, "That, to the
best of my recollection, it was court
appointed by Parliament, and composed
of members of that body, officers of the
army and citizens of London" "How
many were there in it2" said Mr.. John
son. 1 replied that there were some
where between sixty and seventy men,
bers in that court. Then lie burst out,
"And how many of these id scoun-
drels are there over there?" pointing
toward the Capito. 1 replied that there
were then twenty seven States repre-.
sented, making fifty four Senators.
"Well," he continued, edo you know
what became of the men who convicted
King Charies-how many of them diet
in their beds-and how many run away
from the country after the restoration 2
I could not answer this question directly
but promised to go to the Congressiona