New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1875-08-02
INUREU JOHNSON.


tbe ending of romance The remarkable
yicssitudes of this mans private life and pub
lie career, his wonderful successes, and the
equally wonderful tuIns and changes III MS
pcrsonal and political fortunes; the sudden
ness of his rise to the highest position
Of influence and power in the land' ana 'ho
abruptness with which he fell from ana io't
it; his greatness of character in some cmer-
gencics and his marvellous littleness ana
weakness in other and lesser trials; his
steadiness as contrasted with his gddihcss;
fbe anrorcpt conurchensivcness OF his grasp
Of some of the most serious questions of states
mausbip and political philosophy. and the Ut
ter focblcucss of his conception of some Of the
.;mocr uroblcms of government; and not
l..st thc strange way in which he demonstrated
in his own history the fcklencss OF popu-
lar favor. of which he was at one
time the idol and another the football !;
all unite to make his story the marvel of our
times That he was great no one VIII deny !;
his elevation to the Chief Magistracy of thirty
million people attcsts the existence OF certain
elements of real greatness IN his character.
That he was also an exceptionally
weak man in many directions, the history OF
his administration and the record of his public
utterances bear unmistakable testimony. The
striking feature in his public career was his
upcyIectcdness lie rarely did what was most
expected Of him; almost invariably III an cnier-
gency he astonished, and many times he startled
u.s. I'm moments when We expected HIM 10 bc
strong he disappointed lis with the disclosure
of some shameful weakness; at other times,
when We were bowed down with . paln'ui
consciousness Of his uniitncss. he surprised
Ills with his stcadinCss and seli-connand,
and II revelation Of reserved and unsupported
strength With tremendous resources OF
stubbO!nncss and pluck, wi Ii unwaycrlng
fidelity to bis convictions and untIlng p'r-
sistcncy in their advocacy, with endurance
that knew no fatigue and ob,tinacy that
never recognized defeat or entertained terms
of compromise, he was chiefly great i'll the
heat of political combat, and great beyond
measure when physical courage was called INTO
action and the odds We're against him. With none
of the chances in his favor, and always heavily
handicapped by his lack of training and his
inliImities of temper, he made his way steadily
70 the front, reaching and holding through
boisterous period, and against the stornicot
oppoiton that ever besct President, the first
place in the land.
But it may be said Of him that though the
whole world could not keep him down, he
could not hold himself up. Almost in the
very moment when the loyal people OF the
North were interpreting the sad event 10y
which Mr.. johnson became President as
wise Providence which had taken from
the too tender and indulgent hands Of
Lincoln the task Of reconstruction and
committed il to II justor and stcrncr admin
i,,Iation, there WAS planning oHo OF tho5c
sharp surprises with which the career OF the
Tennessee statesman was chcckcrcd. II was Il
Sudden change, but we were slow to perceive
it. 1t did dawn upon us at length. and each
day afteIward for many months deep
enel the conviction that the clcva-
ton was too much for him; that
in his stlf-confdcnce and his thorough belief in
his own methods and bis own policy as against
all others. Mr. johnson had absolutely lost his
lead. I ben came the long quarrel between
the President ard Congress, carried on by both
sides with Il bitterness that has no paral-
lei in the history of political con-
tests, and with it the Impeachment Trial.
There wore vetoes on the one hand. aud
legislation to limit the power of the Executive
on the other, mutual accusations reproachcS,
and determinations, until it seemed that all
other executive and Legislative functions, eX-
cep. such IA were essential to the quarrel.
were held in suspense while the country looked
On Mt the spectacle In and through
it all Mr.. johnson was of necessity the
central figure. Whatever the merits OF the
controversy, he was its chief. He had Con-
gress, and his party and the public sentiment
L..
bay before them all There were some things
in his attitude that seemed ridiculous, and many
things in his utteranccs that were absurd, but
after all it will have to DO confessed that
the absolute grandeur Of his obstinacy gave to
his appearance in the Impeachment Trial the
quality of greatness. The result of the trial
was in some sense SIR. JOhnson's triumph. and
though il was not satisfactory then to
the Republican party, time has 80 far soltencd
the resrntmcnts and cooled the passions of
that period of excitement that sensible Rcpub
licans have no difficulty in discovering COM
pensation for The disappointment
We do not need to rccite the surprises he
gave Us and the shocks he administered to u.s..
The time i, moi so old that we can forget how
suddenly from Il Breckenridge Democrat in
1860 he burst upon lis ~ Il Union patriot when
the appeal to arms WAS entered; nor how we
followed him N his vigorous administration as
Provisional Governor of Tennessee, gave him
our hearts and hands and all our sympathies
when he stood mp sturdily for the LOYAL cause
avid tie deser;ions Of friends, the
los of property, and many personal
hlrlshIps and priyations and, when we could,
;rted him mp rs a reward for his service, to
.ne second place in the peoples gift. The
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