The New Orleans bulletin. [volume] (New Orleans [La.]) 1874-1876, 1875-02-19
ANDREW JOHNSON BACK IN THE
SENATE.
His First Speech-What He Thinks Of impeachment,
and the Way the People Who Wanted to Impeach
Him have Conducted Themselves Since-What He
Thinks Of Himself and Of His Successor.
From the Nation.

When johnson himself now takes up the oil
articles and reads them his grim features must
in spite of his want Of humor, often be Eghte
up by the broadcast Of broad grins, and, unles
he has in his seven years retirement lost som
Of his old fire, he will, when Congress mex
meets, treat the Senate to speech in substance
somewhat as follows:
81 felt when was under accusation that m
enemies were making themselves ridiculous, ant
that had done nothing wrong, and that though
was perhaps not one Of the greatest or most deco
rous men who ever sat IN the Presidential chair
nevertheless not only was l not the monster tina
I was painted, but worse men might come after
me- and without being pros ecuted or denounced
1t is true | advocated plan of reconstruction O.
which the party did not approve, but it was one
which Lincoln devised, and which he, had hi
lived would have carried out and which it i
nov plain any honest and patriotic man nigh,
very well have supported. You have carried ou
your own plan, and you are actually boasting o.
its failure, and trying to prove to us every day
that it has resulted in leaving the South il thu
worst possible condition.
| You confess that it has deprived the negroes O.
all protection for life or property and has impov
erished the whites; and you must admit that a
worse result than this mine could not have had
You said was corrupt; but while 1 was in office
| | never accepted gut, and never put relative
in any place of trust profit, used the public
| service to promote my private interests or those
OF my family. pardoned, doubtless, some very
bad criminals, bat no criminals OF my pardOning
over found their way Immediately afrerward into
government Offices. l never offered to a
prisoner under trial the hospitality of the
national mansion in which I lived; nor had
ever the audaclty, much as l despised
Congress, to nominate for high civil functions a
msn whom it had just legisated out OF Off &c for
gross corruption. My views on the National
finances may not have been sound in al respects.
had not the advantage of all the discussions
which the subject has since undergone, but put
the Treasury in the charge OF an experienced
financier-not OF an ordinary politcian-who ad-
vocated and carried out as long as he was allowed
the very policy for which the wisest of you are
now striving The Treasury was never made in
my day the headquarters of ring ofnformers and
peculators, aad, though you thought was regard
less Of law, Inever permitted such tremendous
assumption of power as issue Of paper money
for political purposes, by single man and in de-
fance of the opinion of committee of the
eenate. Nor did l ever take the funds belonging
to the foreign service of the government from the
hands OF great banking house, and give them
to Wall street adventurer with small capital and
less credit. 1t is true told Emory that the law
directing orders to pass through the General Of
the Army was unconstitutional, but / never
shelved the General Of the Army completely and
sent orders without any regard to him, nor did
any army: army officer, with my permission,
Legislature or issue vitupera tive procla-
nations directed against whole classes OF cit-
zens. Moreover, although was not successful
10 bringing our differences with England to
happy termination, honestly strove for that
end as well as | knew how. Iselected for the
English mission one Of the most distinguished
lawyers in the country who had half a century of
honored private character behind him, and who
though he doubtless was over gushing in his re-
latons with our enemies, came back without
leaving q stain on his name or on
that Of his country No Speculation or
adventurer ever dared to approach
him with any scheme for the spoliation of I'M
suspecting foreigners, and, SO far as he was
known in the society OF the capital to which he
was accredited, he was known for learning and
ability, and for an illustTious professional
career; and il he did not conclude treaty
neither did his successor. I made, it is true,
some foolish and vituperative speeches but
you had in Congress. plenty Of men as
foul-m outhed as l, whom you honored or
laughed at; and il you expected me to be-
come polished and self-restrained, choice in my
language, and in my company,..you were more
e1actiDg toward me than yoa have been since to-
ward others. NY tongue may have been loose,
and my temper bad; but l can at least FAY for
myself that the affairs of State tho subjects
of which most loved to talk and think; that fer
forty years they have been my main interest;
and that my own comfort or qualification or en-
richment was never allowed to prevent my ab-
sorption in them; and that my friendships, such
~ they were, grew neither out of toys nor lust
nor wine, but out of sympathy and agreement
about public concerns"