Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1875-03-11

/
at NashviIIe-The Speedy DisInfe-
/ grafton Of Parties Predicted.
Washington Correspondence Of the New York
| Tribune.
A visitor to-day remarked to Mr.
johnson that his present quarters were
hardly as spacious and handsome as
those he usen to occupy further up the
street.
NO" he answered, with a tinge of
humOr in his face, "but they are more
comfortable. The occupant Of the tx
ecutive Mansion, if be has the good of
his country at heart, and deYotes his
time faithfully to his duties and respon-
sibilities, with an adequate conception
| of both, cannot be what the world calls
comfortable He may have a con-
sciOusness that he is doing what In his
light seems for the best, but it is a
wearing, straining life. If its duties
and responsibilities may be cast aside
for recreation and physical enjoyment,
30 much the better perhaps for the oc-
cupant. But l assure you" added
Mr.. johnson, evincing a good
deal of interest, chat I would
rather be IN the United States Senate
fOurfoId than be President, and you
know me well enough to believe that I
speak from the heart. l regard my
triumph In Tennessee, after the hard
! est fight ever engaged in, with more
satisfaction th3n could regard my re-
turn to the presidency; and you know
that I am not weak enough to suppose
that that can ever be possible. My
contest In Tennessee was a very inter
esting one, and a very significant one.
1t was the fighting of Hoods army
over again There we're many Of his
generals and high officers, with my
pardons IN their pockets, trying to beat
me as they tried during the war. Myt tri-
umph over such an opposition, with the
aid of the people, was most gratifying.
As for the position itself, I do not
knoE-perhaps 1 may do more good in
the Senate than could IN the White
House"
His visitor informed him that there
was a good deal of curiosity and inter-
est manifested by the press and the
public as to his future cOurse-whether
he would act with the Republicans or
| the Democrats. He answered substan-
tally In these words: 81 can give no
pledge as to my future course. 1 can
not say that 1 viii act with one party
OF with the other. We have had too
much Of party, and I propose to bind
myself IN advance to no theory or party
policy. / have never done so IN the
past, and / do not intend to do so IN
the future. I shall support such meas
ures as appear to my own Judgment
best for the country, caring nOtwheth-
er it is a Democratic measure Orwheth-
er 1t is supported by Republicans. We
/ have had too much of parties. They
| have run the Government quite too
long already, and they have well nigh
| destroyed It. It is time for the people
to take hold. The shackles Of party
| have caused ncalculable mischief, and
until the people throw them of we
viii have no conscientious and un-
selfish government. Caucuses and
conventions are only the tools Of man
aging politicians; thepeOple have moth
] ing to do with them. l viii never
| place myself In a position where / must
| do a thing because 1t Is a party meas
ure, or oppose a thing at a party's die
tation. l place the country above
party, and I hope to live to see the
time when the people VIII cast off the
yoke as they did IN 1923, when they
/ elected Andrew Jackson. The break
ing up Of the Congressional caucus for
the nomination of Presidential candi-
dates began in 1924, when Gen. Jack
son was the peoples candidate. The
conventions candidate was beaten, but
the election went to the House, and
/ Gen. Jackson was beaten also, by the
choice Of Mr.. Adams. At the next
election, the people triumphed over
party. And it must be DIN our time. ."
''Then you d. not intend to act with
either party in Congress, nor 60 into
caucus?'
'No," answered Mr.. Johnson; Il viii
not be bound to vote for a measure
that my Judgment tells me Is wrong.
l must be the judge as to what Is my
duty. I am to be held responsible not
only by my own conscience, but by the
people whom I shall try IN a measure
to represent"
"But what, asked his visitor, ''is to
be the outcome Of the present condition
of affairs?"
q have unbOunded confidence In the
people. They are conservative. 1t is
only the leaders that are radical-the
men who manage conventions. The
people lie between. You are IN the
North: I am in the South. You have
radical Republicans IN your section,
and have radical Democrats in mine.
They are both dangerous. They are
extreme, and might do a world of
wrong, as they have done, may say,
already. One party keeps the South
stirred up to an uncommon degree, and
the other embitteTs the people Of the
North against those of the
South; and so this unhappy cOndi-
tion Of affairs continues. Between
these two radical elements, each alike
dangerous, are the people, the Conserv-
atives. Tell me why should not they
unite and hurl the sectiOnalists from
the caucus, from the convention and
from power? The people, so to speak,
have been in a valley, and the party
men have kept them from the high
ground. from the mountains, where
they could see what was going on.
Whenever the people conclude, as they
did in 1928, to view the field for them
selves, they will break away on the one
hand from the Radical Democrats and
| on the other from the Radical Republ'-
cans. Burke, one Of England's great
est statesmen, and the faithful friend
Of America, foretold the present condi-
ton of affairs in this country in remark