The herald and mail. [volume] (Columbia, Tenn.) 1873-188?, 1875-09-10
,anusnn ,cn.ortn, tce,tnc..

> purpose of paying tribute to the men
r Dry of Andrew Johnson.
. On motion of Gen. W. G. Wbitthorr
;. Mr.. James Andrews was called to IL
' chair. Mr.. Andrews on taking the cha
' / spoke as follows:
/, GENTLEMEN AND TFELLoW~CITIZENS
am not, as you all know, i'll the hab
, of making public speeches, nor Go I con
slider mysalfqualiied to do so We hav
assembled here to-day for the purpos
of paying some tribute TO toe memoir
of Andrew Johnson the great defende.
of the Constitution, and believe bad j
not been for the bold stand which h
took while President of the Unite'
States, the property of the citizens ofth'
South would have boon cOuiScateG
Although he had never been a candi
date for public office, and never expect
ed tp be, he had held various offices il
the corporation, being Assessor, Treas
urer, Revenue Collector, and Mayor
and n the latter positions had received
many favors at the hands of Mr.. John
son. That up to the outbreak OF the wal
| they had been personal and political
friends. While Mayor ne was instruct-
ed by Mr.. Johnson to enforce the civil
law, and for doing so the officials of the
| corporation We're arres ted, tlled by mill
itary commission, and finally released;
| during which time they were sustained
been one of the best slandered men in
the State of Tennessee. We had heard
| much of his being in a state of intO5i-
cation while Military Governor, at
| which time l was his enemy would
have helped to put rope around his
neck and help hang him; as I after
| wards told him. Entertaining these
| opinions OF Andrew Johnson, as was
| we'll known, l afterwards got into a
| difficulty with some Federal troops, was
! arrested and carried 10 Nashville as a
| prisoner, and placed in confinement in
the States prison. So soon as Andrew
Johnson heard | was there he gave in
structiOns to the keeper of the prison to
not put me with Federal or Confederate
prisoners, but III tho room occupied by
Confederate officers, and treat me as a
gentleman. l was taken prisoner on
the Goth of January, 1864, and remained
prisoner until March 10th, 1864
when | was paroied 20 Nashville; April
10th was paroled to CuIum bia TO report
b ick to prison the 305h day OF August;
and finally released on the order OF
President Lincoln, through Andrew
Johnson, January I'd, 1865. While Twas
parOled to n 1shvilla, [ was required to
report every morning at 9 o'clock, to
the Provost Marshal, at tho capitol. On
the first morning / won't to report, |
met Mr.. Johnson on the capitol steps;
he took me by the hand, aud remarked,
II suppose we have been so. Crossing
his fingers) but let bygOnes be bygones,"
and invited me into his office. Hemade
inquiries of WhitthOrne, Nicholson,
Huntington, and Barclay Martin. He
expressed himself kindly towards them
and although l frequently met him, and
their names wore often mentioned, I
never hoard him speak an unkind word
of either. After my return 10 prison,
NJ
the keeper OF the prison was to allow me
to occupy the room Of the keepers of the
prison, and to be st liberty to walk out
and in, when l pleased. and to board
with the keepers family, outside of the
prison. Mr.. Johnson, on leaving for
Washington, to assume the duties of
Vice President, took me by the hand,
and informed me that if at any time he
could render me or my friends any fa~
Yors, not inconsistent with his duties, he
would cheerfully do SO. During the
evacuation of Richmond, a Son>in-law
of mine, Mr.. W. r. Elan, was taken
prisoner, and under Mr.. JOhnsOn's ass
surance to me that he would render me
any favor, l applied tor the release of
Mr.. Elan, who had been taken to Wash
ingtOn, and thence to JohnsOn'S Island:
which was granted. Mr.. Elan was not
aware of how he came to be released:
all he knew was that the gate of the
prison was thrown open and lie was told
to go, and was furnished free transpOIta-
ton to Columbia. At the termination
OF the war, Con. Pillow shed tears in his
cOunting-rOOm about the condition of
his family. He advised Gen. Pillow to |
apply for pardon Gen. Pillow said it |
was no use: that he and Johnson were |
not only political but personal enemies; |
that Johnson would sooner hang him |
than jeff Davis. remarked to General |
Pillow that he did not know tho man; |
that | thought it would afford him plea |
sure to grant him pardon, from the |
fact that they were personal enemies. |
Gen. Pillow prepared paper applying |
for pardon, which was copied i'll my
house and sent to President Johnson. |
Gen. Pillow got GOV. BrOwnlow and |
others to sign it. 1t is for Gen. Pillow
to say to whom he was indebted for that |
pardon. These are few OF the many
kind acts that | know of the man, and |
as to the SANDER of his being repeatedly |
intoxicated, as often as l have been in
his company, | never saw him under |
the influence OF liquor. saw him ev
cry day while ! was in Nashville, when
the papers were stating that he was
drunk, which | knew to be base SIAN
ders.
At the close of Mr.. Andrews remarks,
on motion of Major J L. Guest, A. B.
4,
ley, of the Herald, were requested to act
as Secretaries.
Gen. WhitthOrne was then called up
on, and spoke in substance as follows
he commenced by paying a tribute to
L. G. Huntington, from whose burial
he had Just returned He drew a COM
parison between Huntington and John
son: that they had both commenced in
the humble walks OF life: that they had
both worked out their destiny. That
while the one was well known to the
the other was not 50 we'll known;
yet there was no man who had by his
and his pen yielded more infu
ence over the politics OF the State than
+. e. bennington. He referred to the
time that he and Mr.. Huntington We're
both candidates for the Legislature, and
at the same time Andrew johnson was
the standard bearer of the Democratic
party, and that they, with Wright, At
kins, Quarles, Bate, Howard, and the
young Democracy OF Tennessee rallied
around him as their standard bearer:
and that he led them to victory. In last
terms he paid high tribute to Andrew
} Johnson: that he was a man OF great
ability and great moral courage. as was
eVinced 10y his veto of the civil rights
bill, and great many other measures
brought forward by a Radical Congress:
ttat Mr.. Johnson was not d man con-
IrolIed by party and party lines: that he
always marked out his own political
course. That his great reliance was al
ways upon the people; that to them he
had appealed for an endorsement, and
that he had received il in his election to
the United States Senate. That while I
he was not his individual choice, yet I
the people OF Tennessee, through their
Legislature, had made him theirs. He
had said TO President Johnson in person
hat the events OF the civil war bad divi-
ded them, and that he was tied to the
friends made in that terrible struggle,
NC. Accepting the verdict of the peo-
pie, it was due to frankness to say that
The election of Mr.. Johnson was we'll re-
cei red by the Northern Democrats, and
the good it had done to the party, he did
rot know but what it was for the best.
That johnson was better posted about
he affairs of the Government than any
,ther man, and had the honesty and pO
SitiOn to be of great service to the nation
md tho Democratic party, but wise
Providence had seen proper to remove
MIN from our midst; and it was but just
% pay fitting tribute to his memory.
That Johnson was Il true friend, and.
when he put his hand Oh the back of a
friend, he never took it Off. His own
personal relations with Mr.. johnson
rad continued pleasant and unbro-
ken. Recognizing him as one Of Ten
nessee's most prominent citizens, hor
ex President, her Senator, ne deemed
L i.