Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1875-08-08


Z say, do not leave this presence to.nig
. without the thought that in paying tri
! ute 10 the memory Of Andrew Johns
| you do homage at the shrine OF the pc
> pie; for he was not only the friend al
! champion of the people, but his life al
career furnish an evidence-and perhsl
: this is the plainest and most fOrcible
all the lessons which that life and care
, do teach-that fsir result of our inst
tutions is to develop from one Of the l0v
lest of the people an honest and inco
ruptible President. The people are,
this land, the source OF all political pow
eT; they are they who have made oI
constitutions, Federal aud State; the
are the sovereigns; and yet these a.
IONS give US only the abstract trutl
II we wish the concrete idea, we haV
only TO look at our Andrew Johnsonf
Not that every man may be an Andre
Johnson-this is, Of course, impossible
but every American, around whateve
circle he may swing, can still b
a man OF the people, can Fti
acknowledge with sincerity the suprem
acy and government OF the people, C y
still love to subserve the interests and il
| public places do the will Of the people
! This is lesson we may not to-nigh
overlook, whatever our past relation
may have been to the last of oa- eX
Pre- sidents. Like the mill-bOy OF tn
Slashes, the rail-splitter of the SaDga
men, the tanner-boy of Waxhaw, ant
the wool-dresser of Csyuga, the tailor o
Greenevilie came from the lOwlies
clssses-frOm among those sometimes
contemptuously called the mudsills O
our political and social fabric. But
envy neither the head nor the heart o.
him who feels such contempt for the
lOwly OF the people. On such an Occa.
sion as this be may hide his head and
steal away, for We are met in honor Of
the genius of the people, that can RAISE
the lowly-born to lofty hight, where
the poor tailor may set an example OF
honesty and independence in the dis
charge Of duty that nation now clam
Ors for the cultured to initiate. Are we
told that the honesty and integrity were
in the man in spite Of the office and the
position, in spite OF his origin, and in
spite of all unfavorable circumstances ?
Are we told that it was easy for him to
remain incorruptible because that was
his nature? and that he only ap-
laws the same simple and direct honesty
with which he formerly made coat?
Aye! that is what we commend! that
is what we wish to see repeated. And
if the people have furnished US this
example of an incOrruptible official, to
the people be the honor! in the genius
of the people let our trust remain! and
to the people let us turn for another An
drew Johnson! 1 know not by what
term to characterize the devotion of this
man to the people and their interests,
better than by the term f!i0L. Sprung
from the bosom Of the people, and en-
dOWed with less than the average ad-
vRntages, common to all the children Of
the people, he seems to have labOred to
return into the bosom of that political
mother all the blessings which his posi-
ton and abilities could produce, that
the people might bestOw upon the next
Andrew Johnson more and
greater advantages, and that another
instance of honest integrity in office
might meet with greater success and
greater rewards, commensurate with
greater culture. Thus, he who scarcely
knew what home was in his childhood
lays, used the high station of governor
IN recommending, and the high station
If senator in advocating and estab-
fishing a homestead law, that the
lumblest family might have part
IF the peoples land for home
He who never knew by experience Whist
school was, threw his powerful will
nto the scale in favor of free schools;
helped to foster and sustain them, and
Urged his fellOw-citizens Il quote from
me Of his messsges) to so carry out the
Iystem as to "cause our State ultimately
% take position upon this subject not
Inferior to that of any State in the
Jnion"-the foundation principle being
hat it is the peoples interest, as a rule
If the highest political economy, and
econd to no other, to educate all the
children in the State at the public ex-
,ense. He whom the accidents of his
ory had invested with the power of a
lis native land; while he with one hand
lpbeid the constitution Of his country,
md pointed to the clause that it was the
york of the people and not of the States
IS its central truth, with the other hand
aid down the imperial power, and re-
nitted to the people of the conquered
states the duty and the privilege OF
their own rulers. Going even
o Quixotic extent, he, who had been
lected senator by the legislature, for
,ver after advocated the election of sen.
tors by the people, in the face Of the
of the legislature to which
le had owed his election, even as he had
dvocated it previously in communi-
alton to former legislature which, in re-
Dly, condemned his scheme by resolution.
70 those who decry him as ambitious,
We may well reply that his ambition had
he lofty aim OF the peoples interest and
enefit. De Tocqueville, among his crit
cisms on America, told US that we have
lot too much ambition, but too many
Ow ambitions and too few that are lofty |
q their aims and objects. Let those who |
annot forgive Andrew Johnson's ambi- |
ion look at him with De TocqueYille's |
yes, and they may see that his ambi-
ion had no selfish standard, sought no |
city results, but in the instances | have |
eferred to, as in all others, seemed in
pired by the cardinal truth OF our po-
tica1 economy, "the greatest !
Ood to the greatest number"
ime will not permit detailed state
lent OF the measures he advocated.
'ew governors have been more assidu-
US than ne i'll pressing upon the legisla-
ire the adoption Of particular measures;
nd the young and rising politicians Of
)-day, as well as those of maturer
ears, may find in his messages food for
lOught and study. Many will doubt,
3 do, the wisdom OF some Of his pecu-
ar views. But l cannot refrain from
certain reforms that he ad-
ocsted, believing they would benefit
le peOple-refOrms whose initiation
lany OF US to-day wait and hope for.
hus he repeatedly urged upon the leg
latuIe the removal OF the OnOrous and
descriptive taxes upon mercantile en-
,rprise, which are still an incubus upon
le prosperity Of the State. Drawing
pom his own experience for his philosO-
by, he said TO his fellOw-citizens, in
Ords that should even now burn into
leir hearts, that "the necessity for la
Or is a blessing rather than q curse;n
lat "he who causes two blades Of grass
grow where but one grew before is a
eater public benefactOr than he who
,nquers armies;" that "honor, fame
I'd fortune may be as certainly earned
the workshop of the artisan as in the
ices Of the learned professions" and
at when these principles are fully
allied by the public sense, "then
g shall have lived down an
jstscie in the way of State
ogress as absurd as it is Injurious
g recommended, in behalf of poor and
lmble litigants, that the law and the
lancery practice should be blended in ,
le system Of courts, that they might ,
ore speedily reach that end of litiga- ,
)u which it is the interest Of the repub- ,
to secure. He advocated an amend ,
ent to the State constitution, which :
e experience OF late years has brought :
ominently into mems minds, as a :
cans of aid and defense against indebt- :
ness verging on ruin, that the amount !
I'd extent of the public debt that may )
created be limited by the organic law.
nd the essence of all his recommenda- =
l. - 4 n. ii Il