Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1875-08-03


tions. In this he was so sohdly II
earnest, that as member Of the Legis'
lature, member of Congress, Governor
Senator or President, he could neither
be swerved by personal appeals OF
claims, or what is sometimes more
n potent than either-party necessity.
OF course he made enemies-enemies,
too. In the ranks of his own political
party, who were bitter and resentful in
proportion as he pugnaciously pressed
his views, and all who knew him, or
! ever encountered him in that mood,
Will credit him with a courage and te-
nacity rarely equaled, and seldom by
public men. Indeed, we cannot now
recall public leader who had less pol
| icy. He sometimes, for the want of it,
was regarded by even his best and most
devoted friends as rushing blindly on
fate, and seemed as busy IN building
obstacles to his progress as other men
were In pulling down those they en-
countered as hindrances to their gains
of fame or fortune. His career as
! President affords the best illustration
/ Of this quality, which, had he been ed
ucated and trained in early life for the
vocation he, Notwithstanding, shed so
much lustre upon, might have been
smoothed out into frmness, and, while
losing much Of Its objectionably ag-
| gressiye features, afen increased in
power. There was aCme In 1866 when
he might have dictated terms to the
party that had elected him but
he never had any sympathy
with the leaders of it. He
was Democrat. He could
not be anything else. He was Graded
IN the party, his successive ambitions
had been satisfied in it and by it, and
he had no stomach for the men he had
fought as Know-Nothings or as Wings,
many Of whom he regarded with an
aversion, the result Of a fixed convic-
ton that they were the enemies of the
people upon whose shoulders they were
borne into place and gifted with power.
The very sight of such a man as Thad.
Stevens was sufficient to arouse the
lion In him and call out all his COM
bative forces. He did not succeed as
he desired, but he did not fail alto
gether. Through his vetoes he fixed
the public attention upon the cOnspira-
tors and made their schemes so con-
spicuous az to deter them from the con-
summation of their fuller purpose. !
Thus thwarted by him they sought to !
destroy him. But they failed.
As he used to say privately and pub |
hcjy, he chad faith IN the people, and |
that time with them would set all |
- -
was placed, how thoroughly that conf |
dence was reGprocated, and how fully /
time indicated him with the people of |
Tennessee, his election to the Senate /
early this year sufficiently attests.
Here was vindicatiOn most complete. |
As with the people of his own State,
now that he has been removed from /
the stage where he played so noble a
part, so it will be with the people of
all the States. They viii yet vindi-
cate him, and time, as it mellOws the
asperities of the days in which he
lived, viii make it plain that the pol
icy of President Andrew johnson
was wiser and juster, as it was purtr
and better, than that which held back
the South for ten years and cost her
already burdened people three hundred
millions of dollars. That he had per-
sonal ambitions We admit, but they
were the honorable ambitions Of which
any man might be proud, the satisfac-
ton Of which never cost the people
either IN money or possessions. He
had bis friends, toO-trOOps Of them
and he loved, as occasion offered, to
serve them; but no one Of them ever
gained anything at the expense Of the
general welfare. Great as a statesman,
he was greater as a popular leader, but
still greater In his devotion to his wife
and to his children, and to the true
and tried friends upon whom he knew
he could rely.
Let US remember what he did to
leave the world better than he found
it, and pay fullest tribute to our fell
low-citizen, the first In the State by
official station, by attainments and by
the consent Of the people. Let US lay
him to rest among the everlasting
hills, IN the valley where he achieved
his first triun ph and whence he essay
ed 20 become a leader of men.
Here Turks no treason, here no envy sweus;
Here grow 10 damned grudges; here are no
storms,
No noise, but silence and eternal sleep.
Comments of the Northern Press.
Louisville Ledger.
The United States has produced no
other man who, with SO small oppOrtu-
mites, accomplished 50 much. He was
a politician; possessing
power over the people, of
whose cause be proclaimed himself the
special champion during his whole
career. This led to charges of agrarian-
ism, and very bitter hostility to him
upon the part Of those who opposed
him in politics. That he resorted, and
most successfully, to the arts of the
demagogue is probably true; but that
he ever sought TO Level down, to reduce
the wen-to-do to the plane of the poor,
is not true.
All now look with the eye Of parti-
zans. Impartial history only can do
justice to the lives Of the prominent
actors In our war period. That Mr..
johnson made some grave mistakes Is
unquesti0nable. A broad Christian
charity would attribute these to errors
of Judgment and not wrong intentions.
Who that has held positions Of a sim
liar delicacy and responsibility has not
made mistakes? But we cannot en-
large.
Cincinnati Commercial.
The verdict Of history Will be-cer-
tainly must be if 1t embodies the truth
that the attempt to impeach him was
upon frivolous grounds, and was a
dangerous mistake. 1t may not be
unfortunate that impeachment was
attempted, but that its failure was a
great good fortune to the country there
can be no doubt.
Andrew johnson was a patriot. He
honestly and faithfully loved his coun-
try, and his faith was proven IN fiery
tr.als-trials the severity Of which null
titudes who ha7efippantly accused and
bitterly abused him, because he was not
restrained within the lines drawn by
Republican caucus managers, had no
experience or understanding. There
will be a smile over the anxiety of
johnson that the, American flag should
be his shroud, but it is true that he
loved that flag; and his devotion to 1t
IN his last hour, and his sOhcitude that
Il