The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1875-02-09
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JOHNSON,S VICTORY

JOHNSON'S VICTORY.
THE POLITICAL RECORD OF ANDY-roRTY
FIVE YEARS IN PUBLIC LIFE-No MONEY
USED IN HIS ELECTIoN-THE ACCIDENT nv
WHICH BE WAS ELECTED.
The correspondent of the Cincinnati Conn
mercial, DR.. Red6eid, writing from Nash
vile, gives some interesting political history
and gossip connected with the recent cleo
ton of Andrew johnson to the United States
Senate: Mr.. johnson has now been in pub
lie life nearly forty-five years, with hardly
an intermission, except the time follow
ing his retirement from the pres
idency. Just forty years ago this win
ter he crossed the Cumberland
Mountains and appeared in Nashville as
member of the Tennessee legislature. Pre-
vious to that be had been Alderman OF his
native town" for some years and MAYOR two
years. From the lower branch OF the legis-
lature he was promoted to the Senate,
thence to Congress, then made governor
then Senator. then military governor. than
vice-president, then president, and now we
hnd him In his siXty-sixth year elected to
the Senate of the United States again. What
a career, what record, what a man! He
never attended school g month in his life.
and learned 10 read by his own efforts and
the teachings of bis wife. 1t is not strictly
true that he could not read hen he was
married. but it is partially true. He could
read, but indifferently. In this long public
life, holding almost every elective office
known TO the laws, he has
never been charged with touch
ing a cent of public money to con-
vert it to his own use, nor of going
into any sort Of ring arrangement to make |
money. With all chances to become |
wealthy he is to-day comparatively a poor
man. He would never, while in Office, even |
accept present. While he was president
this popularity of his character was brought
to the attention of the country several times |
Had he been elected to the Senate four years
ago. he would have saved the taxpayers of
the United States the
TWO AND HALF MILLION DOLLARS
stolen from them by the back pay grab.
To their everlasting disgrace, be 1t said, the
two Tenn essee senators voted for the steal
and pocketed the proceeds. Et2he measure
carried by such narrow vote that a fear
less, outspoken, honest man like Andrew |
Johnson could have defeated it. |
and would have done SO. He |
says he hopes to live to see the day /
when every man, democrat and republican, |
who aided in the infsmy, will be consigned |
to private lie 40 rever. Already over one /
hundred out of q hundred and forty have
been retired by an indignant people, and
the rest will follow in good time. OF the
two Tennessee Senators, Brownlow will go
out next March, and stay out, and Cooper
will go out two years hence and stay out
also. The senatorial election just over was i
free from the stain Of corruption u = the
testimony OF all that not cent of money
was used to influence the legislature, d.
rectly or indirectly, by Johnson's friends
or his enemies. There is not even q gus
picion that there was. Ths stories that 4.
Us enemies at Washington had sent money
here to accomplish his defeat were all
bosb, gotten up by street busy-bodies to
improve his chances. The point was to i'm
press the legislature with the idea that
Grant and the radicals" wouldn't have
him come back for anything, and thus spur
them into sending him. In Mr.. Jobnson's
long public career he has never used money |
TO unfairly influence elections. Nor has he
allowed his friends to do it. In this matter
he is above suspicion. He has as many /
probably, as any man living, and
they are as bitter, but they have never ac-
cused him of being dishonest man, or of
using his various public positions to enrich |
himself. His most bitter enemies, in sum-
ming up his alleged crimes and shortcom-
ings, wind up with
"BUT ANDY Is HONEST"
Yes, ne is honest, and that should count for |
something. To be able to say of a public
man nowadays that he never stole anything, |
is to say a good deal In financial matters /
Andrew Johnson is as honest as the lste /
Charles Sumner. II both houses of con-
gress were composed of such men, do you /
suppose any sort of measure could be
bought through with money, or that there
would be any back-pay jobs? Imagine a |
lobbyist going to the late Charles Sumner or |
to Andrew Johnson with PROPOSE
ton to buy their votes. True, IL is,
that Everything hangs on hair"
Andrew johnson owes his election to the |
Senate to the most trifiing circumstances. A
majority of the number OF legislators voting |
elecssshe Senator. On the fourty-fourth ball |
lot Gen. Bate, one OF Mr.. Johnson's formid- |
able opponents, received forty-eight votes. |
At that time all other candidates but Mr..
Bate, in hopes that he might succeed in |
defeating Mr.. Johnson. at one mo-
ment he was actually elected. but was
cut out of it in this wise: Mr.. Gibson, re- |
publican, did not vote when his name was |
called. The clerk called again, but he an
swered not; he did not wish TO vote. There
were four members absent, and Mr.. Gibson |
not voting. made but fOrty-eight necessary |
TO elect. He kept tally sheet before him, |
and, after the roll was finished and he saw |
that Bate had received forty-eight votes, q
majority OF one, he
JUMPED TO HIS FRET
aud mad the clerk record him rs having
voted for johnson before the vote was an
nounced This made the number Of votes |
g. and consequently Bate lacked one of sn
election. Had Gibson not had tally sheet |
before him, aud been paying close attention !
or had he made slip OF the pencil in keep
ing his tally, or had he chosen not to have
had his vote recorded at the last minute. J