The herald and mail. [volume] (Columbia, Tenn.) 1873-188?, 1875-08-06


work as a jOurneyman tailor. In
May, 1926, he returned to Raleigh.
Mr. Selby had removed into the
country, and Johnson walked
twenty miles to see him, apOlOgized
for his misdemeanOr, and promised
to pay for the unfulfilled portion of
his apprenticeship. Selby required
security, which Johnson could not
furnish, and in September he came to
Tennessee bringing with him his
mother who was dependent upon
him for support. He worked for
a year at Greeneville, during which
time he married, and after vain
search for more desirable home furth-
er West, finallyssettled there. Thus far,
his education had beenllimited to read
ing but now, under his w1fe's lnstruc-
ton, he learned to write and cipher.
Taking an interest in local politics, he
organized in 1928 a wOrkingnen'
party, to oppose the so-called aristO-
cratic element which had always rul-
ed the town. Considerable excite
ment ensued, and Johnson was elect
ed alderman by large majority.
He was reelected in each of the two
following years, and in 1880 was chO-
sen mayor, which office he held three
years. In 1884 the County Court elect
ed him a trustee of Rhea Academy,
and in that year he was also active in
securing the adoption of the new con-
stitutiOn of the State. In the sum,
mer of 1885 he offered himself as
candidate for seat in the lower house
of the Legislature, and announced that
he was Democrat. Meeting with
cool reception from the leaders of the
party, he entered the canvass person
ally, and in his first speech made such
vigorous and well-sustained attack
on the political career of his Wing OPP
ponent, that their opposition soon
ceased, and he was elected. The most
important measure brought before
that Legislature was'a bill which invol
we'd the State in debt of S4 900 900,
for a vast scheme of internal improve
ments, consisting chiefly of macada-
mixed and turnpike roads. Johnson
strenuOusly opposed it, on the ground
that no such debt should be incurred
until the question had been submit
ted to the people, and predicted that
the scheme would only result in the
| squandering of the money, without
securing the benefits it promised. The
bill became law, and was so pOpu-
lar that in the election of 1887, Mr..
| Johnson failld to be returned to his
seat; but before the expiration of the
next two years the evils be predicted
had developed themselves; many of
the works were abandoned, and
some of the companies had defrauded
the State. In 1889 he was again cleo
ted. In the presidential contest of
1910 he convassed East Tennessee
for Mr.. Van Buren,, and was a candi-
date ON the Democratic ticket for
electOr at large. In ISL he was cleo
ed to the State Senate; into which he
introduced judiciOus measure for in
ternal improvements in the eastern
part of the State. He was elected to
Congress from the first district In
1S43, took his seat in December of
that year, and held it by successive
reflections for ten years. During this |
time he advocated the bill refunding |
the tax imposed on Gen. jackson at |
New Orleans, the annexation of Tex |
as, the war with Mexico, the tariff of |
1916, and general Tetrenchment in the |
expenses of the government. He sus-
tanned President Polk in his accep- |
lance of the parallel of 40 degrees as
n settlement oft Oregon boundary |
question, and was conspicuous in ur-
ging the passage of homestead law
On Aug. ,, 1913, he delivered an ella
bOrate speech in favor of the veto pow
er. In 1858 he was elected Governor
of Tennessee over Gustavus A. Hen
ry, the Wing candidate, and in 1855
he was reelected, over Meredith p.
Gentry, candidate of the Wings and
Know-Nothings. On December, Z,
1857, Mr.. Johnson took his seat in the
United States Senate, to which he
had been elected for full term. Here,
as in the lower house, he persistent
ly urged the passage of a bill giving
100 acres of the public land to any cit
izen who would settle upon it and Gull
tivate it a certain number of years;
and he was soon recognized as the |
lea ding advocate of that measure. |
The bill was finally passed by more |
than twO-thirdS vote in each house; |
but President Buchanan vetoed it. |
and the veto was sustained. In 1858 |
Mr.. Johnson was one of the foremost |
opponents of the bill introduced by |
Jefferson Davis to increase the stand |
ing army because of the troubles in |
Utah, and offered a substitute which |
authorized the raising of four thOus- |
and volunteers, to be dismissed when
the trouble was over, which was mod
flied so as to authorize two regiments
of eighteen months men, and passed.
In 1859 he was conspicuous In his ct
forts to secure a passage or a bill to
Tetrench the government expenses,
and in his opposition 10 the Pacific
railroad. On the question of slavery,
Mr.. Johnson, as a Southern man and
Democrat, generally went with his
party. He accepted slavery as an ex-
isting institution, protected by the
constitution, but believed it would
some day come to and end, and held
that 1t must be kept subordinate to
the Union at every hazard. He OPP
posed the compromise measures of
1850, but finally voted for them. In
the Charleston Baltimore Democratic
Convention he was the Presidential
candidate of the Tennessee delegation. |
In the canvass which followed he
supported Breckenridge and Lane, |
the candidates of the Southern W ing |
of his party, but when the secessi on |
movements began to be developed, |
he took ground against them, and in |
a speech delivered in the Senate De |
cember Is and 10 of that year placed |
himself unreservedly on the side of |
the government.
He was appointed Military Govern
or of Tennessee in 1862 by Presi lent
Lincoln. In November, 1864, he was
elected Vice President of the United
States by the Republicans, and be-
came President after the assassination
of Mr.. Lincoln, in April of the fol,
lowing year. His favorable policy
towards the South involved him in
bitter quarrel which lasted until the
expiration of his term. In 1870 he
was defeated for the United States
Senate by Henry Cooper. Two years
later he was an independent candi-
date for Congress from the State at
large, and divided the. Democratic
vote with Gen. B. f. Cheatham, re-
sulting in the election of Horace
Maynard, the Republican candidate.
The present Legislature elected him
in January last to the United States
Senate as the successor of w. G.
Brownlow. He took his seat on the
4th of March and participated in the
deliberations of the special session,
l. 81 Il a, ID