The Van Buren press., 1875-08-10

by successive elections. he served nnt
1853. During this period of service b
was conspicuous and active in advoca
ing. respectively. the bill for refundin
the fine imposed upon General Jackso
at New Orleans in 1915. the annexa,io
of Texas, the tariff Of 1916, the war meas
ures of Mr. Folks administration, and
homestead bill. In 1853 he was elccte
governor of Tennessee, after an cxcilln
canvass, in which he was opposed b
Gustavus A. Henry He was re-electe
in 1855, after another active contest, hi
competitor being Meredith p. Gentry
At the expiration Of his secsnd period
governor, in 1857, he WAS elected Unit
States senator for n full term, endln!
March 2, 1862. In the exciting Pres'
Dental election Of 1860 he was elected
am eeetor from the State at.large on tn
Breckenridge ticket, and canvassed th'
State, making some Of the most tellInt
speeches of his life For this reason =
was supposed, and expected, he wou'e
90 with the south in the secession OF I'll,
States from the Union; but he electeo
otherwise, and became in the senate o'
the most determined, unhinchinS ana uh-
compromising defenders OF the uh'oh,
He served out his term in the senate, ana
| Immediately thereafter was appolhtea
military governor Of Tennessee, IN wh'ch
position he reorganizcd the State gov
ernment, acting for that purpose win all
the dscordant elements then composing
tho Uniol party He was subsequently
nominated by the Republican party, ana
ON the re election Of Mr. Lincoln rs Pres
ijent. in the autumn of 1864, was elected
Vice President. and after the assassina
ton OF Mr. Lincoln, April l4tll, was
sworn in as President April 10, 1860. oh
his accession to the Presidency Mr
johnson at first manifested great severity
against the Confederate leaders; refusing
to listen to any pleas for the commuta-
tion of the sentence of death passed on
Mrs Surratt, and declaring that "rebels,
even if repentant, must take the pack
seats :" but very soon he changed his
policy entirely aud proclaimed successive
amnesties for those who had been lead
ers in the war. But congress objected,
and the fourteenth and fifteenth amend
ments to the constitution were passed
and ratified by the requisite majority of
.wo thirds of the States Measures Of
reconstruction, having for their object
he protection of the freedmen, and the
granting of suffrage to them, were passed
" congress, and, though vetoed by Mr.
Johnson, were passed over his vetoes.
From the summer of 1866 the hostility
between Mr. johnson and the party
which had elected him and its representa-
ives in congress, grew daily more bitter.
n q tour made through the northern
States in the autumn of 1866, this bitter
less was intensified by Mr.. Johnson S
lenuncaton of congress, and of some
# the senator's by name. His subsequent
measures, such as opposing impartial
recommending greenback cur
ency, and his open and bold opposition
o officers of the government, especial,
o Secretary Stanton and General Grant
still further widened the breach An at
empted coup d'stot to galn possession o
he war Office, led to his impeachment IL
February, 1868, but he was triumphant,
In his foreign policy. ant
during his administration the Atlanti
cable was successfully laid, aud telegraph
ic messages exchanged between him an'
Queen Victoria. On March 4, 1869, hi
term OF Office expired. On his return t.
the State he was everywhere receive
with aHcctionate regard by the people
whose faithful champion he had bee
through long life, and was soon aftc
announced rs a candidate for governo
before the Democratic convention. Bl
he was defeated. He was also defeate
for the United States senate by Coopc
He subsequently ran as an independer
candidate Tor congress from the State :
large against Maynard, Republican, an
Chcatham, Democrat, but was again d,
feated, Maynard being elected. Thes
successive defeats only had the effect
harden him ia his determination. an
early last fall he announced himself cal
didate for the United States senate, an
was, after an unprecedented contss
elected by mere majority. AT an extr;
ordinary session OF the senate he We
sworn in, availing himself of a debate o
a resolution TO indorse Grants admin,
tration to vindicate his own adninstr;
ton, and denounce Grant and CO adjutol
for what the whole country now acknow
edge them to be. lie warned the peopl
to beware OF Grant, and so closed C;
reer that is a rich legacy to Tennessee
and the republic he had served with a dt
votion and singlcncss of purpose th,
must rank him among the purest patriot
our country has ever known.