The Dallas weekly herald. [volume] (Dallas, Tex.) 1873-1885, 1875-08-07
THE DEATH oFANDREw JOuNsoN

20 - -
. THE DEATH OFANDREw JOHNsO,
b Our yesterdays afternoon dis
, patches brought the sad news of til,
, death of Andrew johnson, whicl
: ooll place yesterday Mt the house o
his daughter, Mrs. Patterson, il
Carter County, Tennessee.
There has lived no man in this
country, whose life illustrated the
genius of tho American institutions
better than Andrew Johnson. Born
of humble parentage, without edu
cation or social advantage, yet by
the force of his great natural gifts
he rose to be the Executive head OF
the nation. 1t would be II mistake
to speak of the career Of this re.
'nartable man, and its elimination
in the Presidency, rs IL series Of nc.
cidents. Johnson's success rs Il po-
litician resulted Iegitimately from
his superiority to his constituents in
the scope of his intellect and the
breadth of his craftsmanship. They
recognized him as their superior.
Primarily, no doubt, his sue
cess amongst the rude noun.
tuincers of East Tennessee, result.
ed more from their deficiencies
in education and intelligence
than in Johnson's merits :,
just AS in the country of the blind,
the one.ey cd are said to be kings.
But johnson 3 real merits later in
his career, afforded Il better reason
for their preference.
He was IN earnest man and had
strong convictions, and sufficient
moral courage to act upon them
under all circumstances. This fact
was shown in his adhering to the
Federal Government when his State,
By an overwhelming vote, declared
itself out of the Union; and again
when he parted with the Radicals;
rather than consent to the palpablc
violations of the Constitution con-
Lained in their infamous plan of
reconstruction. Johnson's adher.
ance to his oath to support the Con-
sTIrUTIoN, in prcterenbc TO being
President for the second time, us he
could easily have been, must al
ways stand to his credit, with every
lover Of truth and conscienciousness.
His failings were those ola par
Uenu, and ii il not likely that to his
day he ever quite forgave the man
who occupied in his youth, and
early manhood, higher social
plane than that on which he moved.
1t used to be said OF him, to illus
lrate this, that he was the enemy of
every man with cean shirt. This
enmity to what he considered the
aristoracy, cropped out,
in all its bitterness, in what he call
ed his amnesty proclamation, which
was moro properly u proclamation
of prescription, issued soon after,
bis accession to the presidency.
Every man, by this malignant de-
cree, who was possessed Ol property
to the value of 100000, was requir-
cd to sue ut his footstool for pardon.
This was balm TO his old wounds
How delicious the revenge, to have
these hauglty aristocrats before him
on their bended knees, suein 4 for
pardon.
To do him justice, his better ma
turc soon triumphed over this igno.
BILE feeling, and, during the last two
years of his tenure of Office, he did
all in his po wer TO check the rapaci-
~ and oppression of the Federal
in the South, OF whom
and Veres were tho type
and prototype. For this his memo
ry should be held in grateful recol-
lection.
His return, last March, to be a
member of that body which, seven
years before, had failed by two votes
only to impeach him for "high
crimes and misdemeanors," was a
triumph which it would have been
pardonable to have made his enc.
mics feel to the utmost. The writ
er was in the Senate Chamber last
March when Andrew johnson enter
ed and took the oath of Office as SEN
ltor from Tennessee. There was
not the least lnge of bravado or ex.
ultation in his manner. On the
while surrounded by
swarm of congratulating friends,
and amid the heaps of choice flow
ers, with which his lady friends had
decorated his desk, there was an
of sadness which
sver and anon returned when he
was not engaged in conversation.
A few days later We heard the
nst speech he ever made in the
5enats, and perhaps his greatess