Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1875-08-01
HIS PUBLIC CAREER,

HIS PUBLIC CAREER,
Andrew johnson, the seventeenth Presi-
dent of the United States, was born in
Raleigh, n. c., December %, 1SOS. His
father, Jacob johnson, who died in- 1912,
was city constable, sexton and porter of
the State Bank. Extreme poverty pre-
vented Andrew from receiving any school
ling, and at the age often he was appren-
ticed to Mr.. Selby, a tailor. A gentleman
was in the habit of visiting the shop and
reading to the wOrkmen, generally from
the "American Speaker" and Andrew be
came interested, especially in the extracts
ssfrom the speeches of Pitt and Fox. he
determined to learn to read, and hayingl
7done this he devoted his leisure time TO
the perusal of such books as he could OBJ
tain. In the summer of 1924, a few
months before his apprenticeship ex-
pired, he got into trouble by
Throwing stones at an old woman's house,
and ran away to avoid the consequences.
He went to Laurens Courthouse, S. c.,
s aud obtained work as journeyman tailor.
lin May, 1926, he returned to Raleigh. Nh,
sSelby had removed into the country, audi
4Johnson had walked twenty miles to seeI
him, apologized for his misdemeanor, and
promised to pay him for the unfulflled
portion Of his apprenticeship. Selby re-
quired security, which johnson could mott
furnish, and in Sep. ember he came to
Tennessee bringing with him his mother
who was dependent upon him for support.
He worked for a year at GreeneviIle, dur
ling which time he married, and, after al
7vain search for a more desirable home fur
sther West, finally settled there. Thus far, ]
This education had been limited
to reading; but now, under his
wife's instruction, he learned to write and
cipher. Taking an interest in local poll!
3Jics, he organized in 1928 a working mems
party, to oppose the so-called aristOCraticI
5element which bad always ruled the town.
considerable excitement ensUed, and John
son was elected alderman by a large major
ity. He was reelected in each Of the two,
following years, and in 1880 was choseni
mayor, which Office be held three years. Inl
s lisa the County Court elected him a trustee.
< of Rhea Academy, and in that year he was
.alsO active in securing the adoption Of thei
new constitution of the State. In the sum
Inner Of 1885 be offered himself as a Candi-
sdate for a seat in the lower house of thes
Legislature, and announced that he was a
ADemOcrat. Meeting with a cool
) Exception from the leaders Of thet
paTty, be entered the canvass personally,
7and in his first speech made such a vigOT-
sOuS and Well-sUstained attack on the pOlit-s
ical career Of his Wing opponent, that their
7oppOsitien soon ceased, and he was elected.
ssThe most important measure brought before
4that Legislature was bill which involved
ssthe State in a debt Of 100000, for a vast
sscheme of internal Improvements, consist
ding chiefly of macadamized and turnpike
ssroads. johnson strenuOusly opposed it, on
1.-THE ground that no such debt should be )
sincurred until the question had been sub
omitted to the people, and predicted that the 5
SsScheme would only result in the squandeT-
3ing Of the money, without securing the ben
= efits it promised. The bill became a law,
5and was so popular that in the election of !
z1S3T, Mr.. johnson failed to be returned TO
Ibis seat; but before the expiration Of thek
1next two years the evils he predicted had E
4develOped themselves many of the works
4were abandoned, and some of the cOmpa-
lines had defrauded the state. In 1889 he's
5was again elected. In the presidential
zicOntest of 1910 be canvassed East Tennes-s
s7see in favor of Mr.. Van Buren,, and was
"a candidate on the Democratic ticket for
.}elector at large. In 1S41 he was elected to-
8 he State Senate, into which he introduced
Sd iudicioUs measure for internal imprOye-s
9ments in the eastern part Of the State. He
twas elected to Congress from the first dis
9trict in 1913, took his seat in December of
slthat year, and held it by successive re-
l3elections for ten years. During this time
HE advocated the bill refundiEg the tax i'm
.tpOSed on Gen. Jackson at New Orleans,
sithe annexation Of Texas, the war withE
q Mexico, he tariff Of 1916, and general re-
fstrenchment in the expenses Of the govern
3ment. He sustained J ident Polk in his :
acceptance of the parallel of 40 degrees ssf
"a settlement. of the Oregon boundary :
9questiOn, and was conspicuous in urging (
54the passage of a homestead law. On
ssAug. 2, 1S4S, he delivered an
elaborate speech in favor Of The veto pow
Ger. In 1858 he was elected Governors
s{of Tennessee over Gustavus A. Henry, thes
Ewing candidate, and in 1855 he was re- 3
.2elected, over Merideth P. Gentry, candi- E
5date of the Wings and Know S
sNothings. On December Z, 1857, Mr.
JohnsOn took his seat in the United States (
SSenate, to which he had been elected for az
i5tsfull term. Here, as in the lower house, hef
5peTsistently ged the passage Of q billE
2giviDg $50 acres Of the public land TO anye
1citizen who would settle upon it and cul-F
..fstivate it certain number of yeaTs; andy
Che was soon recognized as the leading ADJ
.svOcate of that measure. The bill was
--tfnally passed by more than a tWO-thirdsE
7fvOte in each house; but President Buchan-s
Gan vetoed it, and the veto was sustained. :
Gin 1858 Mr.. johnson was one of the fore
SmOst opponents Of the bill introduced by ]
3 Jefferson Davis to increase the standings
4 army because Of the troubles in Utah, andE
sOfiered a substitute which authorized thee
raising of four thousand volunteers, to beE
dismissed when the trouble was over, Whichf
&Was modified 50 as to authorize two regi-E
4ments of eighteen mOnth's,men, and passed. 2
Gin 1850 he was conspicuous in his efforts I.
stO secure the passage of bill TO retrenchE
sthe government expenses, and in his Op-s
SpOsitiOn to the Pacific railroad. OnF
s9the question of slavery, Mr.. JOhnson,E
sas a Southern man and a Democrat, gener &
laily went with his party. He acceptedS'
Aslavery as an existing institution, prOteCtedE
sby the constitution, but believed it wOuldf
zssOme day come to an end, and held that it &
simust be KEEP, subordinate to the Union att
sseveTy hazard. He opposed the compromise
5imeasures e 1850, but finally vote fors
Hthem. IN he Charleston Baltimore DemO-k
3cratic c, mention be was the presidential
.3candidaie Of the Tennessee delegation. Ind
ssthe canvass which followed be supported
ttBreckinridge and Lane, the candidates of
sithe Southern wing of his party, but when :
tithe secession movement began TO be devel-s
.oped, be took ground against them, and in E
Ia speech delivered in the Senate December
si1S and 10 of that year placed himself unress
tservedly on the side of the government.
Il He was appointed Military Governor of
siTennessee in 1862 by President Lincoln. ?
Gin November, 1864, he was elected NiceH
siPresident of the United States by the Re-
spublicans, and became President after thet
assassination Of Mr.. Lincoln, in April of
=sthe following year. His favorable policy
stoward the South involved him in bitter
3quarrel which lasted until the expiration
s5of his term. In 1870 he was defeated Tor S
s3the United States Senate 0y Henry Cooper.
1.-TWO years later he was an independently
candidate for Congress from the State at &
Z pa ge, and divided the Democratic votes
elWitl Gen. B. F. Chpatham resulting IN