New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1875-04-12
A POLITICAL FEUD.

IEIS IN HIS SPEECH ON THE LOUiSlANA QUfS
uoN-IAwIEss sEDrr1ous AND REVOLUTIONARY
CONDUCT OF Mr.. JOHNSON DURING HIS PREsI-
DENTAL TERM-THE PRESIDENT HIMSELF THE
CATIILNE OF THE TENNESSEE coNsPIRACY-A
sHAHEsPEAREIAN CHALLENGE
70 the Editer OF TAe Trtbumt.
SIR: l desire through your widely circulated
journal to review that portion of the recent speech
of Andrew johnson in the Senate which relates to
nv administration as Governor of Tennessee and the
conduct of the said johnson while President IN
reference interference in the local affairs of this
State. wonld sooner have written this letter. but
IL has only been within @ few days that
have had The Congressional Record con-
tanning full report of the speech. When
read in the kilograms that johnson had cited Grant
20 his own conduct in Tennessee while he was Pres
ident as a model to 20 by in the matter of State
affairs was wholly bewildered as to his meaning.
The reports of his speech which / saw IN the news
papers omitted all that part referring to Tennessee
affairs except the bare statement that Andrew john
son held up as worthy of imitation his 67sn con-
duet a. President while had serious trouble in this
State. This naked statement made noimpressonupOn
me for the reason that JOhnsOn's head had been so
turned by his unexpected elevation TO the Presi-
dency that he has never recovered from the surprise
of finding himself an occupant of the White House,
and has since been able to utter i've minutes
speech without indulging in the most disgustingy
egOtIStlc Iaudatlons Oh Andrew johnson. tut q
beggar on horseback and he will ride to the devil"
Ii amounts to exactly the thing if you substi-
tute johnson" for "beggar" and " White House"
for horseback" The change does MT alter the des-
tnation particle.
Upon reading the speech am at q loss TO decide
which the predominating characteristic of the man
-egotism OF impudence. l venture the assertion
that no speech has even been delivered in the Senate
which contains many aud such willfully premedi-
tated Misrepresentation. That he may have fair
hearing quote from his speech the material portion
10 which reply:
Now the query MP. What has been the course OF
the Government in reference to cases OF this kind VIII
refer to one for the sake OF making an % 20
In 1866. Ia the state of Tennessee, in reorganization
of government there, there Governor elected and
a Legislature elected under amended Constitution
which had been adopted by the people in Convention
was convened the Governor was qualified and in the
was The legislative department, here was the
executive department here was the Judicial
eminent According to the theory that has been acted
upon by the states ana by the Feaeri ec
one Of these branches OF tie Government each one OF
these departments should in its appropriate sphere
and has right to encToach upon the others When
the Legislature was convened tneIe eaHie ~ " t
cncc OF opinion between the GOVeOrOf the state ana the
acous the Legislature became refractory and the Gov
became refractory The Governor undertook to con
Here was contest between two civil departments cents
wanted his policy carried ont his measures acted
upon. The Legislature were opposed 10 them ana ior
tie purpose Of defeating the Governor in carry Ing out AIS
IIsns they reduced the number of members present
below quorum Here was struggle between two EVIL
departments Of the Government the legislative ana the
executive According to the theory and according to the
Constitution itself they coordinate branches OF the
Government and one had no right to encroach upon te
We know the provision that is made in nearly al
states, and perhaps in all Of them in the establish
ent and in the government Of Legislatures There are
certain rules prescribed The executive department is
laid down, the legislative is prescribed also and the
Legislature has the power be the judge of the qua-
cations and elections of s members. 10 has right
le rlle ~ i
power 10 compel the attendance OF absent members,
serve ts organization and it's existence and the RESPONSE
bty upon the Legislature and not upon the Governor
defeat some measure that was favored anu adyocated
and recommended by the executive department they,
menhers OF the legislative department, reduced the
Legislature below a quorum. Then the struggle came.
the Executive assumed the high prorogatye Of taking
brought in and compelled to act Some of
the members rendered their designations which were
rejected by Governor others absented themselves
refused to vote aud thus reduced the House pe!oW
lave IN Louisiana Here though the struggle not
strictly between the Governor and c0n'endns members
the Legislature and the Governor That the great
struggle We find in the case OF louisiana and II IL so
sad and conceded by all speak on the sliect that
the military there obeying the behsts eI me Gov
Legislature that favored him. In principle II Is pre-
Cisey the same ease.
From the foregoing it will be that Senator
Johnson claims that the troubles we had IN Tonnes
see and those existing in Louisiana were of similar
import. After making his statement of the Tennes-
see case he says "Here almost the precise case
that you have in louisiana" When the Senator
made this statement he told wh.t he knew to be false
1t is not only false, but is unreieved by par
ticle of truth. In all the story Of the Arabian
Nights or Don Quixote there is nothing more
fictitious than Andrew Johnson's statement of
the Tennessee case and that his policy had been
"non-interferenee7 in the affairs of the State. And
there is no comparison between the cases OF Lou
-iana and Tennessee than there is between day and
night Snch feel confident, will be the verdict of
the hundreds of thousands of intelligent readers of
THE TRIBUNE, who will peruse this letter Is hall state
nothing as a fact which viii not defy the most
searching criticism of Mr. Johnson's friends and my
enemies.
What are the factsi In Louisiana there was a
controversy, resulting in bloodshed, TO who was
the Executive of the State, and there was contest
as to who were members of the Legislature, many
seats in the body being claimed by two OF more con-
testants.
In Tennessee there was no controversy rs 10 who
waa- the Executive. No person but myself was
candidate for or made claim to the election to that
Office which was held under the proclamation of
this same Andrew johnson as Military Governor.
Nor was there any controversy 10 single seat IN
the Legislature. Both my election and that of the
Legislature were recognized by johnson after he,
unfortunately for the country became President Of
the United States.
The sole question in controversy in Tennessee was
whether in palpable violation of the Constitution
Of the State, a small minority Of the Legislature,
acting under the advice of Andrew johnson az Pres
ident of the United States should by lawless revo-
lutiOnary means, block legislation aud break up the
Legislature of the State. This was the sole ques-
ton as the record shows. The statements of Sena-
TOR johnson to the contrary are what you Northern
IL lnfL,