The Irish standard., 1907-11-30

The first day of April, 1865, I rode
all day to the battle of Five Forks
and all night back with my news in
my head, and at Humphreys, the ter
mination of the military railroad, found
Petersburg just occupied, says George
Alfred Townsend in a Washington,
D. c., letter to the Boston Daily Globe
Of Nov. a.,
Leaving it without a visit, as had
all could write, I went down the
James river April 2, and at Wilmington,
Del, next noon heard of the occupation
of Richmond that morning.
After publishing in Marbles New
I returned to fortress Monroe and saw
the vice president, Andrew Johnson, in
the pilot house of the steamboat with
Preston King. We were all day going
up the James.
The james river was monotonous in
the lower part, and above City Point
the rebel torpedoes marked by red
flags, Buffers canal, etc., fiurried at
tention. saw no more of Johnson
for some three years, and that latter
year went up the James again on the
steamboat with Jefferson Davis, just
released from duress.
The nomination Of Johnson as the
running mate Of Lincoln was the first
premature step to "restore the SOUTH"
and was one of those frequent mistakes
political parties make to bend extremes
into circle. Lincoln was all whig,
johnson all Democrat. Lincoln sa-
gacious, Johnson waspish Lincoln of
all classes because Illinois had no
slaves, Johnson Of the commons be-
cause he had none. Lincoln married
in the official southern class. Johnson
in the southern mechanic class. John
son was a jackson kicker against the
Virginia school, Lincoln Virginian with
probably a flavor of German. rather
trace the trail Of Lincoln from Virginia
back among the Schuylkill Quakers,
thence to England, onward to Ken
lucky, Indiana and Illinois.
Johnson's Career.
The posterity Of Lincoln kept rising,
Of Johnson sinking; the fame of Lin
coin has hardly any antithesis, of john
son little is left but neighborhood re-
gard. Yet, johnson exceeded Lincoln
in commissions, was 10 years in con-
gress, twice governor Of Tennessee,
began mayor and eliminated in the
senate, where he was almost the whole
southern minority. John Bell and Sam
Houston, both Tennesseeans, had re-
sisted breaking up the Missouri COM
promise. Johnson was perhaps at his
best as military governor of Ten
nessee, after the fall of Fort Donelson,
or from March 4, 1862, to June 6. 1864,
during which Gen. Thomas defeated
Hood at Nashville, and johnson suc-
ceeded Hamlin as vice president, part
~ w lA0 AVAp OIL OcWdTu
who opposed Daniel s. Dickinson, lest
1t drop Seward from the cabinet.
The New York delegation divided
and the schism lasted down to Grants
nomination in 1868. Johnson, there
fore, kept Seward in the cabinet and
all but ruined him. Nearly every vice
president has aspired to be president
particularly those succeeding to part
of presidential term, Tyler, Fillmore,
Arthur.
None have succeeded but Roosevelt
who strained the least In party sa-
gacity. none of the three vice presi-
dents first named should have gone
upon the ticket. In 1866, Raymond and
the New York Times, his paper, tried
to split the Republican party, which
snapped at Grant and saved itself
Then Greeley and the Tribune repeat
ed the gamble and suffered the same
fate.
It is Of political benent that both
s US al re ~