Year: 1866

coming Union Democratic Republican Conven-
desire to play their strongest card, and have
the cause which they pretend to support at
heart, they will make General John A. Dix, the
warrior and the statesman, their standard
bearer. Fthey are wise enough to place him
at the head of their ticket success will be GER
tain and the victory won without struggle.


Great National Importance of the Presiden-


tial Tour-Its Extension southwards.


However modest may have been the views
of President johnson before setting out on his
pious pilgrimage to Chicago, he must have
realized ere this, as the people at large have
realized, the great Significance, in political
or rather national point Of view, of the en-
thusiasm which has attended every mile Of his
progress Nothing like 1t could have been
anticipated. All the party prejudices which
have been 80 recklessly cultivated and en-
couraged for the last eighteen months seem to
have melted away before the warmth and
geniality and good-natured common sense OF
the man, as the frosts of an autumn night melt
under the influence of warm sun. Every
day of his journey rectifes the evil wrought
by weeks of the late radical Congress. AS he
intimates in one of his speeches. it seems
to be his mission to bring balm from
Gilead and pour it with all its healing in1u-
ences on the still open wounds Of the country.
He well fulfls the mission Of peace on which
he has started and it may, without any ire
verence, be said of him that he goes about
doing good.


II would be pity if the influence which he
exercises in such a magnetic manner over the
people among whom he passes should be con-
fined to the towns and cities lying between
Washington and Chicago We should wish to
see the same influence exercised in still
wider circle. The States of the Northwest, up
to the head Of navigation Of the Mississippi,
would be equally benefited and delighted by
visit from President johnson and the
States of the Southwest, from Missouri to
Louisiana, would hail his presence as har-
binger of peace and good will. And why
should these communities not be gratifed in this
mannerf Why should they not have an op-
portunity of evidencing their admiration of
the man and their love for the great principle
of which he is the mpersonation-namely, the
complete restoration of the Union and the
renewal of brotherly love among the citizens
Of all its sections? We earnestly appeal to
Mr. johnson and ask him, for the sake Of the
country at large, not to weary in the great and
good work which he has undertaken and
which is already producing sucn nappy results.
Let him accept invitations to traverse the States
of the Northwest, up to St. Paul, and to
descend the great river, made free by two Of
the distinguished men who are his fellow pill
| grims-Grant and Farragut. The people oi
that region want to see their benefactors; and
no such opportunity may ever again present


ITSELF Let the party visit St. Louis, Louisville
Memphis, Vicksburg, Jackson, Natchez and
| New Orleans, not forgetting to call at Island
No. 10 and Port Hudson, and the other points
along that historic river where the two great
commanders Of the army and Of the navy won
such honor Coming northward, they would
have grand triumphal procession through the
States which, once hostile, are now peaceful
loyal and true to the Union. Visiting Savan.
nah, Augusta, Columbia, Charleston and Will
mington, their last stopping place on their way
to the capital would be Richmond. In this
southern part of the tour the President would
be able to undo much Of the evil which the
present radical Congress has done, and to wipe
out the feelings of estrangement and bitterness
to which it has given birth. We put it most
earnestly to Mr.. johnson not TO forego this
grand opportunity, but to avail himself OF il
in the interests Of the nation; and we run nc
risk in predicting that, when he gets back to
Washington, he will have given the death blow


to the radicalism which has proved so disas.
trous to the reunion and prosperity Of the
| States.