Year: 1866

Under this caption Harper's Weekly of
Dee. 9th, has something to say. and as there
is about it ring that just suits US, We take
pleasure in reproducing it and commenting
it to our readers


Those of the friends of the President who
have feared that be would impsril the ad
vantages won bv the war by a fatal leniency,
or, still worse. by joining a party which has
been utterly repudiated by the people Of the
country. have allowed their fears to obscure
their perceptions. Whatever the President
has said has been full Of a determination
that the rights of freedom which the war has
conferred upon a certain class of the South
ern population. and the class which is most
friendly to the Government, shall be main
tanned He expresses himself in his ow
way, but he never varies the strain.


Thus. to the Governors and Legislatures
and Committees of the unorganized States
he has constantly said: " Certain things are
essential. The emancipation amendment
and equality before the law are among them
Farther | say nothing My actions viii de-
pend upon events.n To Mr.. Stearns he
said that as citizen Of Tennessee. he should
be in favor of negro suffrage there under
certain conditions But he has said nothing
better than what General Fiske reported in
his speech in Brooklyn. The General went
to the White House to offer his resignation
The President said to him:


= People say sometimes | was born South,
and | viii not treat the negro as freeman !;
but mean and desire to carry out the views
Of the great and good ABRAHAM LINCOLN
and to see that these people have guarantee
of their freedom. l may not believe with
you in their ultimate attainments, but
mean they shall have fair chance Cheers I
| wish the people of the North knew what
had to stand between. Daily | receive tele
grams and letters from all parts Of the South
of dreadful import. II they could but see
the difficulties Of my position they would pity
me and give me their prayers. This he
said with tears in his eyes : and | asked him
if the Freedmen's Bureau was to be discon
tinued-my resignation being already in his
hands-aud he said to me. Go back go 10
your work and see justice done to both
white and black. The Freedmeus Bureau
will only cease to exist when the Southern
States are resolved to deal honestly and
justly by these freedmen Applause. r.
And | came away from his presence with
more of faith and hope in Andrew johnson
than | ever had"


1t is apparently forgotten that during the
war Andrew johnson was at the front He
saw with his own eyes the terrible details
of the struggle. lie measured the spirit Of
rebellion He knew the conduct Of rebels.
and he knew also that of the slaves. He
proved the quality of their fidelity as every
other Union soldier proved it. 1t was An.
drew johnson who walked before the seats
of Mason, Slidell, and the other conspira-
tors in the Senate, and shook his finger in
their faces, denouncing men who should do
what they intended to do as traitors whom,
had be the power, he would hang 1t was
Andrew johnson who told the colored men
Of Tennessee that he would be their Moses.


Such man is not easily seduced The
Establishments Of his enemies are not likely
to dazzle man who has looked behind the
servile manner and the smiling mask. No
man knows better than he that the party
which sought to use him, and monopolze
the reputation Of regard for him and sup
port of his policy, in order to carry an
election. and which disastrously failed, is a
party which never reients or forgiyes 1t
would no more adopt him as a candidate
than it did Tyler or Fillmore. The future
of Andrew johnson is linked with that
vast body of loyal men who were the war
party while the war lasted, and who intend,
now that it is over, to plant peace upon JUS
tice, and cement the Union by liberty.