Year: 1866

An ELOQUENT Sketch Of President john


sen, by Hon. G. A. Henry.


He is a child of destiny but It is a des-
tiny of his own creation. He has been the
architect of his own fortunes, and looks to
the people alone for favors Ny word for it,
they will net desert him, for he has never
deserted them. In 1868, should he be a can
didate for their sufIrages, the toiiing millions
Of his cOuntrymen viii flock To his banner
The hardy sons Of toll viii come from the
mountains, the hills and the dales, and form
the congressional homesteads, as autnmnaI
leaves come when forests are rendered" and
you shall count them by the millions. 1
claim the right 60 speak Of Andrew johnson
in this way, for | have some reason to know
the man. We canvassed the State in 1853
for Governor Of Tennessee. There Is more
resistance in him than any man ever en-
cOuntered. The harder he was pressed, the
higher he rose under the pressure and it
seemed to me the heavier he was loaded the
lighter he ran. The greater was the obsta-
Gle threw IN his way, the more triumph
autly did he clear il at a bound His poFers
were never fully developed till we got down
to our work iIl dead earnest" in what the
boys csll Qr9ufd seu5ls lie las beaten
everybody he ever encountered BE beat my
friend Hon. L. c. Haynes, ef your city, for
AOLl-LC5G1 anu 4 ElAA4AA YOU VIII agree twas no
easy job to accomplish. lie beat Hon NJ


p Gentry for Governor, who had never been
beaten before and great let me call him
for he conquered me ;" and I predict such
will be the fate Of any Radical who opposes
him. You know l never was his political
friend. He was a Democrat and a Whig
Oil and water were not more opposite than
we, yet in the new order of things, ardentlv
desire the success of his administration and
if he should be the standard-beare of that
great body of conservative men who were
drawn together lately at Philadelphia by a
patriotic determination to save the Constitu-
ton from violation, and the country from
ruin, /, for one, will do "goOd yoeman SER
vice in his cause, and viii call upon all
lovers of this country, whether Whig or
Democrat, all Of every party who would stay
the wild wave of radicalism which Is sweep
ing over the land, and carrying away before
it every vestige Of the Constitution and every
hSpe of the patriot, to rally around his ban
ner and bear it to victory The South owes
him debt of gratitude for the manly stand
he has taken for US, and / feel confident all,
of every party, viii be prompt to pay it, who
have the love of country in their hearts


President Johnson's whole appearance and
bearing of character-In stature square
built, broad chested, not over tall, compact,
manly; in dress, decently clad In a sober and
somewhat worn black frock coat, his body
seems merely suitable pedestal for mount
ing his massive head A broad brain. hair
originally deep lack, but now evenly sprin-
kled over with a thin intermixture Of white,
making what is called an iron-gFay; COM
plexiOn dark, and face of grave aspect,
which strikes the beholder at once-making
the whole figure mere appendage to it-as
that of a man habituated TO weighty delibe.
rations a face on which public responsible
ties have deeply engraven their lines 1t is
sobrieey and weight of character, more than
brilliancy of intellect, that is expressed in
Mr. Johnson's features. One gets the i'm
preston that he must be a man of strong,
but rather slow faculties, which massive
vigor of will, hold resOlutely to their work
With the sober strength of his care-weighted
face, there is combined a certain hardness of
expression, as if he were deficient IN the
softer human sympathies. This is percepti-
bly, relieved as soon as he speaks, his voice
having a quietness and ease not expected
from the built, hard-visaged, cold-eyed
statesman. But still the predominant i'm
preston is that nature formed him to be
merely public man; that he Is a resolutely
ambitious, strong fbred soul, to whom moth
ing is so congenial as the cares of state