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The Democratic Party And President Johnson

The Democratic Party And President Johnson image
Parent Issue
Day
28
Month
July
Year
1865
Copyright
Public Domain
OCR Text

Sotne of our liepublioan neigbbora up n tho country are groatly troubled iit the expressioDs of coníidenoo and hope iu President JohlïBOD, and oocui-iona'Jy of ujarked npprobation, whicb have appeared n ibia and other Democratie jouroaís, and wliich wcre utterud nlso by S. J. lildeu, Esq., in his Fourth of July speech to lbo Tammauy Society, iffid by Julm Van Buron Esq , ia bis loiler to the grand saobein of that patnuüc and vouarable organization VVo commend to these distressed, afllictod, and tormunted Republicana tho followiüg very sensible remarks in tho Lancaster (I'a.) Intelligencer, which expres ll'.o Kcn'.iments of all up and dowD IJcni:rats, and may enlighten the Philistines ; "Numerous Kepublicau newspapers throughout the country, while tbey givo to. President Johusqn but weak and liaif-hearied support, atle'rpt to cast ix-ii&otions upoii tho prosa of tbo Democratie party, becauso it gnoakü kindly .lid bopefullj ot the New President. VN e aro not surprüsed that bis oourso of ephduot in regard to tho recoustruotion oí tho Sou'hera States ehould give grealer salisi'uetion to the Democratie presa tlift.ii it does to the radical. It is niffcb moro iu aooordance with D.erao cratiu dootrino thao with tho fanatical creed and Üio crudo politioal tbeories of Ihè radical presa shou'.d denounce it, while Democratie newspapers cverywherc susiaiu it, is ouly natural, Whenever, during tho last four yoars, tho Democratie press dceiued it proper to cill public atténtion to violatious of liia Constitution of the United States; to the disregard of the most ancieut and sacród rigbts of the individual citizen ; to gross disregards of well-established law ; to unnecegsary assumptions of arbitrary power by the exscutive; to shaineless disregard of civil law by those who vrore dressed in a llttle brief autboritv; to the gigantie frauds of corrupt Officials, and the wholcsale plundering ot the public treasury, wbiob has dona so ïuuoh to swell the vast proportions of our enormous national debt ; or to any othor of tne gross abusos and outrages Inch have saddened the heajt of the truo patriot, and made hira tremble for tl.e fato of freo iustitutions - whenever tbo Detnc oratie press, in the exercise of freo speech, bas darod to alludo to auy of iheso tiiingg, it was dcnouaceJ as disloy:il. fSjstematic attesnpts were made by those iu authority to suppress the rightof a free discusión of public measures; aud, 'when this failed, nwb iiolenee was encouraged. But tbrough all, and despitu of all sucb opposition, the J)emocralic press spoke out plainly, dewoancing what it regarded as wrong in jjiain terms of honest and palriotic reprobation. 'i'iien, as now, the Democratie presa was ready to give credit to those in autui.rity for whatever act of thoirs, of public or private character to enbance the general good of the ualion ; re?erving, howevcr, the right to critieise all iteto of those in power without that freodoui Cv bieb is neeessary in any form of free government. That it fóund itself frequeutiy standing ín opposition to incafures proposcd and acts dono 'oy the dominant party will not bo regarded is Btraugö when the events of tho past i'our yeais shall come to bo read in tho ligbt of impartial history. It showed ihrough all a ppirit of foarlessness wbicb forced oveu its opponoats to respect it. Neitber attempts at suppression on the part of those iu autbofity, nor frequentiy recuniug acts of mob violenoe, for whi.eli there seemed to bo no redress, e.ould intiujidate it, or force it to be silent for a moment. It spoke out bolclly and fearleasly, and tbo people listonad to its uüüitinees, and believe thora to be hoest and truc. Sir.ce Andrew Johnson bas been called upon to presido over the desliny of this uation, tho Democratie press of the couutry bas watcjiod bis course witb oagej" and ansious solicitude. It stood rcady to approve or oensure, aceordiug aa his public acts provod to be-wiae and judicious, or tho cor.trary. Findiughim willing to enter upon the great work c-f rooonstruotion with prudent ioresigbt and statesmaulike ?igacity, it him every assuraooe oí sympatby and support iu suoh a eourse. Wheu it saw aiin boldly renounce tho fatal doctrine of "stato suicido," upon which tbo radical abolitionists had so strongly insisted, it praisod him - not from any sycopbantic impulse, but beoause what he thus did was in aeeordance witb correet po iitical prineiple.s. Vbeu, in issuing his proclaraations for tbo roconstruetion of stato governmeuts iu the revolted states,. ho refuscd to assume powers not granted to biii) by the Gonstitution of the United States, and loft each Btate free to control its own local a.aise, ha thea took bis stand square upon Democratie gronnd. It would seem strange, indeed, if a this the Democralio press of tbe country had not stood by President Johuson. Wheu, in spite of all tbe pressure whioh the radbal abolitionists oould bring to bear upon bim, ho aleadftistly reiused to intoriere for the purpose of helpiug thein lo carry out their favorita design of conferriug tbo right of Büft'rage upon tbo negroos of tho Southern States, be apain shownd biniaelf entitJed to, and he reeeived, universal coinmendation irom tbe Democratie preSs. fn.tlius giviug President Jblinson support in all which be does rightly and wisely, the Demoeratis pross bolds itself periectly frea to caudemn wbon any of his acts shall cali' for reprobation. It bas not failed lo speak out boldly agaiust the cotitinuanco of unlawfully coñstituted military cominissions, and to denounco as criuiinally wrong the trial beiore lUcm of parties who, from tbeir datas nul tbe uharaeter of Hieir crimes, are ;i,iiüiiablo only lo the civil law oí the land. In evtry wise move which the President may rnakc to restore law and uidcr, to preserve, protect, and defend tbe Constitution of tbe United States, 10 will have tho warm Ki-ujpathy aad llie bearty and oai nest support, not only of the Democratie 'press, but of tbe DemCtatío masías througbout the country. This .support aud sympatby will lio givea fce-ily ; tho more fresly because it could never -bc exlorted, except l ■■■,.': tin; honest CpDVlctLuÓ tbat bis nota aio right, and his policy calculated í ) preserve iho PttastHutïpn, to ■iient tlio Union, sftd tu Bpeedily restoro peirtianont peuce und broeperity to our Uiu-woaiy aud mucfl üi.-tr:ictcd land,

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Subjects
Old News
Michigan Argus