and damning was never seen before.--Mothers begged for the lives of their children.
Fathers shouldered their offspring and swore like troopers.
The crush was greatest at the carriage-way of the east wing.
It is a wonder that nobody was killed there.
Several ladies fainted and had to be carried off. The darkeys suffered most.
Soldiers knocked negro women roughly about, and called them very uncomplimentary names.
It seemed as if there was a reaction from the anti-slavery sentiments of the inaugural, and every negro boy got an extra push on account of his color.--There were no remarks about the ceremonies, for all were occupied in taking care of themselves and each other.
Confusion worse confounded reigned supreme.
The reception.
At night there was a grand reception at the
White House, where "
Mrs. Lincoln stood near to
Mr. Lincoln, acknowledging the courtesy of such of the passers-by as recognized her. She was chastely dressed in a silk of a light neutral tint, drab, ornamented with lace." In the vestibule, among the number of visitors, was a "good specimen of the almighty nigger darkey, accompanied by several negro damsels."
Andy Johnson takes the oath — his "speech" in advance.
A Washington letter thus depicts the scene in the
Senate Chamber:
‘
While the foreign ambassadors were taking their seats,
Mr. Hamlin concluded his speech, when
Vice-President elect Mr. Johnson commenced his address, before he had taken the oath of office.
He had been talking about five minutes when the
President entered the door from the Senate lobby, at the right of the
Clerk's desk, escorted by
Senators Hendricks and
Foster,
Mr. Lincoln taking his seat at the end of the
Clerk's desk, near the members of his Cabinet.
’
During all this time
Andrew Johnson — for such he simply was then, not having taken the oath of office (would to heaven that it could be said in behalf of the country that he is still only
Andrew Johnson)--continued his speech.
Such a speech.
It might have been appropriate at some hustings in
Tennessee; but it certainly was far from being appropriate on this occasion.
It was not only a ninety-ninth rate stump speech, but disgraceful in the extreme.
He had not proceeded far when
Senators on the
Republican side began to hang their heads, sink down in their seats, look at each other with significance, as much as to say, "Is he crazy, or what is the matter?" They exhibited in every feature great uneasiness.
There was no mistaking the fact that the
Senators were mortified in the extreme.
The Democratic
Senators leaned forward and appeared to be chuckling with each other over the figure made by the Republican party through their
Vice President elect.
The foreign ministers showed unmistakable signs of amazement as the incoherent sentences came from
Mr. Johnson's lips.
Republican
Senators moved around in their seats, unable to sit still under the exhibition before them.
Some of the
Senators sat sidewise, others turned their backs, as if anxious to hide themselves.
Luckily for the members of the House of Representatives, they did not reach the Senate until several minutes after 12, and they were not subjected to but a small portion of the scene.
The speech was disconnected, the sentences so incoherent that it is impossible to give an accurate report of his speech.
As his sentences came up in the reporter's gallery, the statements that your
President is a plebeian — I am a plebeian, glory in it--
Tennessee has never gone out of the
Union--I am going to talk two minutes and a half on that point — I want you to hear me.
Tennessee always was loyal — we all derive our power from the people--
Chief Justice Chase is but a creature of the people — I want you to hear me two minutes on that point — you,
Mr. Stanton,
Secretary of War, derive your authority and power from the people. ("Who is
Secretary of the Navy?" was then heard, in a voice of less volume.
Some one responded, "
Mr. Welles".)--You,
Mr. Welles,
Secretary of the Navy, get your power from the people.
This was the strain and tone of the whole speech, mixed with a lecture to the Senate on the action of the Senate on the rebellious States.
It was impossible to give a full report sitting the gallery.
The constant clatter of voices in the rear, declaring, "What a shame," "Has he no friends"? "Is there no person who will have mercy upon him"? "Tell him to stop and save the country further disgrace," were so numerous that it entirely prevented a full report being made.
The only full report was that of the official reporters of the
Globe. The
Senators, however, were so chagrined at the speech that they notified the
Globe reporter to suppress his copy, and wait until
Mr. Johnson could write out a speech, that this affair might not go before the world in that form.
It is charitable to say that his condition was such that he was unfit to make a speech.
He evidently did not shun
Bourbon county,
Kentucky, on his way here.
Mr. Johnson finally concluded his speech, whereupon
Vice President Hamlin administered to him the oath of office.
Mr. Hamlin read the oath by sentences, and
Mr. Johnson repeated it after him. The effort of the
Vice-President elect to go through with the form of repeating the sentences as read by
Mr. Hamlin was painful in the extreme.
He stumbled, stammered, repeated portions of it several times over.
The moment that he concluded this task,
Mr. Johnson turned to the audience and commenced another speech, giving to those assembled his idea of the oath which he had just taken.
He had uttered but two or three sentences when some of the officers standing near him had the good sense to stop him, he having already occupied some nineteen minutes in his former speech, and delayed the proceedings beyond all usages.
They were unwilling that they should be any longer delayed by the incoherent remarks of this new official.
It has heretofore been the custom to close all speeches the moment that the
Judges of the Supreme Court and diplomatic corps reach the
Senate Chamber.
Mr. Hamlin, in accordance with this usage, closed his speech-in time to give
Mr. Johnson some seven minutes to make his remarks before the arrival of the above dignitaries.
But
Mr. Johnson did not appear to understand the usage on such occasions, or else was not inclined to follow them, for the diplomatic gentlemen heard the bulk of his speech, and, unfortunately, the worst part of it. The moment that the new
Vice-President had been silenced,
Mr. Hamlin declared the old Senate adjourned.
Another raid.
A dispatch from
Oswego, New York, dated March 4th, says:
‘
Mayor Grant has received a dispatch from
Governor Fenton, stating that the War Department has received information from Halifax that the rebels in the Provinces are contemplating a raid on
Oswego and
Rochester.
A public meeting is to be held this afternoon, to take such steps as may be necessary.
’
Miscellaneous.
Hugh McCulloch has been appointed
Secretary of the Treasury, to succeed
William Pitt Fessenden.
He is a native of
Maine.
Congress remained in session during the whole of Friday night and up to noon on Saturday, when it expired by constitutional limitation.
The amended tax and tariff bills and all the important appropriation bills were passed.
The miscellaneous appropriation bill was lost.
President Lincoln is the first
President since 1833--an interval of thirty-two years--who has been re-inaugurated.
General Jackson was the last
President before
Mr. Lincoln to be chosen a second time.
