Mr.Johnson's Backbone

Hon. Sherrard Clemens demonstrates his support for Andrew Johnson in an effort to reassure southerners of Johnson's ability to lead.

Since the only question concerning the success of the President's policy is as to whether he will falter or not, every Southern man likes to be assured of Mr.Johnson's firmness. upon this point, Hon. Sherrard Clemens, in a recent speech at Wheeling, bears the following testimony: "I know Andrew Johnson well. Some years ago, in Washington city, while he was a member of the Senate and I of the House, we boarded together, roomed together, slept together, and were intimately and closely acquainted. I know him to be a man of the people, a mass of iron nerve, and he has a backbone made of steel." [Laughter and applause]

“Mr.Johnson's Backbone,” Reconstructing Virginia, accessed March 29, 2023, https://reconstructingvirginia.richmond.edu/items/show/74.