Cleveland morning leader. [volume] (Cleveland [Ohio]) 1854-1865, 1863-12-24

OaLuLuAy tNtAAuB Atk5b " buC ul5bAA utoHVA
speaker Of the House. A "table resplen-
dent with silver aud glass was spread
out before them at Wizards Hotel. The |
occasion was one Of rejoicing and gratiA'
cation in the honOrs paid 70 the press.
The press is being recognised as power
in the land. It no longer begs an exist
ence but has truly become, as Mr.. Beecher
styles it, the monarch of the age. We sp-
pend interesting extracts from the speeches
of Mr.. WilkersOn, of the New York Times,
and Mr.. Colfax.
Mr.. Wiikerson, the President Of the
meeting said; Eighteen years ego, at one
o clock Of a winter moon-lighted morning,
while the horses Of the stage coach in which
I Hes plowing the thick mud Of Indiana
were being chsngcd at the tavern in South
Bend, walked the foOt-wsy of the princi-
pal street to shake off q great WEAKNESS
1 ssw a light through a window. A sign,
" The Register was legible above 1t, and
I saw through the window man IN MS
shirt sleeves walking quickly about like
/ one that worked. l paused, and looked
Il anu lUlhRlucu hDOut tAAo AANAf eAe
his work, and about the lsteEess Of the
hour 70 which it was protraeted; and l
| wondered If he was in debt, and WAS strug-
| Cling to get out, and il his vie Wss ex-
pecting him and had lighted 8 new candle
for his coming, and if he was very tired.
/ A coming step interrupted this idle dream
ing. When the walker reached my side
I Joined him, and as We went / asked him
questions, and naturally they were about
the workman in the shirt sleeves. "Whst
sort of a man is he 2" HHe is very good
TO the poor; he works hard; he is sociable
with all people; he pays his debtsi he
doesn't drink whisky; folks depend on
him; all this part Of Indiana believes IN
him. From that day to this l have never
taken up the South Bend Register without
thinking Of this eulogy, and envying the
man who had justly entitled himself to it
in the dawn Of his manhood.
That man when 25 years Of age, and
again when 29 years old, was sent by his
neighbors to the National Presidential
Conventions-when q years old he was
seat by his neighbors as q wise political
reformer to the Constitutional Convention
the State Of Indiana-was sent by the
same neighbors 70 Congress in the year
1854, and kept there by them from that
day to this. On the first Mondsy Of this
month Of December the Republicans OF the
House of Representatives unanimously
elected him the Speaker Of that body.
My brothers you think you know the Sc
ereE Of this uninterrupted favor of 8 con-
stituency to q representatives, this con-
tinued regard of q community for cid-
zen-of this appreciation Of statesman
by statesmen. You fnd them in his h1el-
ity to principles-in his thorough stten-
ton to business-in his talents for legisls-
tion--in their constant and useful devO-
ton to the public good. The Congressional
Globe and the traditional and written his
tory Of Congress are full Of the evidences
Of these virtues, and Of this fitness for
public trusts, and this title to honor and
confidence. But you don't know the
secret. do. / learned 1t by chance.
got possession Of 1t by an inviting and
unwilling esvesdroppiDg in the psrlor Of
smother noble man, John W. Forney.
Eighteen years after my midnight watch
ing of that printer, in his shirt sleeves at
his solitary labur, heard him in this city
utter this his philosophy Of life; al con-
slider that day wasted in which have not
done some good to some human being, or
added somewhat TO somebody's happiness"
What success could reeede from that man s
pursuit nay, what success would not
pursue that man and foreibly crown him
With honors and gratitude Schuyler
Colfax, editor of the South Bend Register,
Congressmen from Indiana for eleven
years, actor Of 8 philosophy Of human life
4 : -god
not escape the love Of your fellow man
We journalists and men Of the newspaper
press do love you and claim you as bone of
our hone and flesh Of our flesh. Fill your
glasses all in sn invocation to the gods for
long life, grsster successes, and ever in
creasing happiness to our editorial brother
in the Speakers Chair.
Mr.. Colfax said: have been glad..to
meet you here tonight, and I am glad
that, Notwithstanding our varied aud an
tsgonizing political shades Of opinions, we
can thus sit down together in social har-
mony. We know there is to be 8 day COM
ing when the lion and the lsnh shall lie
down together. Laughter. Some doubt
ing Thomases think that this will only be
realized by the lamb being, at the time, in
side Of the lion. Laughter. But, peliu
osIlv, the prophecy seems almost verified
to night.
cannot avoid saying that few words
in relation to the profession to which we
have devoted our lives. I think you can
not but acknowledge that the American
Congress has not overlooked the press
Not only have they seen at, for the first
time In the history Of Congress, to select
printer for the grave responsibilities
which cluster around their presiding Of
Ger, but from the ranks Of the same profess
sion they have taken gentleman for the
next office in order, the Clerk Of the House,
snd one whom, with modesty equal to
his worth, see bushes as allude to him,
| (Mr. McPherson) And besides these, we
have also in the American Congress
another gentleman, printer, acting as
postmaster Of the House. Having thus
generously given q majority Of cit Offices
to the press, they have msgnanimously al
lowed G the rest Of mankind" to take the
remaining two offices. Laughter and sp.
plause. In the other branch of Congress
we have as Secretary Of the Senate John
W. Forney, one Of the most gifted and dis
tinguished journalists Of our times. The
/ Vice President Of the United States, also,
was newspaper man, and doubt not,
good enc. And 60, also, was the Sergeant
alarms of the Senate, Mr.. Brown, Of ILL
nois. And if our excellent President was
not directly connected with the press,
think We can bear testimony to the fact
of his having furnished material for innu-
merable editorials in its columns. laugh
ter.
For much Of this ennobling patriotism,
for these marked developments Of human
ity, bless tonight the American press.
| [Applause.
And, sgain, yOu have another duty to