New-York daily tribune., 1864-04-19
The RaItimere Fair.

BALTIMORE. Monday Aplu is. lseL
The Inauguration exercises oT the great ! an
at the Maryland Institute tonight imposing.
The dis play exceedingly fine. The immense ben6
ing was thTonged. President Lincoln made speech.
Speaker COlfax and Senator Wilson accompanied ths
President TO Baltimore The Presidents appearance N
tho hall greeted With tremendous applause which
continued Eomo moments. After the inaugural address
OF Gov Bradford, the President loudly called for.
and In response he proceeded 10 make bef address.
lie referred the great change that had taken place
in Baltimore in the last three years. Truly he ssa
tho world moves. Al tho commencement OF the was
the soldiers Of the Union could not pass through Ba
more unmolested and row We have this large assem:
bage OF people brought together TO do them honor and
PROV ide Tor their wants and make them comfortable
An honor 10 the brave patriots who had wrought Tia
change ard TO the noble women who aided them. Wheu
this war began scarcely one individual supposed y
would havc lasted I'll now.
All thought il would have ended in some way In q
much shorter time. Very few at tha. time thongh the
institution Of Slavery would b. very much affected By
it, but these expectations were not realized and herS
are ilaughterl and Slavery hae been somewhat at
fected Great laughter
SO true is IT, Iny Iends that proposes and C;sd
disposes The world. he said. had long been in want
Of correct definition 81 the word freedom. While al
professed TO advocate liberty there in the miads al
| many very opposite view Of what liberty Was.
| With one man liberty uplied to work for himself
and do ~ he pleased with tho proceeds Of his labor.
With others liberty meant to do as yOu pleased vhk
other men and their labor one Of these two c0notiuy
ideas would have to give way 10 the other.
He thought from some occurrences. which had caly
lately taken place In Maryland that her people were
should control her destiny.
TIE President then passed on to refer TO master
which be said he supposed just deeply agitatins
the minds of the people all over the country. He
alluded TO the which reported 70 hsxv
taken place az Fort Pillow. the Mississippi liver
the massacre Of several hundred coorcd soldiers By r
ConfedeTaes
Many supposed that the Government did not intend
20 DO s duffy In regard 10 the protection OF these COZ
ored soldiers he desired TO say that oil su0h rer
mistaken. When the question OF employing colorel
men soldiers left 10 the Government it rcstel
very much WIKI himself whether he should make sodies
He pondcred Tho matter carefully, and when ho 10
came Onyinced that il was duty TO employ them
be did not hesitate 20 do He stood before the Amsr
lean people responsible for she acrespoasbls befcrs
the Christian world Responsible for il he Should stani
In tie eve OF The historian.
Responsible for II be stood before God. and he did ma
shrink from the decision he had made for he believed h
wss right Bu, wScn the I;oyernment determined
TO make soldiers Of thess coored people,
10 though. is only jast that they should
have the protection tho wbito soldiers
appausel; and he hesitaied not 10 declare that tla
GoYernmont woud protect them to the utmost Of ii
power. Whenev.. clear authenticated case should
be made out retroution would follow. IL had hitherto
been difficult ~ ascertain with that certainty whieh
sboald govern q decision IN u matter so serious
But in the affair nt Fort Pillow he thought they wers
likely to find "a clear case. The Government had d.
rect evidence 10 confirm the reports in existence res-
tive 10 the massacre; bit he himself feared that sha
facts related were true.
When the Government does know thc facts from
oiicsl sources, and thay suDstaItiate the reports
retribution will be surely given. lGreat applause
But how should that retributon DO administered. was
question still TO be settled.
Would it be right to take the life Of prisoners Ia
Washington In Fort Delaware elsewhere, In retail
ation for acts in which they had not sharedl
Wogld It ls right TO lake the prisoner captured say
at EicksbIrq nd shoot him for acts OF which be waa
not guilty. which IL will probably be found were the
ordering OF only few individuals or possibly OF ony
=.
The President reiterated that the Government would
not ia TO viSis retaliation whea the facts were cieru
proven.
throughout his remarks were warmly appliances
especially his enunciatton OF determination TO WIZ
r,tribgton for the barbafons deeds Of thc Rebels