Prescott journal. [volume] (Prescott, Wis.) 1861-1871, 1865-10-21

WASHINGTON, Oct. TO- The First
District of Columbia cOlored regiment,
marched from their quarters, IN Camp
bell Hospital, to the Executive Mansion,
where they were received by the Presi-
dent, who addressed them as follows:
my friends, my object in presenting
myself before you on this occasion Is
simply to thank you members OF one OF
the coIored regiments which has been
in the service of the country, to sustain
and carry its banner and laws triumph
antlv in every part of this broad land.--
/ repeat that appear before you ON the
present occasion, thereby to tender you
nv thanks for the complimentyOu have
paid me on your return home to again
lie associated with your friends and
your relations, and those You hold most
scared and dear. repeat / have but
little to say, it being unusual In tins
Government and in most of other Gov
ernments to have colored troops engag-
ed in their service, but you have gone
forth as events have shown and served
with patience and endurance, IN the
cause of your country.
This is your country as well as any
body else's country. Cheers.I This is
the country in which you expect to live,
and in which you should expect to do
something by your example IN civil HE
as Won have done IN the field. This
country is founded on the principles of
equality, and at the same time the stan
dard by which persons are to be estlma-
ted is according to their merit an their
worth. and Won have observed no doubt
that for him who does his duty faith
fully aud honestly, there is always a
lust public judgement that will appre-
ciate and measure ont to him his proper
reward.
/ know that there is much we'll calcu-
lated in this government, and since the
late rebellion commenced to excite the
white against the black and the black
against the white man. These are things
Won should all understand, and at the
same time prepare yourself for what Is
before Won. Upon the return of peace
and the surrender of the enemies of the
country, it should be the duty of every
patriot and every one who calls himself
a christian, to remember that with the
termination of the war his resentments
should cease; that angry feeling should
subside, and that every man should be-
Guile NAab1uAAs anu ~ ~
pared for what is before him. This Is
another part of your mission. YOu have
been engaged in the effort to sustain
your country in the past, but the future
is more important to you than the pc
Rod in which you have just been en-
gagged. One great question has been
settled IN this government, and that
question is the question of slavery
e IL II
against the United States, and the Uni
ted States has lifted its strong arm in
vindication of the government, and OF
free government, and In lifting that
arm and appealing to the God OF
battles, IL has been decided that the in
stitution of slavery must go down
ICheers This has been done, and the
Goddess of Liberty, in bearing witness
over many of our battle fields since the
struggle commenced, has made her
Ioftiest flight, and proclaimed that true
liberty has been established upon a
more permanent and enduring basis
than heretofore Applause. But
this is not all, as you have paid me the
compliment to call upon me, / shall take
the privilege of saying one or two words
as 1 am before you. I repeat, that is
not all now; when the sword is returned
to its scabbard; when your arms are re-
versed, and the olive branch of peace is
extended, as / remarked before, resent
ment and revenge should subside.
Then what is to follow? You do under
stand, no doubt, and if you do not, you
can not understand too soon, that the
privilege Of going into the battle field
or in the service of the country as 6
soldier, means other things as we'll
And now when you have laid down youl
arms, there are other objects Of
equal importance before you. Now
that the Government has triumphantly
passed through this great rebellion, after
the most gigantic battles the world evel
saw, the problem is before you, and il
is best that you should understand it.
and therefore speak simply and plain
ly. Will you now, when you have re-
turned from the army of the United
States, take the position of citizens
when you have returned to the avoca
lions of peace? Will yousgive evidence
to the world that you are capable and
competent to govern yourselves? Thai
is what you will have to do. Liberty II
not a mere idea-a mere yagary. 1t /!
an idea of reality, and when you come
to examine this question of liberty, yoI
will not be mistaken in a mere idea fol
the reality. 1t does not consist in idle
ness. Liberty does not consist in beins
worthless. Liberty does not consist il
doing all things as we please, and there
can be no liberty without law. In 1
government of freedom and of liberty
there must be law, aud there must be
obedience and submission to the Law
without regard to color. tCheers
Liberty, and may not cali you my
countrymen, consists IN the gloriou:
privilege of work-of pursuing the or
binary avocations of peace with indus
try and with economy, and that being
done, all those who have been industri
Gus and economical are permitted to APP
propriate and enjoy the products Of
their own labor. Cheers.
This is one of the great blessings Of
freedom, and hence we might ash
the question and answer it by stating
that liberty means freedom to work and
eniow the products of your own labor
You will room be mustered out of the
ranks, and it is for you to establish the
great fact that you ara fit and qualified
TO be free, hence freedom is not mere
idea but is something that exists in fact
Freedom is not simply the privilege tC
live in idleness. Liberty does not mean
simply to resort to the low saloons and
other places of disreputable character.