Marshall County Republican. (Plymouth, Ind.) 1856-1878, 1865-11-30
Serenade to Speaker Colfax.
An Eloquent and Highly Important
Speech.

Speech.
WASHINGTON, Nov. lS.-Ths evening a large
crowd of friends of Speaker Cofax repaired 10 his
quarters aud complimented him with IA sereride.
In response to earnest calls, he appeared auo ad-
dressed them rs follows:
My FMENDs:--I thank you for this pleasant ser
enade with which YOU welcome me on NV return
to this sphere OF public duty. Since LETT hcre
have travelled as you are all aware, many thou
sands of miles Ny thoughts turn this eveiing
to the auspicious condition Of the country now, "a
compared with the closing Of the last Congress.
Then an alien and hostile flag waved over our cit
les ard forts, and camps and regiments. and
went home in March to assist in raising more
troops called for by the President Now there is
peace all the land, and the flag of the Repub-
lie waves unquestoned over every acre OF our
national domain ICheers We never knew
the value of our institutions until the hour of their
perl. five bad failed, there would have been no
resurrection from the tomb of nations. But, thanks
to our heroic defenders, no Gibbon will write the
history Of our Decline ami Fall. Cheersl l
shall hail the day when all the Statcsshall rev0rc
in their appropriate orbits around the Central Gov
ernmcnt, and when we can behold them
.,Distinct rs the pillows, but one as the sea-
But we cannot forget that history teaches us
that it was eight years after the surrender OF
Yorktown, in the revolutionary war. though our
fathers were of one mind as TO its necess ties.
before the Constitution was adopted and the Union
thus established. It's auspicious that TIE abest
Congress that ever sat during my knowledge oil
public affairs, meets next month TO face and settle
The momcntous question which will be brought
before it, Ii will not be governed by any spiri, of
revenge, but solely by duty to the courtrg
have no right to anticipate its action, nor DO
confne myself TO any inlexible, unaterable policy
but these ideas occur to me and speak OF them
with the frankness with which we should ALWAYS
express our views. Last March, when Congress
adjourned. the States lately in rebellion were
represented in a hostile Congress and Cabinet
deyisiLg ways ant means for tie destruction Of
the country 1t may not be generally known, but
it has been repeated to me, in the testimony OF
members OF the SO called Confederate Congress
that Gen. Lee, the military head OF the rebellion
declared last February, in his official character,
tha. the contest was utterly hopeless, but that
their Congress End Cabinet determined 10 contin.
ue the struggle. and 10000 men fell after tha,
time on both sides in the battles around Peters.
burg and Richmond. Since the adjournment OF
the Uried States Congress, a gle rebe lliou
State voluntarily surrendered, not army laid
down its weapons, not regiment abandoned their
falling cause. but the Union armies conquered a
peace, not by any promise or voluntary submis-
sion, but BY the force OF arms. Some O;thcsc mem.
bers of the so called Confederate Congress who
at our late adjournment last March, were struc
Cling TO blot this nation from the map Of the world
propose, understand, to enter Congress on the
opening day, at its session next month"; and resume
their former business ofSovcrning the country the
struggled so earnestly to ruin. They saw they
have lost no rights. 1t seems as if the burning ot
the ships of our commerce the ocean; stary.
ing our prisoners and raising arms to DESTROY the
Nation, would impair some of these rights until
the new governments were recognized by Con.
gress. Cheersl The Constitution which seem:
framed for every emergency, gives to each House
the exclusive right to Judge of the qualifications
of the election returns Of its members, ,and I .p
prehend they will exercise that right,-Congrcs:
having passed no law construction, Presi
dent Johnson prescribed certain action for these
States which he deemed indispensable to their
restoration to their former relation TO the Govern
ment, which think cminently wise and patriotic
1st. That their Conventions should declare tht
various ordinances of secession null and void, MOI
as some have done, merely repeating them, but
absolutely without any force and effect.
3D. That their Legislatures should ratify ths
constitutional amendment extinguishing slavery
that the cause of disscnsion and rebellion might be
utterly extirpated.
3d. That the whole United States repudiate the
rebel debt, though by its terms it will be a long
while before il falls due, as it was payable siI
months after the recognition of the Confederacy
by the United States. [Cheers.
This reminds me Of an old friend in Indianapo
lis who said he liked give his notes payable ter
days after convenience. Laughter and cries o.
''good," "good."l
But there are other terms on which thinl
there is no division among the loyal men Of the
Union:
ist. That the Declaration Of Independence mus
be recognized as the law of the land, and every
man, alien and native, white and black. protected
| in the inalienable and God given rights of life
liberty and the pursuit of happiness. Mr.Lincon
in his Emancipation Proclamation, which is tn,
proudest wreath in his chaplet Of -[Cheersl i
not only gave freedom to the slave, but declared
that the Government would maintain that freedom
fApplause. We cannot abandon them and leave
them defenceless at the mercy of their former
owners. They must be protected in their right:
OF person and property. These freemen must have
the right to sue in courts of Justice for all JUS
clams, and to testify also, so as to have securit,
against outrage and wrong. call them freemen
not freedmen. The last phrase might have beer
announced before their freedom was fully secured
but they should be regarded now as freenicn Of the
Republic. Loud and enthusiastic cheers
ID. The amendments of their State Consttu
tens, which have been adopted by many of thei
State Conventions so reluctantly, under the pres
sure Of dispatches from the President and Secreta
~ b,,,ld al hv IL