Nebraska advertiser., 1865-03-30
Speech By Precedent Lincoln.
Washington, March IL.

Washington, March IL
A rebel flag, captured a. Fort An
dersOn by the l4Oth Indiana volunteers,
was to-day presented to Governor
Morton, of that State, in front of the
National Hotel. A large crOWsd Of
people were in attendance.
Governor Morton made brief speech
in which he congratulated his auditors
on the speedy end of the rebellion, and
concluded by introducing President Lin
coin, whose purity and patriotism. he
said, were confessed by ali, even among
the most virulent agitatOrs. Applause. }
His administration will be recognized
as the most important epoch of history.
1t struck the death-blow to slavery Tap
plause, and tbuilt up the Republic with
a power it had never before possessed.
If be done nothing more than to put bis
name TO the Emancipation Proclamation
that act alone would have made his name
immOatal. [Applause.]
The President addressed the assem-
blage ubstantially as follows:
Fellow.citizens, it will be but a few
words shall undertake to say. / was
born in Kentucky, raised in Indiana, and
live in Illinois, and | am now here.
where it is my duty to be, to care equal
ly for the good people of all The States.
/ am glad to see an Indiana regiment on
this day able to present this captured
flag to the Governor of the State of In
diana. / am not disposed. in saying
this, to make distinction between States,
for all have done equally well.
There are but few views OF aspects Of
this great war upon which / have net
said or written something, whereby my
own views might be made known
There is enc, the recent attempt of our
"erring BRETHREN" as they are some
times called, to employ the negro to fight
for them. ! have neither written nor
made spe ech upon that subject, because
that was their business, and not mine ;
and if they had wish upon the subject,
| had not the power to introduce it or
make it effective.
The great question with them was,
whether the negro being put in the ar
my will fight for them! do not know,
and therefore cannot decide. They
ought to know better than we, and do
know. ] have in my lifetime heard a
great many arguments why the negro
ought to be slave, but if they fight for
those who would keep them in slavery, it
will be better argument than any l
have yet heard. He who will fight for
that ought to be slave.
They have concluded at last to take
one out of fonr Of the slaves and put them
in the army, and that one out of four
who will fight to keep the others in slav-
cry. ought to be slave himself unless
he is killed in fight.
While have often said that all men
ought to be free, yet would allow those
cOlOred persons to be slaves who want
to be and next to them, those white
m en- who argue in favor of making other
people slaves. / lam in favor of giving
an opportunity to such white men to try
it on fer themselves.
| will say one thing with regard to
the negro being employed to fight for
them that l do know. / know that he
cannot fight and stay at home and make
bread too, and as one Is about as impor-
tant as the other to them, / don't care
which they do. ! am rather 10 favor of
having them try them as soldiers. They
lack one vote Of doing that, and / wish |
c0uld send my vote over the river, so that
l might cast it in favor Of allowing the
negro to fight. But they could not fight
and work both.
We must now see the bottom Of the
enemy's resources They will stand out
as long as they can, and if the negro
will fght for ihem, they must allow
him to fight. They have drawn upon
;heir last resources. and we can now see
the bottom. am glad to see the end
so near at hand.
] have said now more than intended
to, and vi Il therefore bid you goodbye.
The Pr ssident then retired, while The
crowd beloy salu.ed him with loud and
hearty cheers, the band at the same time
playing lively tune.