The Kenosha telegraph. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1860-1888, 1865-11-23
An Eloquent aud Highly Important
speech by HSu, @chuys -P CeIfax


him with y seIeHade In response 10 earl
est calls, he appeared and addressed them az
follows:
My FRIENDS Il thank you for this pleas
ant serenade with which you welcomed
me Oh my return to this sphere OF public
duty. Since left here | have travelled,
as you are all aware. many thousands Of
miles My thoughts turn this evening to
the suspicious condition of the country now,
as compared with the closing of the last
Congress. Then an alien and hostile flag
waved over our cities aud forts. and camps
and regiments, and we went home in March
to assist in raising more troops called for by
the President Now there is peace over all
the land, and the flag of the Republic waves
unquestioned over every acre ofour national
domain. [Cheers We never knew the
value of our institutions until the hour OF
their peril If we had failed, there would
have been no resurrection from the tomb OF
nations. But, thanks to our heroic defen
ders, no Gibbon will write the history of
our Decline and Fall. LCheers ] shall
hail the day when all the States shall re
volve in their appropriate orbits around the
Central Government, and when we can be-
hold them
Distinct as the pillows. but one as the sea-
But we cannot forget that history teaches
US that it was eight years after the surren
der OF Yorktown, in the revolutionary war
though our fathers were of one mind as to
its necessities, before the Constitution was
adopted and the Union thus established Ii
is suspicious that the abicst Congress that
ever sat during my knowledge of public af
fairs meets next month to face and settle
the momentous questions which will be
brought before it. 1t will not be governed
by any spirit Of revenge hut solely by
duty to the country. | have no right to
anticipate its action nor do confne my
self to any iuhexible nnalterable policy, but
these ideas occur to me and ] speak OF them
with the irankness with which we should
always express our views. Last Marcn
when Congress adjumneu the States lately
III rebellion were represented IN a hostile
Congress and Cabinet. devIsing ways and
means for the destruction of the cOuutry.
Ii may not he generally known, bnt it has
been repeated to me III the testimony OF
9 members of the 80 called Confederate Con
gress that Gen. Lee, the military head of
the rebellion declared last February, in his
official character, that the contest was ut
tery hopeless, but that their Congress aud
Cabinet determined To continue the struggle,
and 20 900 men fell after that time GU both
sides i'll the battles around Petersburg aud
Richmond. Since the adjournment Of the
United States Congress, not single rebel
lious State voluntarily surrendered, not an
army laid down its weapons, not IA regiment
abandoned their failing cause, but the Union
armies conquered peace not by any prom
lac of voluntary Submission but by the
force Of arms. Some of these members of
the go called Confederate Congress, who at
our late adjournment last March, were
struggling to blot this nation from the map
of the world, propose, | understand, to en
ter Congress on the opening day, at its ses
sion next mouth and resume their former
business of governing the country they
struggled So earnestly to ruin. They say
they have lost 10 rights 1t seems as if the
burning Of the slips Of our commerce on
the demonstrating our PRISONERS and raising
arms to destroy the Nation, would impair
come of these rights until the new govern
ments were recognized by Congress [Cheers7
The Congress which Seemed framed for ev-
cry emergency, gives to each House the ex-
elusive right to judge Of the qualifications
apprehend they will exercise that right
Congress having passed no law on recon
struction. President johnson prescribed
certain action for these States which he
deemed indispensable to their restoration to
their former relation TO the Government,
which think eminently wise and patriotic
1st. That their Conventions should de
clare the various ordinances of secession
null and void; not as some have done mere
ly repeating them, but absolutely without
any force and effect
3D. That their Legislatures should ratify
the constitutional amendment extinguish-
ing slavery, that the cause of discussion
and rebellion might he utterly extirpated
Sd. That the whole United States repudi-
ate the rebel debt, though by its terms it
will be long time before it falls due as it
was payable six months after the recogni-
ton Of the Confederacy by the United
States [Cheers.
This reminds me Of friend in Indianap.
Oils who said he liked to give his note pay
able ten days after convenience. Laughter
and cries of good, good
But there are other terms on which
think Their is no division among the loyal
men of the Union;
LIST. That the Declaration of Indepen-
dence must be recognized as the law of the
land, and every man. alien aud nnt'
white and black protected in ~ live.
bic and God given riph- .le inaliena-
the pursuit OF as of life liberty and
that F. ..appimess. Mr. Lincoln, in
emancipation Proclamation, which IL
the proudest wreath i'll his chapet of fame
-[cheers mot only gave freedom TO Tue
slave but declared that the Government
would maintain that freedom. lAppiause
We cannot abandon them and leave them
defenceless at the mercy Of theirformer own
ers. They must be protected in theiI
rights of person and property. These free
men must have the right to sue iii courts
of Justice for all just claims, and to testify
also so as to have security against ontragt
and wrong | call them fgeenen not freed
men The last phase might have been an
nounced before their freedom Was fully Sc
cured, but they should be regarded now az
freemen of the Republic. Loud and enthu
siastic cheers afs.-'
I'd. The amendments of their State Con
stitutions, which have been adopted bJ
many of their State Conventions SO reluct
antly, under the pressure OF dispatches
from the President aud the Secretary o
State, should be ratified by a majority o
their people We all know that hut very
small portion of their voters participated il
the election of delegates TO these Conven
tons. and nearly, if not all, the Conventions
have declared them III force without amy
ratification by the people. When tire crl
sis has passed, can they not turn arourt
and say that these We're adopted under dn
Tess, by delegates elected Ivy a l. eagre vote
under Provisional Governors and military
authorities, and never ratified by popul a
vote; and could thty not turn over the anti
LeconIpton argument against us aud insist
as we did, that Constitution mot rattle,
by the people may have effect, but no NOR
al effect whatever?
3d. The President can, on all occasions
insist that they should elect Congressmel
who ,.ould take. the oath nrtscribed nv th,