The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1865-10-13

The President,s speech to n Col.
ored Regiment.
WAsHINarcS, October IO.-The 1st Dis.
trict of Columbia colored regiment, marched
from their quarters in Campbell Hospital to
the executive mansion, where they were re-
ceived by the President, who addressed them
as follows:
"MY FRIENDS: Ny object in presenting my
self before you on this occasion ia to thank
you, members of one of the colored regiments
which has been in the service of the country,
to sustain and carry its banner and its laws
triumphantiy IN every part of this broad land
l repeat that appear before you on the pres
| ent occasion merely to tender my thanks for
the compliment you have paid me on your re-
turn home to again be associated with your
friends and your relations, and those You hold
most sacred and dear. l repeat, | have but
little to say, il being unusual in this govern.
ment and most other governments to have
colored troops engaged in their service. You
have gone forth, as events have shown, and
served with patience and endurance in this
cause of your country. This is your country
as well Is anybody else's country. ICheers.
| his Is the country In which you expect to
live, and in which you should expect to do
something by your example in civil life, as
you have done in the field. This country il
founded upon the principles of equality, and,
at the same time, the standard by which per-
sons are to be estimated is according to their
merit and their worth, and you have observed
no doubt, that for him who does his duty
faithfully and honestly. there is always q Just
public judgment that will appreciate and
| measure out to him his proper reward.
know there Is much we'll calculsted in this
government since the late rebellion COM
| menced to excite the white against the black
and the black against the white man. These
are things you should all understand and at
the same time prepare yourself for what is be.
fore you. 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 . christian, TO remem.
Der that with the termination of the war his
resentments should cease; that angry feelings
should subsde, and that every man should
become calm and tranquil, and be prepared
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 yoa than
the period in which you have Just been en-
gagged. One great question has been settled
in this government, and that is the question
of slavery. The institution of slavery made
war against the United States, and the United
States has lifted its strong arms in yindication of
the government and of free government, and,
in lifting that arm and appealing to the God
OF battles, 1t has been decided that the in
stltutlon Of slavery must go down. [Cheers.
This has been done and the goddess of hber-
ty, in bearing witness over many Of our battle
tald ho cfr
made her loftiest fight, and proclaimed that
true liberty has been established upon more
permanent and enduring basis than hereto
fore. Applause. But this is not all, and,
as you have paid me the compliment to call
upon me, | shalltake the privilege of saving
one or two words as am before you / re-
peat that it is not all. Nov, when the sword
is returned to its scabbard, when your arms
are reversed, and the olive branch of peace is
extended, as remarked before, resentment
and revenge should subside. Then what is to
follow? You do understand, no donbt, and
| if you do not you cannot understand too soon
that simple liberty does not mean the privil-
ege Of going into the battle field or into the
service of the country as . soldier 1t means
other things as well; and now, when you
| have laid down your arms, there are other
objects of equal importance before you.
Now that the government has triumphantly
passed through this mighty rebellion, the
most gigantic battles the world ever saw, the
problem is before you, and it is best that you
should understand it, and therefore ! speak
simply and plainly to you. Now, when you
have returned from the army of the United
States, and taken the position of citizens,
when you have returned to the avocations of
peace, will you give evidence to the world
that you are capable and competent to govern
yourself3 That is what you will have to do.
Liberty is not mere idea-a mere vagary.
1t is reality. And when you come to ex-
anime this question of liberty, You will be
mistaking mere idea for reality. 1t does
not consist in idleness. Liberty does not con-
sist IN being worthless. Liberty does mot
consist in doing all things as We please, and
there can be no liberty without law. In a
government Of freedom and of liberty there
must be law, and there must be obedience
and submission to the law, without regard to
color. lCheers. Liberty-may l not call
you my countrymen7-liberty consists in the
glorious privilege and work Of pursniug the
ordinary avocations of peace with industry
and with economy and, that being done, all
those who have been Industrious and econom-
ical are permitted to appropriate and enjoy
the products of their own labor. [Cheers. !
This is one of the great blessings of freedom,
and hence we might ask the question, and an
swer by stating that liberty means freedom to
work and enjoy the products of your own
labor. You will be soon mustered out Of the
ranks. 1t is for you to establish the great
fact that you are fit and qualified to be free.
Aence freedom is not mere idea, bat is
something that exists in fact. Freedom is
not simply the privilege to live in idleness.
Liberty does not mean simply to resort to the
low saloons and other places Of disreputable
character. Freedom and liberty do not mean
that the people ought to live in licentiousness.
But liberty means simply to be industrious,
to be virtuous, to be upright in all our deal
ings and relations with men. And to those
now before me, members of the Erst regi.
ment Of colored volunteers from the District
of Columbia and the capital of the United
States, have tossy that great deal depends
upon yourselves. Yon must give evidence
that you are competent for the rights that the
government has guaranteed to you. Hence
forth each and ali of you must be measured
sccording 10 your merit, and one n,aA Is more
meritorious than another. They cannot be
equals, and he is the most meritcrious with
out regard to color; and the idea of having a
law passed in the morning that will make a
wbite man black msn before night, and a
black man white man before DAY, Is absurd.
That 10 not the standard. It Is your own