Prescott journal. [volume] (Prescott, Wis.) 1861-1871, 1865-04-08
ADDRESS BY PRESIDENT LINCOLN.
His Views Of Slavery aud Negro Soldiers In
the Rebel Army-The Eaemy at the
End OF his Resources.
A depatch from Washington gives an ae-


! A depatch from Washington gives an ac
! count of the presentation 10 Governor Nor
| ton, of Indiana, on the 18th, of a rebel has
captured at Fort Anderson, below Whining
ton, by the 140th Indiana Voi Inteers. a
/ large crowd of people was IN attendance
J Governor Morton made brief Speech in the
course of which he congratulated auditors Oh
| the speedy end of the rebellion, and conclu
/ ded by introducing President Lincoln, whose
4 purity and patriotism, he said, were confessed
] by all, even amongst the most violent agita
/ tors. Applause His Administrator will
be recognized as the most important epoch Of
/ history. lG struck the death blow to slavery
| LapplauseI and built up the Republic with g
| power it had never before possessed. If he
had done nothing more than to put his name
| to the Emancipation PROCLAIM alton, that act
alone would have made his name immortal
| Applause.
| The President then addressed the assem-
| blage substantially as follows:
| FELLOW CITIZENS: 1t will be but few
words that | shall undertake to say. / was
| born in Kentucky, raised in Indiana and live
| in Illinois [laughter] ard l am now here.
where it is my duty to be, to care equally for
| the good people of all the States. am glad
| to see an Indiana regiment, on this day, able
to present this captured fig to the Governor
of the State of Indiana. Applause. an
not disposed, in saying this, to make distinc
ton between States, tor all have done equally
well. Applause.
"There are but few views or aspects OF
this great war, upon which have not said or
written something whereby my own views
might be made known. There is one-the
recent attempt of our "erring BRETHREN" az
they are sometimes called [laughterl, to EN-
ploy the negro to fight for them. l have
neither written nor made a speech upon that
subject, because that was their business and
not mine and if they had a 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
into the army, will fight for them? do not
know, and therefore cannot decide. Laugh
ter They ought to know better than we,
and do know. | have, in my lifetime, heard
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 ar
gument than any have yet heard. Laughter
and applause. He who will fight for that
ought TO be slave. Applause.
"They have concluded at last to take one
out of four of the slaves and put him in the
army, and that one out of four who will fight
to keep the others in slavery ought to be a
slave himself, unless he is killed in fight
Applause.
"Whlle / have often said that all men
ought to be free, yet / would allow those col
ored persons to be slaves who want to be,
and, next to them, those white men who
argue in favor of making other people slaves.
Applause.
q am in favor of giving an opportunity
to such white men to try it on for themselves.
[Applause.l | will say one thing with regard
to the negro being employed to fight for
them that do know. know that he cannot
fight and stay at home and make bread, too
laughter and applause, and as one is about
as important as the other to them, | don't
care which they do. Renewed applause. l.
am rather in favor OF having them try them
as soldiers. (Appause.) They lack one vote
of doing that, and / wish l could send my
vote over the wires, so that might cast il
in favor of allowing the negroes to fight
(Applause.) But they cannot fight and work
both. We must see the bottom of the en-
emy's resources.
"They will stand out as long as they can,
and, if the negro will fight tor them they
must allow him to fight They have drawn
upon their last branch of resources, lap
plause, and we can now see the bottom.
lAppiduse'J ain Sidu W see tHe emu 80
near at hand. [Applause.l
| II have said now more than intended TO-
and will, therefore, bid you goodbye"
! The President then retired, while the
crowd below saluted him with loud and hear
/ ty cheers, the band at the same time playing
! a lively tune.
Gov Morton then stepped forward and re-
marked that they had now seen the rebel
| flag, and he proposed that each man in favor
| Of the perpetuty of this Union should take
off his hat and give three cheers for the
Union flag. The request was responded tc
with a hearty good will. Three rousne
cheers were then given tor President Lin
| coin, and three more for Gov. Morton, after
which the band struck up Yankee Doodle