Daily Ohio statesman. [volume] (Columbus, Ohio) 1855-1870, 1866-04-13
QDglloI, Statesman, II I,
y .nHit.rif.,. ". tInfi-..
Methodist Centenary Meeting.
Speech by Chief Justice Chase-He De-
mands Suffrage for the Freedmen.


Church, New York, on Monday night, to
celebrate the Centenary of American Meth
odism, aud help the raising of fund to
build mission house in New York City,
Chief Justice Chase presided, and made the
opening speech, as follows: i.4. .eJ..-t avT
i am told that on taking the chair fought
to address a few words to the people here
assembled. My engagements have been
such, and so aFduous, that 1t has been impOs-
sible for me to prepare anything like regu-
lar address, and you will not expect that. l
shall accomplish all that is necessary, [
hope, if express the earnest sympathy
feel in the work which has called you to-
gether tonight. 1t leads us to look back,
and it bids us to look forward-a huudrad
years ago, and q hundred years hence.
The speaker proceeded to dwell briefly up
on the work of the church during the last
hundred years in the various departments
of human Improvement, drawing the con-
trast between its position at that time, and
its present position, and noting its amaz-
| ing progress in numbers, wealth and in
| f1uence during that time. He spoke of the
church as synonymous with liberty and
the regeneration of man; as having
been cOeval with the establishment of
our Government, and as standing In the
vanguard of all great movements of reform,
and the loyal church as aiding greatly in
bringing our late conflict to q successful
end. Heproceeded to speak Of the reforms
wrought by the war. He continued: A
slave is represented upon the Roman stage
in play written by "a Roman, who was
| himself slave, uttering eighteen hundred
years ago these words, standing in front of
| Roman audience: ~ reckon nothing that
is human as alien to me-" Think of the
force of those words in that day! Roman
citizenship embraced all there was that was
considered valuable in the world; and here
was man outside the pale of Roman citi-
zenship standing up to say, IL reckon moth
ing human alien to me-" And thunders Of
applause greeted thaT sentiment from Ro-
man lips. Applause.] Then it was moth
ing in which men thoroughly believed;
nothing for which any man was willing to
die. But now that principle comes down
from Heaven; comes down from Him who
shed his precious blood for all men, now
has breathed upon the heart of this great
nation, so that it has come to acknowledge
| nothing human alien to it, and that il is
willing and ready to do all its duty to the
| humblest of mankind. shall never forget
with what sentiments | learned that one
great act of Justice was put forth, by the
American people, in the name of him who,
through an assassin's hand, has been sent
to his home, we trust in Heaven, and to be
perpetually remembered among men for
his kindness of heart, his conscientiousness
and his goodness. He resolved, as he told
me himself, one night lying in his bed, med
itating upon the state of the country, that
if it should please God to drive the
army of Lee from Pennsylvania, that he
would proclaim freedom to the slave. ZAP
plause.] Lee was driven from Pennsylva-
mia. Mr., Lincoln said to me, IL wish he had
been driven further, but have got to do it,
and will issue the proclamation" TAp-
| plause. And the proclamation was issued,
how cautiously guarded, you know, at first;
but the ninety or hundred days rolled on,
and the 1st of January came, and the proc
lamatiOn was madea great fact in Ameri-
can history. Every human being through
out the length and breadth of this land re-
eeived from the American nation, through
its honored head, pledge that they should
be maintained in their freedom. And now
this proclamation has been consummated as
part of the American Constitution, as part
of the American system. But there is more
work to be done. Slaves emancipated are
but half men. They must be educated.-
They must have the gospel preached to
them, and we have missionaries going
abroad through the length and breadth Of
the land, preaching to them; and every
where noble women and noble men are con-
centrating their energies to work to their
interests. But this is not all that is -neces-
! sary. The faith that has been pledged to
them by the nation, that they shall be main
tanned in freedom, mustbe redeemed and
to-day we have the intelligence that the
Congress of the United States, representing
| the heartfelt sentiments and the fixed re-
solves of the whole American loyal people,
| hor Il 1aola raH bof fbaS Il
shall be equal in civil rights with all other
men. [Applause.l A step further, and
many steps further are necessary, for it is a
long work, which is to raise whole peoples;
and one of these steps is, that they TO tohOn.
gOu haze gtDen freedom must be permitted 10
defend 10 by The bOllot. feeble applause.l |
And speaking here, between the two centu-
ries, should be unfaithful to my own con-
victions II | refrained from uttering that
| word before you. Then let us look for
| ward. This work is all to be done. Civil
! rights are to be secured; fraternity is to be
established; we are to feel that every man
1 that wears the image of God is entitled to
all the rights which God has given his peo7
/ pie. Everything is to be lett there for the
i operation Of those natural laws by which
men raise themselves in society, each se-
Letting those whom he prefers for his asso-
ciates, and no man dreaming that any other
man has less right to life, liberty, and the
pursuit of happiness, and the means by
| which life, liberty, and the pursuit of hap
i piness are guaranteed and defended than
he has himself. And now, my friends, SO
much for what the Influences of the church
have done thus far. A hundred years to
come-when we look back and see what
God hath wrought, when we look back and
See what he has accomplished through all
these latter days, throughall this work and
tranchisement--what can we think of
1 the hundred years to conner Who can tell
what this lnation is to become, If it is only
i faithful to itself? Who can measure the
\ work this church has put forth in making
this nation true to itselfand true to its God?
i verify believe that, but for this church,
nothing of that which we have thus far re-
allied could have been accomplished. L
verify believe that God, In his providence,
a raised up this church, | do not say, he did
4 not give appropriate action to other church,
es. but / do verify believe that God rais-
I ed up this church for the purpose of lead
ling this nation to thesegfand results. And
now this church is celebrating her eentel-
ary.. She is calling upon members Of other
denominations, and am glad that others
II and their households are ready to COME
j forward, recognizing what she has done,
/, sympathizing with her, and ready to aid
her in still greater measures of usefulness.
l'This church is preparing, thus aided, to
q take her place 1a6ot to take her place as she
a has takenit, buttQ keep her place, and to
move forward In the van of Christianity
and moral regeneration. And then Ishalll