Marshall County Republican. (Plymouth, Ind.) 1856-1878, 1866-04-26
The Hon. Schuyler Colfax.


The Hon. Schuyler COiEaX.
Speeeh in Response 10 a SerenaLe- What the Union
Organization has d0ne-Ths Question of Re
construction
! In Washington, on the evening of April 10Th,
Speaker Colfax was serenaded By citizens Of Indi-
ana In acknowledging the compliment, Mr. C.
spoke as follows:
! He thanked them for the honor OF the call, and
reiOiced with them moro than ever before in the
glory OF citizenship in the American Republic. To
day, In all this broad land shaped by the geogra-
nv Of a continent and washed by the waters Of
the two great oceans Of the globe. there is no man.
high low rich poor. learned or unlearned that
I Is not under the protection of equal laws. lie
was proudtr too. thln ever before of the Union
organization which had stood SD faithfully by the
country in the hour of its peril. When the ship
1 of state was rocked in a fearful storm aid men
aced 10y terrible mntiny. IL had stood firm aud
+ fearlessly by the noble pilot whose hand was
the helm When the armies needed replenishns
il had faced all the oium OF conscrption laws and
the draft When the treasury needed to he filled
( il had not feared the odum or responsibility of
tax laws to keep our flag ever flying in the
/ field.
But its acts will lise on the page of history. snd
| long after Administrations, and Congresses. and
parties pass away, posserity will honor those no
form that patriotic phalanx to day. In 1862, they
resolved that this capitol should no longer be dis
graced by the fOotstrp of the slave; and .heir leg
islstion made this heart OF the nation free. In
1853 they stood by our since murdered Lincoln
in the proclaim ition of EN- incip I:;On which has
made his name immortal and affirmed it by their
/ approval. In lS61-5 they lIbored unitsdly for
the constitutional amendment, which, since rati
fed has abolished slavery forever from the land.
In lo66 their Senator's and Representatives have
placed on the statute book, by the overwhelming
ma orities. tie civil rights bill, that every man
born on American soil has n birth right as an
American citizen. lie owes it allegiance by his
birth right: he be anu should be punished for
treason if he repudiatss that allegiance; and for
that allegiance he is entitled 20 protection. Now,
in every portion Of the Republic, whoever Is
wrongei or oppressed can turn To the national
~ and National Government, for that protection
which has been ordained to be his right.
Ii is sometimes asked why reconstruction has
been delaved; but i. has not been. The Presi-
det hiss the power, by the Constitution, on eX
tr,ordinary occasions to convene Congress Last
April three events occurred; the murder eff Prcsi-
dent Lincoln by rebel conspirator; the Vice
PI esidens assuming the duties of the Presidency
and the collapse OF the rebellion This would
seem to be extraordinary occasion And il
Congress had been called together then they would
daubtess have enacted policy which would have
met the Presidential approval, and thus ooncurred
in by two branches of the Government the South
would have acquiesced, seeing no hope for ANYTHING
else bu. the President who had the right under I'll,
Constitution. not 10 cInvcne Congress, did pJ.
and with the work o! rsco5struction with
out the aid of law. He devoted the eight month:
} between April aid December to the work Con
gress did not meet till December, and could not
4 as they could not convene earlier except by the
call OF the President. They have b-en four
months nj the work devolvcd on them and onl,
D one month ago received from the Executive tht
= official documents necessary TO enable them I,
know what had been done. The President declar
ed last May, in his proclamation, that civil govern
ments had been destroyed in the rebel States Tht
: constitution requires the United States TO guar
j autee to every State Republican form Of Gov
. eminent. And the same Constitution declare
+ that Congress alone sh ii! have authority to max
sll laws necessary AMI proper 10 rry into e1ccu
4 ton all powers vested bv the Constitution in tn
r Government, or any department or officer there
:. Of
But Congress has already Initiated a policy 0
reconstruction First by the test nth o, 1852,
q clariu. that no one shall hold Federal office ufl
p. less uuler oath thtt he hid not voun.a rily IT
. tcipatel in or aided the rebellion. NJ one tx
pected that while the rebel armies were in III
a field they would claim seats as Cong eSsmen, o
Il appointments rs Collectors, Assessors or Pos,mis
n tes but it was intended 10 show. when the reb FL
"A lion ended that the men who had endeavorsd /;
4 DESTROY the Government must take back seats
hands OF Union men whD had been flthfui to tn
country. no mltter how humble or how much i
:he minority they might have been. Secondly, b
q the law o. lc6f passed in Congress almost unan
y imousiy, fOrbiddng the Vice President TO eoui
= electoral votes from the States which had been i
rebellion. showing that there must be some lesi.
,f Luton to restore them to the rig they ~ uI
% cd and forfeited.
=. The Presidents exp rimcnt has been entered o
with patriotic intent. Llst summer he telegraph
r. Cd to the Governors of FloriIa and MississipI
that their restoration depended on n.ress. Blu
however pltriotcally intended, it has NOT deve
Is oped the hoped for loyalty in the South.
il Mr. COllax said if he asked what was I'll
S true policy OF reconstruction, be answered that
/ could be found in the speeches of Andrew J0hnso
. from June 1864, to May, 1865. tie iniJrsc,
;. Mr.. Johnson's speech mt Nashville tn
v night he was nominated for Vice Pre- lrnt TIL
'. people inaOrsed tby Lis election in November.
Endorsed Mr. Johnson,s speech here Just a We.
ago. on the arrival OF the news-o Lees surrcnde
and which withhis Nashville speech, showed h
e construction OF the Baltimore platform. He endorse
IA them then, AMI could not ullsarn them now +. c,
speeches OF Mr.. Johnson. delivered then with I
N much earnes.ness AMI emphasis could all be COZ
l. densed into sentence Loyal men must govern
Ie preserved Republic" Congress stand. firmly ;
m thlt doctrine. Their plan Of reconstruction wi
d enbody it. And unless are false to ourselye
;. false TO our country, false to the brave men VIII
r. left happy homes TO die for the Union, we sha
IA proclaim and enac; that Loyal men must cover
/ A DresPrypd Ranui,iic