Baltimore daily commercial. [volume] (Baltimore, Md.) 1865-1867, 1866-04-11

WASHINGTON, April l0.--Speaker CoifaX was sere-
naded tonight at his residence by citizens of indiana
who had already paid like compliment to Senator
Lane of that State; Mr.. Colfax in acknowledging
myself rejoice with exceeding great joy and are
prouder to- day of being citizens of this great country
than ever before. There was time in this land of
ours when slavery was regarded the corner stone
of American institutions Thank God that time has
passed, and we build henceforth on foundation of
liberty. Applause.
To-day, under the legislation of the American
Congress- in the great Republic shaped by the geOg-
raphy of continent, and washed by the waters of
the two great of the globe there is person.
rich or poor, high or humble, learned unlearned
who does not live in security under the protection Of
of the great Union organization of which i have
been member than ever before Its history is nobly
written in the history of our country. Administra-
tons and Congresses and parties may pass away but
the record which the great party has made will shine
with brighter glory on our countrys pages than any
other IN the annals of our history.
When the great rebellion broke out, and when our
ship of State rocked in fearful and co-fearfu storm
andwas threatened byia terrible muiny the Union or
ganlzatlon stood gntnchingy by noble President
the martyred Lincoln in his determination to crush
the conspiracy, and preserve the Government intact
And when 1t was propheSied to US by false tongues
who at the same time shouted no coercion" that
the rebellion could not be subjugated. the Union
phalanx determined that it'should be. When Your
armies neeled reiut0rcements, they took voluntarily
upon themselves the sdi4lG Of CONSUMPTION laws and
drafts, because they were necessary for the country
When the Treasury needed to be filed they took
upon themselves the responsibility and odium of
Laws that our flag might be kept flying in the field
They did this relying upon the justice of their cause
and went hsfose the pe4ple ani triumphed. The
enactments, too. Of that great party are lnpeGish
but they determined that honoeforth it should be
placed upon Inc stat4te book that law which never
can be and never shall be feaeal24 -that in this
Capital should be no slave IAppaus6.i
In 1858 our noble and great hearted President is
sued his Proclamation of Emancipation striking with
the battle OF the Union that powerful element of
rebel strength, and the Union larry "f the country
stood by him, determined to give that proclamation
vitality, they did by an endorsement of the peo
pie in the winter Of 1864 and 1865, when the CoUsti
tutiOnal amendment was proposed ia tha Congress of
the United States, banishipg slavery forever from
the country az an uncean thing and declaring that
henceforth and forever it should be the home of the
free.
That great organization again and unitedly rallied
to its support, and placed that amendment on the
statute books. 1t is the supreme law of the land
ate Chamber and in the Representative Hall, they
have placed, by overwhelming EiaioritieS, that Civil
Rights bill statute book which declares that
every one born on American soil shall have birth
right as an American citizen. lCheers.
That law misrepresented as it has been by its OPP
ponenis IN Congress- will never be repealed and in
the years that are yeS to 1oe Will be the proudest
recoi1 Gti2n and the GROWING hour of those men
who stood up in the national councils that they
to that American magma charter their cordial sup
port. And ghy should there be objection to law
like that. Every oEe born on the soil o. the Sep2ap
owes to it allegiance. and IS II not the duty
of the Republic to give them its protection? Hence
pressed or outraged or his rights withheld wherever
tyranny may shake its sceptre over him he has but
Government for that protection, which the Congress
of the United States has ordained in his right. ZAP
We are sometimns asked. and know with what
solcitude the American people tsga1d Il, yhV the
work Of reconstruction has been delayedf l do not
think 1t has been unreasonable delayed, The Presi
dent OF the United States IN the eight months be-
tween the collapse of the rebellion and the open
ing of this Congress, was engage. n tie work. fol-
lowing that policy which seemed to him most fitting
and Congress has been engaged for the past four
months N collecting testimony, IN comparing opin
ions and action to lay the foundation Of that plan of
reconstruction which shall make our Union eternal
as the algeE., Applause
But they have already, IN past years, initiated
policy OF reconstructiop. In 1852 they placed on the
statute book the first law indicating heir policy OF
reconstruction. The lazy known as the Test Oath.
declaring that no man shall be eligible for any fed
eral office who could not that he had not vol
unfairly borne against the Union, and had not
voluntarily given aid and comfort to bloody conspira
That Law vas weli understood by the American
people, south as well as Norm. No orc expected
that when he rebellion had its armies in the held
against the Union. any enc would come knocking at
the doors OF Congress, claiming 10 represent the
States Of Alabama, Georgia. Mississippi, South or
North Carolina, Florida or Texas, but it was de-
clared that when the rebellion should end, the men
who had insultingly turned their backs on Congress
and spurned their seats who had killed the Unions
defenders and sought to capture the Capital would
with the assurance of oden times demand that they
should govern the country which they had inefect-
That test oath was placed there as the flaming
sword at the Garden Of Eden to warn such men that
till there were fruits meet for repentance or bonds
for future good behaviour, there was no place in
those precincts for them. [Cheers Again the policy
of reconstruction was indicated by Congress in
the winter Of 1854, when, it passed nearly
unanimously, and without tho yeas and nays,
joint resolution that the Vice President in count
ing the Presidential vote should not count the cleo
toral of State that had been engaged in the
rebellion. intended to proclaim that until Con
sresg removed their disqualifcaons by laws resor-
ing them &c their rights they should stand back
Congress has therefore " these two striking amend
ments indicated its policy of reconstruction. But
the Constitution has in still palmer language de-
should rest. r
1t has declared that every State shall be gparan-
tees republican form of government, and in SUBJ
sequent section it declares that Congress shall have
power to make all laws necessary and proper to
carry INTO execution all the powers vested In it In
any department or officers of the Government. This
was intended to declare that Congress is the only
s'W-maklng power of this land and By the Consti-
luton t9 Congress and to Congress alone, we
must look TOR !egalzed reconstruction, Cheers