Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1866-02-15
Deferred Locals.

| ASSASSINATION ana Its Lessons" The large
| audience room was crowded 10 its utmost ca
| pacity-many being obliged to stand. Among
| others present Hon. Daniel Wilmot, of Pa
Hon. w. ID. Kelly, of Pa, and the old colored
| woman Sojourner Truth, and number Of COL
| ored persons.
About tx O'Clock the orator entered, in COM
| pany with Chief Justice Chase, Rev DIR. Ma
| dal, of Wesley Chapel, and Douglas, Jr., when
| he was received with yociferous applause frc m
| all parts of the house.
| Judge Chase took the chair, and after DIR.
| sunderland had read portion OF the scrip
| lures, commencing AT the 31st verse of the 25th
chapler OF Matthew, introduced the speaker,
| stduhg mat many years ago a young man, a
| slave in Maryland, feeling an inperishabIe de-
| sire for freedom fed to free state where self
| ehlranchIsed and self-educated. he advanced
| In knowledge until he took rank with the most
| intelligent of the country.
| Mr. Douglas, in his address smoke of the tvvo
| great events OF the past year-the downfall of
me rebellion and the assassination OF the Pres
| ident.
A new year had lately dawned upon rs We
| mad hoped much upon if, but there was reason
for grave apprehension. There was reason 10
| than even assassination, and this crime which
| we had cause TO dread was nothing less than
| the abandonment of all the advantages won by
| the war-the freeing of the American bond
| man. Oh when will the American peopIe
| learn rightly the lessons of their own history
| Many shocks have fallen upon them, chief
| among which was the assassination. Had the
question of settling the status of the negro been
submitted to them on the morning after THAI
event there is no doubt as 10 what they wouId
have done. They would have put away from
| among them every vestige of slavery.
| The crime of crimes which now threatens
this nation rs not one that kills the body but
| one that murders the soul OF the nation. 1t is
one that strikes at the national honor. II is
one that must bring upon the nation the gath
| cred wrath of God and man. In Washington
the crime of crimes which oyerhangs us and
threatens MS is nothing less than the base, the
wanton betrayal of this Republic by the very
manly the very man IN whom this generous
nation has confded the care Of lis honor: the
base and wanton surrender of all the efforts of
this terrible war back again into the hands of
| the very men who, with broad blades and
bloody hands, have sought TO destroy the
nation.
The people were already beginning TO mani
fest desire to conciliate, and that maudIln
magnanImity that is now our greatest danger.
II was becoming fashionable to speak of rebel
generals in terms of the highest respect and
men Were almost as thankful to Lee for sur-
rendering as to Grant for making him surren-
der. But what did this leniency avail Was
the IRON heart of slavery softened by ftl No:
nor ever will be. Nothing will ever soften in
save the military power of the United States.
For il seized that moment when there was
nothing to be gained, and when we of the
North were medItating mercy, to deal upon
the nations head its heaviest blow, by muir
ever known.
But why take this theme now, it may be
asked. Because he would underseore the as
sassinaton, and warn the American people to
have care that, in the process of reconstruc-
ton, they do not leave in the soil some root or
hore out OF which may spring other rebellions
and other assassinations.
Perhaps, said the speaker you would like to
know how came TO visit Mr.. Lincoln He
invited me. 1t was significant fact both Tor
the men and the times. First, it showed that
he had moral courage; that he remembered he
was a man as well as a President; and if there
is one thing tonight that impresses me more
than another, IL is that we have presiding over
this meeting one who remembers that ne is a
man and Christian, Notwithstanding the er-
mine. Ii required moral courage 10 open this
church tonight for meeting of this character
But let me say that remember a time when
abolitionism could ride in omnibus. He said
he had known il IN its infancy and in its child
hood, and to-day he saw il giant, and woe
betide those who stand in its pathway, for they
must fall. Some men had physical courage
and would look down the throat of a cannon.
nut could not encounter prejudice that re-
quired moral courage. This courage Mr.. Lin
coin had; and not only did he invite a black
man 10 his house, but also invited him to the
Soldiers Home TO take tea with him.
But this invitation implied more than moral
courage and freedom from prejudice. 1t
showed that Mr.. Lincoln comprehended the
situation, and saw what was coming. He was
a tall man, morally as well as physically, and
great moral truths shed their lustre on his
brow long before they reached the dwellers in
valleys or delivers in copper mines. He had
before said that had Mr. Lincoln been living
to-day, he would have stood with those who
stood foremost, and gone with those who
went farthest He said this because he knew
him TO be progressive man-one who did
not begin as a Moses and end as Pharaoh
He learned wisdom from war, and he would
have learned it from peace. He had during
his life expressed the opinion that two classes
of colored men should be enfranc chised-those
who had fought in our armies and those who
were educated; and at the same time he desired
10 see the means provided whereby all could
receive the education necessary to fit them for
this privilege.
He had said this event was necessary, and he
charged it home on slavery. II was true that
II had been disclaimed on the part of the South.
Mason, the rebel emissary in England, had
hastened TO tell us that she was not RESPONSE
BILE; yet the shadow does not cling closer to the
object by which II is cast than does this crime
10 slavery. For thirty years the language of
slavery has been death 10 any one who ven-
tured TO oppose il; besides, this crime accords
with the whole catalogue of the barbarities of
the war, which extended even TO the going
down into their bloody graves of sons and
brothers, TO steal their skulls for drinking cups
and their bones for trinkets. Where will you
find anything like 1t accords well with the
throwing off the railroad track Of trains bear
ing women and children and other non- COM
batants. the firing OF hotels in the hearts of
populous cities, the poisoning of springs, the
attempt TO spread infection, the starving of
our prisoners, and the infamous crime of
poisoning them by vaccination. 1t also raises
the suspicion that Abraham Lincoln was not
the first victim. Harrison, after serving one
month, died, and was succeeded by a man de-
voted TO the interests of slavery. Taylor had
but Just announced himself in favor of the ad-
mission of California as free State when he
sycophant whose name is found at the bottom
of the fugitive slave law. Even James Buch-
anan was poisoned at the National Hotel and
had he died would have been succeeded by
Breckinridge.
"But, Douglass" you may ask, "why do Won
bring these things before us Just now, when we
want to come together and forget past differ
ences ~ Because there is a lesson in them. Ii
was shrewd remark of General Banks that
republics have short memories. The speaker
sand that if he were a minister of the Gospel he
would like to preach TO the American peopIe
for six months from one text and thai text
should be, .sRemember Lots wife" He would
show that nations should have memories. ON
but we want peace. There is an old book which
says, "tirst pure, then peacPabe.n Some of
our leading men are preaching forgiveness, and
some Of them preaching forgiveness even with
ont repentance. The speaker had always sup
posed that Christianity was, in this respect the
model OF hberality; but even this imposed one
condlnon as an antecedent to the forgiveness OF
san, ana mat was repentance. Let our Southern
brethren repent; let them put away from among
them the last remnant of slavery. No one
should be forgiven with the old iniquities still
living in his heart, and we have at least the
right to see that our Southern brethren have