Delaware tribune. [volume] (Wilmington, Del.) 1867-1877, 1867-09-19

Letter from schuyler coIfax.

Letter from Schuyler COIfaS.
HE APPRECIATES THE sITtATioN-TiiINks IT.
HIGHLY PROPER THAT CONGRESS SHOULD
INQuiRE INTO THE REPUBLICAN FORM OF
TlIE BORDER STATE GOVERNMENTS AMI
THAT n Is man TIME 10 Define WHAT 4
REPUBLICAN, GOVERNMENT Is.
In reply TO mn invitation to speak At The Border
State Convention, Speaker Colfax wrote the fol-
lowing letter to Hon. john l.. Thomas, Jr., of
Baltimore. After explaining that il Is impossible
for lin to be present, he says;
shall watch the proceedings of your Convcn-
ton with the deepest interest. The country
scarcely realizes how sorcly tried are the faithful
Union men of the Border States, especially those
Of Maryland, Delaware and Kentucky the States
OF West Virginia, Tennessee and Missouri being
administered under happier auspices. When in
Kentucky last June, just before the meeting Of
Congress, was panied and saddencd at what !
heard from its most reliable citizens, of the arr0
giant and dOmincering conduct of the dominant
Rebel sentiment there, and ii convinced nc that
the House OF Representatives should at least in
lnlrc, as in July ii resolved to do into what Kind
Of constituencies had elected the Representatives
sent to the National Councils.
At the samc session, although come Of our
friends hcsitited when Mr.. kelsey, Of NcwYork,
offered his resolution instructing the judiciary
Committee to inquire If Maryland, Delaware and
Kentucky had republican State governments, SO
that the vote on seconding the previous question
was u tie, gave the casting vote In the allirna-
tive, because | honestly thought IL was n most
important and most timely inquiry. N is time 10
settle mhm is 'd ,tpaJhcaH gorernmom." ia
!Stute which enjyuachiScs ~ Me tens oj'housdnis
ereiy man whO bare aims 10 dt shOyMe ndti0n, ard
along with them every man who took official
oaths of allegiance to u socallcd government,
which could only cxi,ton the ruins Of the rcpub-
lie. dhd al he srme time disfidnchises by he tens
of'MonSdn,iS oher mea who are fee ciizens Of he
Iniicd Stiics, and unnistoknJiy bgai u such a
State has republican government, I uOuM lie
same learned ju"iSf 10 inform us rhW wond BE- an
mti-repaJiicdn gore,nmieat
If n State where loyalty is made odiois, and
devotion to the Union in its darkest hours of
trial, is punished by ostracism, outrage and dis
honor and the bitterest cnmity and bloodicst hos
tilty To the Republic is the s,ircst passport to
cial distinction, TO public honor, and 10 official
trust; II that Kind of government is one that the
United States is to guarantcc-and that means to
secure To indorsc to protgct-our revolutionary
fathers must have sadly misunderstood the mean
ing Of the language they placed SO solcmnly and
cmphatcally in the Constitution. will not in
suit their memories by believing H.
have the fullest faith that Congress, which
has dared to defy Rebel hate and Executive Oblo-
guy and reyiling, will not allow such conduct To
men everywhere and they will do j.. ,, :,
doubt that they will also execute that constit,l-
tional guarantee so wisely and so thoroughly
that, hereafter Union men in the Border States,
as elsewhere, shall realize that devotion to the
country has not brought upon them dishOnor,
tyranny and oppression, but that throughout the
whole Republic every one who has proven his
love of the Union and who rcjoiccs In lis prcser
walton shall bo adequately protected against all
enemies by the power of the land he helped to
save. SCHUYLER CoiFAN.