Fayette County herald. [volume] (Washington [Washington Court House], Fayette County, O. [Ohio]) 1860-1???, 1867-03-14
MR.. CoLFAX,

MR.. CoLFAX,
Having been reelected Speaker 0
J the House of Representatives il
Congress, on taking bis scat, spok
as follows:
GENTLEMEN - Elected for tn
third time to this responsible an,
trying position, / appreciate NOR
than ever before, the Importance o
the trust, and realize more than whel
first entering on its efficient dut,
The absolute necessity Of your con
fidence and support nor do | over
rate t gravity Of our position a
Americans and legislators.
The years have never dropped
their sands on mortal issue vas
and grand as ours to-day. A ma
ton decimated by the conflict O
fraternal strife; a land desolatet
under the destructive marches O.
hostile armies people with the
fruits of prolonged wars ripened in,
to a harvest of hearts, heavy witt
bereavement and broken with an.
guish, look anxiously from Nortll
and South alike, and by that light
should we walk.
1t is to guide our steps by the
justice ofGod and the rights ofmen.
1t is to Danish all malice and re-
venge and to justify our faith by
our works, 1t is to anchor our
legislation on what the great Com
moner Of England, John Bright, de
clares to be the simple but sublime
principle upon which great national
questions should be settled, the ba-
sis Of eternal rights.
1t is to write on our banner these
words, which will shine brighter
than the stars that gem the Grma-
ment--Liberty, Loyalty, and Law !
1t is to make history that posterity
shall rise up and call us blessed
The Congress which has just passed
away has written q record that will
be long remembered by the poor
and friendless whom it did not for
get; misrepresentcd or misunder-
stood by those who denounced us
as enemies; harshly and unjustifled-
ly criticised by some who should
have been its friends,
1t proved itself to have been more
faithful to human progress and lib
erty than any Of its predecessors.
The outraged and oppressed found
in these Congressional halls cham
pions and friends Its keynote Of.
policy was protection to the down
troddGn, 1t quailod not before the
mightiest, nor neglected the most
obscure, 1t lifted up the slave,
whom the nation had freed, to the
full stature Of manhood, and it
placed on our statute books the Civ
il Rights bill, as our national magma
chprta, grander than all enactments
that honor the American code, and
in all the region where civil govern
ment had been destroyed by a van
quished rebellion, it declared as a
guarantee of defense to the weak
est that the freeman's hand should
WELD the freeman's ballot, II pro.
claimed that there could be no safe
orloyal reconstruction on a founda.
ton Of unrepentAnt treason and
disloyalty.
Fortunate it will be forus If, when
we surrender these seats to our
we can point to record |
which will show, on our history's |
page, like that of the Congress
which has just expired. Thrice for
bunate, II, when we leave this capt
5ol, our whole national structure
shall be permanently restored, rest
ug on the sure foundation stones
IF Loyalty, Unity, Liberty and
Right
With such conviction of duty,
come to this chair to administer
your rules, but not as partizan, in
which alone a presiding officer can
lot be sustained, pledging you in
'eturn an tnfexible impartiality,
which shall be proven by my deeds,
md invoking on your deliberations
he favor Of Him who holds the
leatinies Of nations in the palms of
His hands, ! am now ready to take
iho oath OF office prescribed by law,
The Speaker was solemnly sworn
nto Office by Mr., Dawes, the men,
Dor having the longest continued
service, and then the Speaker pro-
,eeded to administer the oath to the
BY States