Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1867-05-16

| Battles OF the RebelIton-~Thetr Lessons
--Ths Thirty-ninth Congress and Its
Aots--Pressnt Consition OF the Country,
| &C., 90.
From pte New York &m. II
At the Union League Club House in
Union Square, Now York, on Monday
evening, at reception given to Speaker
Colfax, after the delivery of his lecture
at irving Hail. Mr.. John Jay, the Presi-
dent of the Club, upon taking the chair,
introduced Mr.. Colfax to the meeting In
some complimentary remarks, conclud-
ing rs f0llowsi
\ Gentlemen, In your name, offer to our
illustrlous guest, personally and officially,
1 our heartfelt congratulations and most
cordial welcome, and have the honor snd
pleasure to introduce to you Mr.. Speaker
Colfax. Applause
Mr.. Colfax on rising to respond was
greeted with cheers. He spoke az fol-
lows: 't
at is ensy, Mr.. President and gentle
men of the Union League Club, when
! trebiy armed with the merits of good
cause, TO bear or answer the attacks of
enemies; butit Is always difficult to reply
to the cordial greetings and the partial
language of valued friends. Faithful as
I have always strived to be, to the prin-
ciples and duty, the long continued con-
fidence of my immediate constituents
has been both an incentive and a reward.
But when gentlemen conspicuous rs
yourselves in the great Metropolitan city,
identified with this noble organization on
which the Government leaned in the
darkest hours of trial and peril, join with
them in this endorsement, 1 scarcely
know what words to use in o fitting ac-
acknowledgements, and can only say,
, would that were worthier.' Wescarce-
ly realize land must speak again of our
country as in the Lecture Hall an hour
ago. how rapidly and yet how gloriously
weare making history; but posterity will
, read it on the open pages of our country's
> annals. jSir gears dgo-how brief 1t
seems--but o fraction of an individuals
life--but breadth in the life of nation
the banner of rebellion waved over
! hostile armies and stolen forts from the
, Potomac to the Rio Grande, and the on
. looking worlds predicted the certain
downfall of the Republic. Now, thanks
TO our gallant armies and their gallant
t commanders-Grant the infiexible-
# Sherman the conqueror-Sheridan the
:, invincible--and all their fearless COM
u patriots on sea and shore, but one flag
Y waves over the land--the flag that
Washington loved, and that jackson,
and Scott, and Taylor adorned with
l. their brilliant victories-the flag dearer
n to us in all its hours of peril than when
= gilded with the sunshine Of prosperity
'i and famed by the zephyrs Of peace, at
3 last triumphant, unquestioned, unas-
s. sailed. Sic gears ago millions of human
l. beings, born on American soil, created
by the same divine Father, destined to
the same Eternal Hereafter, were SUBJ
Is ject to sale like the swine Of the sty or
's the beasts of the field, and our escutch-
le eon was dimmed and dishonored by the
n stain of American slavery. To-day, auc-
e. ton blocks and manacles, and whipping
s, posts are thank God, things of the past
ID while the slave himself has become the
D. citizen, with the freeman's weapon Of
y protection-the ballot in his own right
+ hand. [Applause.] Nor can we forget
70 while rejoicing over this happy contrast
the human agencies so potential in its
accomplishment. First, and conspicu-
GUS among the rest rises before my mind
TT the tall form of martyred President
y whose welcome step no mortal ear shall
" ever listen to again. Faithful to his
~ oath faithful to his country faithful to the
50 brave armies his word called to the field
IVY he never swerved hairs breadth from
ne his determination to crush this mighty
"a Rebellion, and all that gave it aid, and
u comfort, and support. Applause. Un-
n justly and bitterly denounced by his en-
Il, emies, and yours rs usurper and des.
at pot compared to Nero and Caligula, and
Q. all other tyrants whose base deeds black
II en- the pages of history, your noble
90 League stood by him amid this tempes
~ of detraction, cordially and to the end
~ and you have now your abundant vindi
ly cation and reward. Though the torci
n of slander was lit at every avenue of hi
r. public life while he lived, the civilized
H. world would become mourners at hi
X coffin; and with those sslibelous tougue
no hushed, our whole land enshrines hi
Oh memory to-day with the Father of thu
)O, country he saved. Again, when in tn
&C. very crisis of the nations agonies h.
at struck with the battle-ax Of the wa
g power against slavery as the cause of al
he our woes, you stood by him, upholdin,
ct his hands and dstrengthening him in tina
no eventful conflict. Enemies assailed yol
by with epithet and invective. You wer
In. called negro worshipers, fanatics an,
ce radicals But on the stump, at the poll
ed and In Congress, we all faced the issu
lr. fearles4ly and the world-accursed system
A went down forever and forever. Ap
ir- plalise. No thanks to our opponent
yis FOR this beneficent contamination. Blu
Is, now our enemies being our judges hov
sc magnificently are we indorsed! VIII
ar dares now to wag his tongue against 1t
lis Who repeats the ISLANDERS heaped upol
Oh you but yesterday? Not one. Your
was the contest, you bore the opprobri
am, and yours the victory. And you
n children and your chlldren's children
he will rise up to call you blessed, because
TN you dared, despite the wrath Of traitor
tn South and the invectives Of your Oppo
Is, nents North. to strike this giant wr0nl
ed from turret to foundation stone, evel
lie, amid the agonies and throes of civil wal
:" and to crush II out in this fair land for
m ever. Renewed applause But othe
do duties to tho country yet remained to b
x performed and you, and those VIII
he thought with you, girded your l0ins 70
en- the work. The Thirty-Ninth Congress
he the noblest and most patriotic body Q
= men have ever seen assembled at tn
Capitol during my dozen years Of publi
re service-wisely rejecting the ill-advlse
.or policy Of an Executive whose highes
N ambition aud desire seem TO have beel
ON to destroy the party. that elevated hir
i'm 10 power, proposed . Constitutions
ais Amendment, embodying great prime
1 plies, that they deemed should be embed
X ded irreversibly In the National Const
ka Mi raj MT for IQUaI m