The Tiffin weekly tribune. (Tiffin, Ohio) 1859-1868, 1868-08-06
Schuyler Colfa1 at Home.

Several speeches we're made by gen
tlemeu present. Mr.. Colfax was re
peatedly called on, and as often de-
clined speaking. Finally, however
he yielded to necessity, and delivered
the following eloquent and feeling
address;
LADIES AND GENTLEMEN 1 sup
pose you think that / came here &c
make a speech, but you are somewhat
disappointed. think it is a pecu-
liarity of our American people, more
than any other people in the world
that whenever they can hnd a man in
public life, at railroad station, on q
railroad train, or at a public meeting,
they insist that he shall make a
speech. have spoke to you SO
often in the years that are past in
this beloved city Of South Bend that
l think you are weary of healing my
voice. Cries of " Neveri"1 | have
been making you political speeches,
and Sunday-school speeches, aud
lectures, &C., ad infnitun, for many
years past, and 1 believe you have
always been willing to listen to me
when | had anything to say. You
do not know how l long in my heart
to make political speech to might.
Laughter aud cheers If l could
only have declined the nomination
at Chicago, aud appeared before you
here as simple Representative in
Congress, nothing more and nothing
less, l should like to dissect the
Democratic platform laughter aud
cheers from one eud Of il to the
other but as l told you to-day,
according to my convictions of pro-
priety, which neither my inclination
nor your desires will induce me to
forfeit, can not consistently, in
accordance with what l believe is due
from me to those who have placed
me in nomination before you.
But there is one theme on which l
can speak. IL is the glorious record
Of the noble party Of which, for so
many years, | have been au humble
advocate whose principles | uphold
and maintain before you against oil
oomers the noblost, the purest aud
most patriotic party ever known in
our history since VIC were born into
the family Of nations. Thank God
that, 10 these days Of strife, we have
had an organization in this republic,
Of men who have lifted up In the
hour of gloom, when the storm. cloud
of war burst upon us, banner with
only one inscription On it" Our
Country" and there, defying all
prejudice, all invective, all oppro-
brium, aud appealing to you, the
American people, to stand by US, and
to determine to stand and fall with
our imperiled country. Thank God
Tor such mn organization. [Cheers. !
Its history is written in the brightest
pages of our oountry's annals, aud
there it will remain for the eye Of
posterity to beam upon it-a his
tory that the tooth of time can never,
no, never destroy, When / pass
away aud am gathered to my fathers,
if'God gives me mind and my reason,
in that last hour, l will thank Him
that he led me by his own covenants,
into this noble organization. 1t
saved a nation 10 the very throes of
civil war; it omaneipated race !, it
sayed us from destruction, shame,
and disgrace, before the civilized
world, so that VIC could speak before
all the lands under the sun. At last,
every man that walks on American
soil, walks there as a free mau in his
own humanity. Tremendous ap-
plause.
In all their hours Of disaster and
gloom, when mems hearts tainted by
the way, there was one party, every
man of which stood around our ban
ner, aud never despnired Of the
American Republic ; and there is
one organization that, since the ar
mics Of the rebellion we're crushed,
has demanded and intends to stand
by that demand, God being our help.
or, to the end that loyalty shall
govern what loyalty has preserved.
Great applause. If again in. this
Republic Of ours treason darcs to lift
its hand with revengeful power
against our nations flag. it will not
be the fault of the Republican party.
Wo stand by peace we stand by
liberty; We stand by Justice; and we
write upon our banner where the
whole world may see it in letters of
light, From one end Of this Repub-
lie to the other, there is no man so
poor, there is no man so friendless,
there is no man so humble and so
obscure that he can not wrap that
flag around him and say, this is my
shield and protection"
You may doubt the result of this
coming struggle. do not. / be-
lieve we aSe TO GO again to victory as
we did in 1865 and 1865, because we
have the whole principle that hu-
manity loves, aud that God in heaven
will bless and under the admins
tration of the Great Captain who,
uGder Providence, saved the land
from destruction, and the sword Of
treason from sundering the Republic,
wo shall attain TO a pure aud noble
fame, vide as the world aud eternal
as the stars. [TrenendOus applause.
II tie war was !" failaTs," as the
Democratic party declared ia 1854,
why are they so anxious to prove that
Seymour was in favor Of itg