The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1868-02-25
n = ID 2 y = - : =
Letter from Speaker Cclfax.


A letter from Speaker Colfax to Governor
Baker of Illinois has been recently published.
from which we make the following extract:
1t may not be inappropriate, ON the thresh.
old OF the important campaign before us, to
look back for few minutes at those deeds and
triumphs of our young and patriotic party
which are garnered up in our national history
ana winch no defamation by our enemies can
ignore or obscure. 4E eve 81 -2aQaef-
When the rebellion, with it's Democratic
PRESIDENT, Democratic Cabinet officers and
Democratic Generals, threw down the gaunt-
let at the feet of the nation they had resolved
to destroy, and when the Democratic leaders
OF the North, in reply, shouted 'tNo coercion. !"
1T was the Union Republican party who wrote
on lts Banners, The last man and the last dol
lar If need be-" and the uncomfortable armies
their Congressional legislation called to the
field, finally "coercedo the rebellion into sub
lection. ---r- = -
In the darkest days of the struggle, when at
every street-corner ewere tauntingly told by
democrats, You can't conquer the South"
there was one party that never despaired Of
The Republic; and that party was the one
whose delegates now meet at our State CAPITAL.
When Unprecedented and onerous taxation
became necessary TO maintain our credit to
pay and supply our heroic soldiers, and to keen
our flag floating in the field we dared to defy
the prejudice which every Democratic speaker
and editor attempted to inflame against the
burdens OF taxation; and thus daring tri-
umphed. a 81 Hna ssz17 = p =
When CONSUMPTION laws became military
necessity, to fill up our regiments decimated
again and again by the bullets of the enemy
anu aIlo tne diseases OF the camp, the siege and
the march, and when the land was filled with
democratic denunciations of these laws. we
risked popularity, victory, and all, by defend
ing them as bravely as our veterans defended
the country in the field. .t-.- H--4.-lT !
When Mr. Lincoln at last struck at Slavery
a nIIr d.
right arm OF the rebellion, and the Democratic
orators ana writers most scandalously and per-
slstentlv illuminated us as having converted
the war for the Union into an abolition war to
1ree negroes, we fearlessly allied our cause TO
that of the humble and helpless. and Provi6.
ence rewarded us for our fidelity by that bril-
liant succession of triumIhs which gave saliva
ton to the Union and freedom to the slave.
When the National Convention of our on
ponents at Chicago dared to hang ont the
white flag of surren Ter, by procIaimino the
war failure, aad demanding an Immediate
cessation OF hostilities, we promptly ACCENTED
the issue. And the soldier with his cartridge-
box, and the voters with the ballot-box united
the disgracefill avowal. -.t,.. - d T-rP-r'-5
When tne government was compelled to is
lie bonds by the hundreds of millions for tho
preservation OF our national existence Demo-
Gratis rldlculed them as worthless, and Caution
ed the people against risking their means in
them. But the loyal people were deaf to their
warnings; and now the same party denounce
them as having made too good an Investment
in their purchase. 1if5Fa 4 H--29E| q
When greenbacks" were authorized by a
Republican Congress, who can forget fhe
Democratic predictions that it would ultimate
ly take hatfal of them to buy a hat? And
now they have the assurance to seek to make
political capital out of their popularity. =
When the XXXIXth Congress rejected the
Presidents policy of reconstruction. and in
sisted on one which should embody constitu-
tional guarantees for the future, W. tn full nro
lection for all who loved the flag and ftba
UEl)n, our enemle, denounced us as WISHING
to postpone retonstr lctlon. Now these same
Democrats, with the ally the President are
striving to put every possible stumhln0-bioclr
in the way of the return Of these seIEexiled
Sites.
When "the XIVth Article" was proposed &c
an amendment to the Constitution-embody-
ing no mandatory suffrage enactment. Inf
protecting equally the civil rights of ali. ma
t've-born and naturalized; making voter in
Indiana just as potential as one in South Car
DINA, and no more and barring the door of
the Treasury against any payments for eman-
clpated slaves or the rebel debt--the whole
Democratic party denounced it, and urged the
South to spurn it, as they did Wop the two
democratic States of Kentucky and MARYLAND
demand payment, out of the peoples taxes in
the treasury, for the slaves the nation emau-
clpated; and the two Democratic Legislatures
of Ohio and New Jersey. endeayor to with
draw the assent OF those STATES to this benefi-
cent Constitutional Amendment, leaving the
door open for the presentation of these bemo-
claims if Democratic Congress could be |
chosen. 10y. = |
will not extend this letter by defesee of |
the Congres sional policy OF Reconstruction, |
tor Senator Morton's able vindication of it has |
covered the whole ground unauswerably. Suf |
flee it to say, that Congress- having anthoriz- |
ed the suffrage of every free man in the South |
ern States, Rebels and all, except those who |
by violating official oaths, had added perjury |
to treason, and the Democratic party having |
denounced us for tbisH limited and temper, |
airy Acknowledgement, the same party shouts |
its rejoicings over the fact that the remainder |
of the Nunrepentant Rebels in Alabama have |
recently and voluntarily di$fronchised Them |
SelUes, in the vain attempt to prevent the reor-
ganizaton of that State on a loyal basis. |
And the Congress, to whose fidelity and in |
flexible firmness the nation, despite the criti- |
cism of friend or foe, owes the prevention of |
Rebel reconstruction in tho South, WILL in
stead of taking any backward step, "speak to |
the people that they go forward" until every |
star on our banner, paled though they may |
nave been by treason, shall shine with that |
oriiiianey which only loyalty insnres. ..sT |