The true northerner. [volume] (Paw Paw, Mich.) 1855-1920, 1877-09-14
Judge KEYS speech.

FELLow-CITIZENs l appear before you I'M
der peculiar circumstances. You have assem-
bled here to recite the victories which you have
results which you achieved. l appear before
you as one of the soldiers from whom your vic
tories were won, your triumph achieved but
my friends, the cordially with which L have
been received makes me forget that we have
ever been enemies, and / assure you that ]
would much rather meet you as l meet you
here to-day as friends than in the conflict OF
arms as you have been met heretofore. My
friends. the flag fought for for four years has
disappeared from the face Of the earth. The
Government / attempted with my compeers 10
establish is no more. We have but one flag,
and that floats over every foot Of our territory.
We have but one constitution and that is the
constitution as it is Our quarrel, my friends,
was over slavery, which was established by the
constitution of our fathers was established by
men Of the North az well as OF the South. II
was a relic of former age. AS the ages pro-
crossed, as the country progressed, the free
States became profoundly impressed with the
idea that slavery was wrong that it was a
great national crime f; that it was the sin Of the
age that il was sin against heaven and lib
erty The people of the South had been edIi-
Gated under different ideas. Their statesmen
upon their platforms defended it, and their
ministers before the holy altar taught the peo-
pie that it was right and the people of the South
ern States believed it was right. A conflict
from time to time, a conflict of opinion, grew
up. We had adjustments; we had the Missouri
compromise the compromise of 1850; but vet il
would not suit. At last free ideas so far pre-
vailed that Lincoln was elected to the Presi.
dency of the United States. The people Of the
South, afraid that the institution Of slavery
was in danger said: 1--WE have debated the
quarrel in Legislative halls, on the stump in the
judicial tribunals; we have debated it every
where; now let us fight it out;" and they took
up their arms and they said, eve leave the de.
batable questions to the power of arms and the
sword and we fought, and fought bravely
Each section of the country fought for what il
thought was right. What was the result? Why
the South was defeated, and as men and sol.
diers they were bound TO submit with good
grace to the result, and to admit that the result
was right. The tribunal they had selected had
decided the controversy against them.
Sirs, this is the victory; this is the triumph
The verdict was against u.s. the Judgment was
pronounced against u.s. and what was it |? II
was put in three amendments to the constitu-
ton. The first declared that slavery should nc
longer exist anywhere in this broad land. The
second declared that every man who was
born in the United States should be citizen OF
the United States. All men, white or black,
were made equal before the law. Not only this
but they declared that the public debt of the
United States should never be repudiated
They declared that no claims should be made
for emancipated slaves. They declared, in
short, that we should be free country; that
the flag OF the Union should be the flag Of the
people everywhere, and to-day we have but one
country, but one fag but one Union, and thai
Union is inseparable.