The bee., 1883-04-21

tllfoughout the country, but a kiln
blow to the rebellion. and was ~ a,'iing
I ginning of the end to both. II ~ ri.I oe,
the national dignity and the nat;a ti"cet
power on the side of emanrina.iI i,tildI
1t was the first step towards a rpJo0y ptt.,Uu'
ed and regenerated nation. n 0?ll-
parted moral and human sioni6o.-'Ill .'ll-
to what at first seemed to the ontsiJe s'Is
world. only a sanguinarv war toe s
empire. WI
This great stepin national procr0.,
was not taken without vi@I.N. 49,
struggle in Congress. 1t required !
large share of moral COURAGE Ia..a .n "
faith in the power of truth. and oas g
fidence in the enlightenment Url .n5
loyalty of the people, to support MI,
radical measure. VI"
/ need Dot tell you it was bitto.,
opposed ON various grounds by n.
Democratic members of Congress- TT T
them it was a measure Of harrant LaJ
faith with the Shareholders of tSo '
District; and calculate to alienata tbo ~
border States, and drive them oon, r
/ pletely into the Confederate Stgtn,
and make the restoration of the In
impossible. There was much ma.l
force in such arguments then fb,,
now. The situation was critical IT,.
rebellion was in the fulIness of +,
strength, bold, defiant, victorjoas ,nJ ~
confident of ultimate success Tbo
| great man on horseback had NOT tban
become visible along the Wps,arn
horizon. Sherman had not begun nj,
triumphant march to the sea. Rnt
| there were moral and intellectual giart.
in the councils of the nation al that
time. We saw in the Senate chambpr
the towering form of the lamentqd
| Sumner, the earnest and practical
Henry Wilson, the honest and courarr.
Gus Benjamin F. Wade, the strong and
fearless Zachary Chandler, the man
who took the unsuccessful General
from the head Of the army of the Poto.
mae. In the house we had an arraYof
brilliant men such as Thaddues Stevens
| Owen LOvej0y and A. G.. Riddle. the
first to advocate in Congress the arm
ingof the negro in defence Of the
Union. There. too, was Thomas D.
Elliot, Henry Winter Davis. William
d. Kelly. Roscoe Conkling, than whom
there has appeared in the Senate
of the nation no patriot more pure, no
orator more brilliant, no friend to ILL.,
erty and progress more sincere |
| speak all the more freely Of him since
he is now out of politics and in some
sense under the shadow of defeat. |
j cannot forget that these brave men.
and others Just as worthy of mention
fully comprehend the demands of the
hour, and had the courage and the
Sagacity to meet those demands. They
saw that slavery was the root, thesan
the motive, and handspring of there
! beIIion, and that the way to kill there
beIiion was to destroy its cause.
Among the great names which
should never be forgotten on occasions
like this, there is one which should
never be spoken but with reverence.
gratitude and affection, the one man Of
all the millions of our cOuntrymen to
whom we are more indebted for
united nation and for American liberty
than to any other, and that name is
Abraham Lincoln, the greatest states
man that ever presided over the ae-
TIMES of this Republic The hme%
too short, his term of Office is too re-
cent to permit or to require extended
notice ef his Craftsmanship or OF Dis
moral and mental qualities. We all
know Abraham Lincoln by heart In
looking back to the many great men OF
twenty years ago, we find him the
tallest figure of them all. His mission
was to close up chasm opened ny an
earthquake, and he did it. 1t was MS
to call back a bleeding, dying and dlS-
membered nation to life, and he dldN
1t was his to free his country from
the crime, curse and disgrace OF Sla-
very, and to lift millions to the plane
of humanity, and he did it. Never
was Statesman surrounded by greater
difficulties, and never were dltfcllteS
more ably, wisely and firmly met
Friends and Fellow Citizens-ln con-
clusion, return to the point from
which | started. namely What Is %
be the future of the colored people oI
this country? Some chang IN thgF
condition seems to be looked Tor D!
thoughtful men everywhere but VIVA.
that change will be, no one yet has been
able with certainty to predict.
Three different solutions to this dir
fcult problem have been given ana
adopted, by different classes OF ihv
American people. First, colonization
in Africa Second, extinctionthTou@A
poverty. disease and death Third ~
similation and unilicati0n with IA5
great body of the American people.
Plainly it is a matter about when
no man can be very positive In sean
ming the social sky, he may tdll Ln'y 5
mistakes as great as those which VeNya
the souls of Virgins and Venof anu
other weather prophets. APPEAR
ances are deceptive. No man Can sec
the end from the beginning.
1t is, however. consoling to thlnA'
that this limitation upon human icE',
sight has helped us in the past ana
may help us in the future Collu
William the Silent have foreseen 'He
misery and ruin he would bring upon
his country by taking up the '"ga
against the Spanish Inqusi.i'n' ~
might have thought tn a"riice 10y
great. Had William J. E't va.
rison foreseen that, L. "'Il
be hated, prosecuted, mc1'ea' ts s