Year: 1865

BY THE HON. SCHUYLER COLFAX,


SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES,.


No one can read the words and writings
of Abraham Lincoln, since he has passed
away from mortal sight, without realiz-
ING. even more than while he lived. that
he was gifted with a tar-seeing saeacity as
to the future. beyond most of the states
men Of his times. His bold avowal. in
his Springfield speech, when opening the
senatorial campaign 1858, against Judge
Douglas. that the Union could not pcrma-
nently endure half slave and half free.
which kept him in that canvass constantly
on the defensive, has been so strikinely
verified since, that all over the land the
only wonder now Is that every one did not
accept it as an indisputable fact His nn-
popular plan Of compensated emancipation
in 1862, and his warning to the Southern
States that, if they did not accept it, they
would regret it mavailingly in after years,
is probably remembered by many now who
spurned it then. His intlcxible resolution
during the recent struggles of our country
for self preservation, that there should be
''but one war at time," and that no
provocation short of utter dishonor. how
ever hard to be borne. should induce him
to consent to war with any foreign power
while the republic was in arms against the
foes OF its own household, was more than
indicated when we realized how severely
the national credit and national resources
were tested before the gladdening rays of
peace shonc on the banners of our Union
armies.


But there is not space, in brief article
like this, to adduce numerous other in
stances akin to these With no claim to
inspiration or special precision, with ma
tive intellect not refined by the culture of
the college, he seemed to have foresight
as to the future, when he cast its horo-
scope, as remarkable as it was correct.


| have been led to these reflections bv
finding amongst many manuscripts, on my
return from the Pacific slope, the remarks
made by him to me on the mornin. of the
last day Of his life and which he repeat
ed and emphasized iii condensed form in
his last conversation Oh public affairs, as
he started to that theatre from which he
never returned to the White House alive.
1t was committed to writing the next NOR
ming. that his exact words might be pre-
served:


81 have" said he, s:vcry large ideas of
the mineral wealth of our nation. | be-
heve it practically inexhauStible 1t
abounds all over our Western country.
from the Rocky Mountains to the Pacific :;
and its development has scarcely COM
menccd. During the war, when we were
adding couple of millions of dollars eve
ry day to our national debt, did not care
about encouraging the increase in the vol
nme OF our precious metals. We have the
country to save first. But now that the
rebellion Is overthrown, and we know
pretty nearly the amount of our debt. the
more gold and silver we mine makes the
payment of the debt 50 much the easier.
Now | am going to encourage that in eve
~ possible way. We shall have hundreds
of thousands OF di>banded soldiers and
many have feared that their return home
in such great numbers might paralvze in
dustry, furnishing suddenly a greater sup
| ply Of labor than there will be demand for
l am going to try to attract them to the
hidden wealth of our mountain RANGES.
where there is room enough for all. In
migration, which even the war has not
stopped, will land upon our shores hun
dreds OF thousands more per year, from
overcrowded Europe. | intend to point
them to the gold and silver that waits for
them in the West Tell the miners for
me that | shall promote their interests to
the utmost of my ability, because their
prosperity is the prosperity of the nation


And we shall prove, in very few years,