Year: 1865

1
| .laa


The Charleston Courier of May l3ti
contains an account of large meeting
held in Zion Church in that city, al
which Major General Gilmore was pre-
sent,and speeches were made by Chic
5dstice Chase, Major General Saxton
and Others. The building was densely
packed, chiefly with colored people
although there was large attendance
of whites in the hall. The first speech
was made by General Saxton, who ad
vocated the right of the colored man
to vote, and urged their petitionine
the President and Congress for thai
right. Major Delaney and Mr.. Thom
linson followed in the same line.


Chief Justice Chase, on being called
to address the meeting, spoke as fol
lows:


My FRIENDS Il shall comply with
the invitation of General Saxton only
to address you in very few words.
~ 1t is true / have always been the
friend Of freedom. have always de-
sired to see every man of whatever
complexion, protected in the enjoyment
of all his natural rights; and to see
every man clothed with every legiti
mate means for the protection Of those
rights.


No man, probably, in this country,
deplored this war more than myself;
perhaps no man would have made
greater sacrifices to avert it. / did not
wish to see, even the great good of
Emancipation effected at such terri
BILE cost. / believed that it would come
sometime; / believed that, by wise
and Just administration Of the Federal
Government, it might be fastened,
but never desired to see such terri
BILE struggle as that through which we
have passed. / never desired to see
those seas of blood, and those vast
CULTS in which the treasures of the
country have been sunk, even for that
highest good, which, as VIC all hoped
could have been obtained by other and
gentler means.


But, in the Providence of God, wal
came; and, as a means of carrying
that war through to a successful issue
felt it was the duty of the Genera
Government to respect its natural allies
and knew that the whole colored pop
ulation of the South was loyal. Great
cheering.l l said and ! felt, that if we
would succeed in this struggle, we must
strike the fetters from the bondman.-
Such was my counsel in the Cabinet
and when that honored man-whose
death this nation now mourns, in com
mon with all lovers of freedom through
out the world; when that honored man
made up his mind to say that all men
in this land shall be free, none gave il
more hearty sanction or more EN-.
phatic amen than myself.


Then, when that other question arose,
"Shall we put arms into the hands OF
the black man." l never doubted the
proper answer. If we make them free
men, and the defense of their freedom
is the defense of this nation, whose du-
it is to bear arms, if not theirs p
Whose duty it is to take part in this
struggle now for freedom as well rs for
Union, if not their duty? And how
can we expect to succeed if we do not
avail ourselves of that natural strength
which in this struggle is created for us
by the circumstances under which it is
waged. When the Government, there
fore, made up its mind to call the black
man to the field, / felt that it had not
done it enc moment too soon, but a
great many days too late.


But now the colored man has borne
his full and proper share in the great
struggle. If any body has made great
sacrifices, he has made them. If any
has suffered extreme ill, he has suffered
it; and the victory being won, and free
dom and Union being secured, who has
a better right than he, to participate i'll
the fruits of both?


It is simply because / think it just
and right that advocate it. believe
that the safety of nations as well as of
individuals consists in doing Justice
| believe in the truth of that passage
of Scripture, which says that he that
walketh uprightly, walketh surely
That man or that nation linking his or
its action with truth and justice, rely
ing upon the providence of Almighty
God, is sure to issue safely and tri-
umphantly.


1t may be that great struggles have
yet to be gone through with, great tri-
ais to be made, great martyrdoms to be
endured. This war has seen multi
tudes of martyrs-last and noblest OF
them all, that great martyr, our below
ed President, struck down by the hand
of the assassin. So martyrdoms may
yet be needed; bnt out of all your tri.
ais the issue is sure.


have said the victory is won. The
armies Of the rebellion are disbaned,
peace returns, and peace brings with il
its duties. A great race, numbering
four millions, is suddenly brought into
freedom. All the world is looking to
see whether the prophecies Of the en-.
emies Of that race will be fulfilled OF
falsified. 1t rests upon the men of that
race to tell.


They say that you will be disorderly
shiftless, lazy; that you will starve
rather than work; that wages cannot
tempt you to work; that you will be,
come thievish vagabonds. So your
enemies say; so, too, great many
people that are not your enemies seri
ously fear.


1t Is for you to show whether it shal
be SO or not. You need not in the