Year: 1866

ASHlNGTON,
naded at his residence by citizens of Indiana
who had already paid q like compliment to Senator
Lane of that State. Mr.. Colfax in acknowledging
the compliment said have no doubt that you like
myself rejoice with exceeding great joy, and are
prouder to day of being citizens of this great country
than ever before. There was time in this land of
when slavery regarded the corner stone
of American institutions Thank God that time has
passed. and we build hencetorth on foundation of


To-day, under the legislation of the American
Congress, in the great Republic shaped by the geog
raphy of continent, and washed by the waters of
the two great of the GLOBE there is person.
rich or poor high or humble, learned or unearned
who does not live in security under the protection of
equal laws. lApplause.J am prouder to; day, also
of the great Union organization of which l have
been member than ever before, Its history is noby
written in the history of our country Administra-
tOnS and Congresses and parties may pass away, but
the record which the great party has made will shine
with brighter glory on our coqntrys pages than any
other in the annals of our history.


When the great rebellion broke out. and when our
ship of State rocked in fearful and co-fearfu storm
and was threatened byia terrible mutny, the Union
ganlZatlon stood qntnohingy by ournoble President.
the maryred Lincoln in his determination to crush
the conspiracy, and preserve the Government intact
Andwhen 1t was prophesied to us by false tongues,
who at the same time shouted no coercion" that
loving people of the country forming into a mighty
phalanx, determined that it.should be. When your
armies neeiel reptorcements, they took voluntarily
upon themselves the sd'liE OF conscrlpton laws and
drafts because they were necessary Tor he country


When the Treasury needed to be filed they took
upon themselves the responsibility and odium of tax
Laws that flag might be kept flying in the field.
They did this relying upon the justice of their cause
and went hsfose the pe4pie api t1iumphed. The
enactments too, of that great party are IInperish
able. In 1862 the Capital disgraced by slavery.
but they determined that henceforth it should be
free aai Eih unwavering fidelity TO principle they
placed upon Ihs statate book that law which never
can be and never shall be feaRal 23-that in this
Capital should be no slave. Appiaus6.i


In 1868 noble and great hearted President is
sued his Proclamation of Emancipation, striking with
the battle axe Of the Union that powerful element of
rebel strength, and the Union fa5..y "f the country
stood by him, determined to give that proclamation
vitality, as they did by an endorsement of the peo
pie in the winter of 1864 and 1865 when the Cousti
tutonal amendment was EloPUssd "a th2 Congress of
the United States, banishing slavery forever from
the country, unclean thing and declaring that
henceorth and toreFef 1t should be the home OF the
free.


That great organization again and unitedly rallied
to its support and placed that amendment on the
statute books 1t is now the supreme law Of the land.
[Cheers Again in this great year, 1866, in the Sen
ate Chamber and IN the Representative Hall. they
Rights bill your statute book which declares that
every one born on American soil shall have birth
right as an American citizen. CHEERS


That law, misrepresened as it has been by its op-
ponehis IN Congress, will never be repealed and in
the years that yeb to coe will be the proudeSt
recollection and the crowhing hour of those men
who stood up in the national councils that they gave
to that American magma charter their cordial sup
port. And wing should there be objection to law
like that Every oIe born the soil Of the Repuh0
to it allegiance and is 1t not the reepr6ea duty
of the Republic to give them its protection? Hence
forth, wherever in this land person she'll be op-
pressed, or outraged or his rights withheld wherever
tyranny may shake its Sceptre over him, he has but
to turn, to the National flag and to the National
Government for that protection, which the Congress
of the United States has ordained in his right. lap
We are sometime. asked, and know with what
solcitude the American people tega1d il, Why the
work of reconstruction has been delayedf do not
think it has been unreasonaby delayed. The Presi-
dent Of the United States in the eight months be-
tween the collapse Of the rebellion and the open
ing of this Congress, engage. - the work. fol-
lowing that policy which seemed TO him most fitting,
and Congress has been engaged for the past four
months in collecting testimony, in comparing opin-
ions and action to lay the foundation of that plan of
reconstruction which shall make our Union eternal
But they haye already, in past years, initiated
statute book the first law indicating theI policy OF
reconstruction The lay known as the Test Oath.
eral office who could not that he had not vol
unfairly borne arms against the Union. and had not


voluntarily given aid and comfort to bloody conspira
That laB vas Wsl understood by the American
pccHnle, South rs we'll as Norm. No orc expected
that when he rebellion had its armies in the hed
against the Union any enc would come knocking at
the doors of Congress, claiming TO represent the
States Of Alabama. Georgia, Mississippi, South or
cIared that when the rebellion should end, the
who had nsultngly turned their backs on Congress
and spurned their seats who had killed the Union s
defenders and sought to capture the Capital would
with the assurance of oden times demand that they
should govern the country which they had ineffect
That test oath was placed there as the flaming
sword at the Garden OF Eden to such men that
till there were fruits meet for repentance bonds
for future good behaviour, there was no place in


those precincts for them Cheers Again the policy
| the winter Of 1854, when it passed nearly
unanimously, and without the yeas and nays,


joint resolution that the Vice President in count


ing the Presidential vote should not count the elec


tora votes of any State that had been engaged in the


rebellion. was intended to proclaim that until Con-


ETes3 removed their disqualihcatons by laws restor
| ing them 10 their rights they should stand back


Congress has therefore ~ hese two striking amend


ments indicated its policy of reconstruction. 8gt


the Constitution has in still palmer language de-


elared where tie responsibility of reconstruction
| should rest. .
1t has declared that every State shall be gparan-


tseA republican form of government, and In SUBJ


sequent section it declares that Congress shall have
| power to make all laws necessary and proper to


carry INTO execution all the powers vested In it or in


any department or officers of the Government. This
was intended to declare that Congress is the only
ItW-maklng power of this land and By the Consti-
! tuition to Congress- and to Congress alone, we
must look for legalized reconstruction. LCheersl