700 



UNITED STATES. 



in tlie ordinary sense of the word, arising out of sim- 

 ple contracts, or contracts by specialty, which in- 

 clude judgments and recognizances. Whether the 

 word " debts," as used in the act, includes obligations 

 expressly made payable, or adjudged to be paid in 

 coin, has been argued in another case. 



In the case here referred to by the Chief 

 Justice, he said : " It seems to us clear, beyond 

 controversy, that the act must receive the rea- 

 sonable construction not only warranted, but 

 required, by the comparison of its provisions 

 with the provisions of other acts, and with 

 each other; and that, upon such reasonable 

 construction, it must be held to sustain the 

 proposition that express contracts to pay coined 

 dollars can only be satisfied by the payment 

 of coined dollars. They are not debts which 

 may be satisfied by the tender of United States 

 notes." 



An important decision on the operation of 

 the fourteenth amendment to the Federal Con- 

 stitution was rendered on a case which came 

 up in Virginia. (See VIRGINIA.) 



On a visit to the South during the month of 

 May, the Chief Justice, Mr. Chase, was very 

 flatteringly received. "While at Charleston, an 

 invitation was extended to him to attend the 

 memorial decoration of the graves of Federal 

 soldiers in Magnolia Cemetery. Pressing en- 

 gagements prevented his attendance, but he 

 addressed the following letter to the commit- 

 tee on the occasion : 



CHARLESTON, S. C., May 29, 1869. 



DEAR SIR : Your note, inviting me to attend the 

 ceremony of decorating at Magnolia Cemetery the 

 graves of the brave men who fell in defence of the 

 Union during the recent civil war, only reached me 

 this morning. I am very sorry that I cannot be. with 

 you on the interesting occasion, but it is now too 

 late to make the necessary arrangements. 



The nation cannot too tenderly cherish the mem- 

 ory of her dead heroes, or too watchfully guard the 

 well-being of those who survive. And may we not 

 indulge the hope that ere long we, who adhered to 

 the national cause, will be prompt also to join in com- 

 memorating the heroism of our countrymen who fell 

 on the other side, and those who now specially mourn 

 their loss, consenting to the arbitrament of arms, and 

 resuming all their old love for their country and our 

 country, one and indivisible, will join with us in like 

 commemoration of the fallen brave of the army of the 

 Union ? 



The dead are not dead. They have only gone be- 

 fore, and now see eye to eye. Why may not we all 

 borrow from their sacred graves oblivion of past dif- 

 ferences, and henceforth unite in noble and generous 

 endeavor to assure the honor and welfare of our 

 whole country, of all her States, and of all her citi- 

 zens ? Very respectfully yours, 



S. P. CHASE. 



Captain B. II. MANNING. 



Still later in the year the following letter 

 appeared : 



NARRAGANSETT, E. I., August 14. 1869. 



Mr DEAR MR. BRIGGS : Your note of the 29th, 

 after a rather long journey, reached me here yester- 

 day. I should be very glad to see you and talk with 

 you on any subject but politics. Dr. Bailey used to 

 say that of Bunyan's Pilgrims he represented Chris- 

 tian and I Hopeful. I am still hopeful. When I was 

 younger, and thought that if largely trusted by the 

 people I could do good service to the country, I 

 should have been glad to have been trusted. Now I 



am older, and not at all satisfied that, if in a higher 

 place, I could do any better than those now exercis- 

 ing executive functions do. I am more than content 

 to let aspiration alone. My hopes are in others. 



It amuses me to hear of Chase movements here 

 and there. ^ I don't believe there are any such. As 

 far as locality is given to them in Maryland, I know 

 there are none, for I spent two or three days in Fred- 

 erick this week, and should have heard of them if 

 any existed. I don't believe a bit in them elsewhere. 

 If I can only perform with reasonable satisfaction to 

 my own conscience, and to the opinions of those best 



Qualified to Judge, the duties of my present position, 

 shall fill the largest measure of my present ambi- 

 tion. I want nothing whatever of a political charac- 

 ter, and desire that my name may be disassociated 

 hereafter in men's minds with all political action. If 

 this is too much to expect, let me hope, at least, that 

 no friend of mine will lend any countenance to such 

 absurd nonsense as that to which I have referred. 



Sincerely your friend, S. P. CHASE. 

 JAMES A. BRIGGS, Esq. 



A large number of conventions, aspiring to 

 possess somewhat of a national character, as- 

 sembled during the year. The earliest of these 

 convened at Washington, on January 13th, 

 and was known as the " Colored National Con- 

 vention." Its object was to take into consider- 

 ation the condition of the colored people in the 

 United States. The convention was organized 

 by the election of Frederick Douglass as presi- 

 dent, and a series of resolutions was adopted, 

 and addresses issued to the colored people. A 

 National Executive Committee was appointed 

 of one member from each State and Territory. 

 A motion to admit President Roberts, of Libe- 

 ria, as an honorary member of the convention, 

 was voted down. Some of the resolutions 

 adopted were as follows : 



Resolved, That it is with special satisfaction as col- 

 ored men, and with a general satisfaction as Ameri- 

 cans, that we notice the favorable reception of the 

 proposition to alter the Constitution on the subject of 

 franchise, not only by both branches of Congress, by 

 a large proportion of the press of the land, but by the 

 people thereof; and that we believe that in U. S. 

 Grant and Schuyler Colfax, who, we are confident, 

 represent the progressive spirit so happily ripe in the 

 land, we have two honest personages who will exer- 

 cise their utmost influence, so far as they may con- 

 sistently, to place all American citizens, without re- 

 gard to their complexion, on an equal political basis. 



Resolved, That the original abolitionists those 

 who were not ashamed or afraid to declare uncom- 

 promisingly, when they endangered their lives to do 

 so, for the immediate abolition of slavery, and that 

 the colored man should enjoy all the political, educa- 

 tional, and religious rights that any other class of citi- 

 zens might claim have a large and abiding share of 

 our gratitude for their heroic, self-sacrificing advo- 

 cacy and defence of the right, out of which has grown 

 the present advanced public sentiment. 



Resolved, That whatever shortcomings may be laid 

 to the Eepublican party, it is the party through which 

 the rights legally secured to the colored American in 

 his country were secured ; that it has our gratitude 

 and shall receive our support ; that no other party 

 need hope to alienate us therefrom unless by out- 

 stripping it in consistency and in an honest advocacy 

 of genuine democratic principles. 



Resolved, That a Central Executive Committee, 

 composed of seven persons, with its headquarters at 

 Washington ? be appointed to urge the necessity of 

 lending their immediate influence to secure homes 

 for the homeless of the South, and that said commit- 

 tee be empowered to add to its number and act with 



