Lincoln telegraph. [volume] (Bath, Me.) 1836-1846, 1840-03-05
THE TELEGRAPH.
B AT H NJ e;
THURSDAY MoRNING. MARCH s.
Reporte for the Telegraph.
SPEECH OF MIR, ALLEN, Of Bangor
Before the Bath Wing Associations on
,SaturlLgu epeninr-Feb. 22ud,

Association and meeting by Mr.. Hyde, addressed
them as follows
81 am happy, fellow citizens, to meet with you
to night. | am happy to respond to the call of
the President, and to give you an account Of my
stewardship at the Harrisburg Convention, so far
as had any thing to do with that body and
wish that every man in the Country, entrusted
with public employment, would come before the
people to give an account of his doings and of the
reasons which Influenced his conduct public
man. 1t would be well if it were SO; and if ever
we to be injured in the great first principles
| of the repubc--if ever our pursuits are to be
jeoparded, our happiness endangered, our free
institutions destroyed-it will be because the
people DO not sufficiently interest themselves i'll
! the measures and conduct of their public men.
1t was a truth well known in ancient times, and
emphaticaly exemplifed in modern ages, that
corruption begins with the rulers; the great mass
es Of the people are sound-there is reason
why they should not be; it is the men in power
who Seek aggrandsement-it is they who desire
power for the purpose of perpetuatng power-it
is they who are most likely to be Influenced by
sinister and corrupt motives Look through the
worlds broad history, from the earliest page to
the present time, and you will find it so, 1t is so
here. Sir, there can be no more appropriate time
for the people to look at public measures than
On this day--the 22d of February-the birthday
of the father of his country. 1t is period pc
culiarly calculated for all to come up and discuss
their condition, their prospects, their hopes; and
| | wish that every citizen of the republic from the
President down, if indeed there be such a
thing as going down, would on this day devote
himself to the examination Of his political cond-
ton and prospects.
Fellow citizens, this Country, for few years
past, has exhibited an anomaly Rich in its lands,
rich in its enterprise, rich in its intelligence, rich
| in the resources, which the God of heaven has be-
| slowed upon it, there yet has been general dis
order and arrangement from one end of the re-
public to the other Who has not perceived u
general dissatisfaction at the state of things. 1t
is too plain to enlarge upon, and the inquiry is
s'What shall be done 2" large portion of the
community say that must have change in
the measures of the government, and to accom-
plish this change of measures, there must be
change of men. In this view the people recently
delegated some among them to meet in conven-
ton at Harrisburg, and to present to the Country
candidates for the Presidency and Vice Presiden-
cy in opposition to the present incnmbents. The
convention assembled. 1t contained many dis
tinguished patriots, memorable for their services
in the cabinet and in the feld-many on whose
heads the frosts of seventy winters had spent
themselves-and some who were verging towards
r. hut had
not had much experience in political affairs. Not
that they were mere politicians. No sir There
was the farmer of Ohio-the merchant, the man.
ufacturer of New England-and the planter of
the South. There were men of all pursuits--but
all were devoted to one high purpose. With
moral sublimity the more striking, because not
often seen, they had met to concentrate public
opinion on some one man-to offer up sectional
and personal preferences the altar of their
country's good-and to select him who
strongest in the hearts of the American people.
That was their object, and to accomplish that OBJ
iect they had assembled at Harrisburg.
There were men who had in that convention
strong personal friends. General Scott was one.
His adherents knew him to be brave and gal
liant soldier, and they urged his claims, not from
personal or intriguing motives, but because they
were satisfied that, if elected, he would admins
ter the government patriotically and well, But
they became convinced that he had not so strong
hold upon the people as another, and to discover
that other was then their aim. For three days
the convention was engaged in ascertaining who
was the strongest man, and when at last they
selected General Harrison and announced the
result the people of Pennsylvania who crowded
the Church. made the welkin ring in their enthu-
siasm at hearing his name. But many members
of the convention looked with great anxiety to
see the effect of this nomination on the Kentucky
delegation You all know the attachment of
Kentucky to Henry Clay-but1 wish had pow
or to describe to you the devotion of her delega-
ton; it was devotion in imitation of that of the
father of his country; it noble, self sacrifi-
cling devotion, such as is now needed more than
any thiag else in the country. Governor Met
Gala brave and gallant soldier, who had fought
under Harrison at Fort Meigs, and who afterwards
was employed in the service of his country as
Governor, and in Congress---was the leader of
this delegation. Let me occupy moment in
describing him, as | shall have occasion to
refer 10 him hereafter. He was brought up
Stone Mason, and continued in his trade
till the age Of twenty -four, when he entered