The Madisonian. [volume] (Washington City [i.e. Washington, D.C.]) 1837-1845, 1840-04-09

when the claims Of Nature will have their fui enec'
Ihavs seen (said he) The uounded and expiring
varfjcs In thai awful mouent when The maniai az
dor which had filed his bosom bad been SUSPENDED
bv The PAIN which he fellwhen, the sacrince oe'ns
made naugbt OF public duty remained 70 DC PeIiofm
cd-kken II was sir, that the thoughts OF ms fanny
would 6li him with the greatest salicuude oe'oveo
vile and children Ief friendless and unprotected
she later without the means of education, ana Don
without support In such situation, have heard
amidst the fervant aspirations 70 Heaven LOT 'neif
happiness, consong hope expressed, thai as GOWN
frr could not )orsaks em Shall we, sir, not reaiize
that hope Should our country be engaged In ano-
Their war, let US commence Il with the bcnediclons
Of the widow and the orphan upon our heads. Lei
not their prayers ascend TO Heaven charged with ac
cusa,ions against your justice and humanity. But
(said Nh H. l am anticipating thing which can
| not happen--lhe resolution will pass, as will law
that will be reported in obedience 10 H."
Speech in Congress, 2lst January, 1878
| "The public papers have announced an event
which Is well calculated to excite the sympathy Of
every American bosom. KosciusKo, the martyr Of
liberty, Is no more We are Informed that he died
| a, Soleure, in France some time 10 October last
ain tracing the events Of this great mans life, we
| find In him thai consistency OF conduct which u
the more to be admired Ii Is so rarelyto be met
| with. He was not at one lime the friend OF man
kind, and a. another the instrument Of their oppres-
sion but he preserved throughout his whole career
those noble principles which distinguished him in
its ommencemeni-which influenced him, al an
early period of his life leave his country and his
friends and In another hemisphere 10 fight for The
rights of humanity.
/ "Kosciusko was born and educated In Poland Of
a noble and distinguished family-a country where
the distinctions in society are perhaps carried TO
greater lengths Than in any other His Creator had,
however, endowed him with soul capable OF rising
above the narrow prejudices Of caste, and break
ing the shackles which vicious education had Inn
posed on his mind
"When very young, he was informed by the voice
OF Fame that the standard u liberty had been erect
ed In America-lhat an insnlied and oppressed peo-
pie had determined to be free, perish In the at
tempt His ardent and generous mind caught, with
enthusiasm, the holy fame, an from that moment
he became the devoted soldier Of liberty.
"His rank In the American army afforded him no
opportunity greatly TO distinguish himself But ne
was remarked throughout his service for all the
qualities which adorn the human character. his
heroic vaor in the field could only be equalled by
his moderation and afabity in the walks OF private
life He was idozed by the soldiers for his bravery,
and beloved and respected by the officers for the
goodness Of his heart and the great qualities Of his
mind
Contributing greatly by his exeriions, TO the
establishment. OF the independence OF America, he
might have remained, and shared the blessings II
dispensed under the protection OF chief who loved
and honored him. and in the bosom Of grateful and
affectionate people.
"Kosciusko had, however, other views. 1t is moi
known that, until the period am speaking or he
had formed any distinct idea Of what could, or in
deed what ought TO be done for his own. But in the
Revolutionary war he drank deeply Of the princl-
Piles which produced il. In his conversations with
the intelligent men Of our country, he acquired new
views Of the science of government and the rgnts
OF man. He had seen, too, that 10 be free, It was
only necessary that nation should will it; and, to
be happy, it only necessary that nalion snou'd
be free, And was II not possible to procure 'hese
blessings for Poland l-for Poland, the country oil
his birth which had claim to all his efforts, to all
his services7 That unhappy nation groaned under
complication OF evils which has scarcely parallel
in history. The mass of the people were the abect
slaves Of the nobes the mobiles, torn into factions,
were alternately the instruments and the victims OF
their powerful and ambitious neighboIs. BY in
tgue corruption and force, some OF its fairest pro-
vinces had been separated from the Republic and
the people like beasts transferred TO foreign despots
who were again watching for favorable moment
| for second ACKNOWLEDGMENT To regeneraie peo-
pie thus debased to obtain for country thus cir
cums,anced the blessings of liberty and indepen-
dence, was a work of as much difficulty as danger.
| But, TO mind like Kosciusko's, the difficulty and
danger OF an enterprise served as stimnlants to
dertake II.
"The annals Of these times give US no detailed
account of the progress of Kosciusko in accom-
plishng his great work. from the period Of his re-
turn from America to the adoption of the new Con-
stituon OF Poland, In 1871. This interval, how
ever, of apparent inaciion, was most usefully en-
ployed to illumine the mental darkness which en-
yeloped his counlrymen. To stimulate the ignorant
and bgolled peasan,ry with the hope Of future
emancipalion-to teach proud but gallant nobility
that true glory is only TO be found in the paths Of
duty and palriosm-i the most opposed pre-
JUDGES the most stubborn, and habits the most in
veteraie, reconced, disspated, and broken, by
the ascendancy Of his virtues and example. The
storm which he had foreseen, and for which he had
been preparing, at length burst upon Poland. A
feeble and unpopular Government bent before its
fury, and submitted itself to the Russian yoke Of the
invader. Bot the nation dsdaned to follow its ex-
ample; in their extremity every eye was turned on
the hero who had already fought their battles, the
sage who had enlightened them, and the patriot who
had set the example OF personal sacrifices accom-
pli>h the emancipation Of the people.
| "Kosciusko was unanimously appointed general
issimo of Poland, with unlimited powers, until the