The daily Madisonian. [volume] (Washington City [i.e. Washington, D.C.]) 1841-1845, 1843-04-18
PROCESSION TO THE WHITE HOUSE.
SPEECH OF THE PRESIDENT.

rROCEoSlON IL IL w III Il EAOSoN
SPEECH OF THE PRESIDENT.
Yesterday large procession consisting oil the
Washington City Benevolent Assoclati' N, es-
corted by several military companies, waited
upon the President in the East Room.
James Hoban, Esq, the eloquent advocate Of
Repeal, &C., addressed the President
The following is the Presidents reply:
am, sir most highly battered by the kind terms
in which, on behalf of my feow-ctizens here pre-
sent you have been pleased to address me. While
regret that the badness Of the weather should have
prevented your visit contemplated on the day sa-
cred in the memory OF Ireland TO her greatest bene-
factor and philanthro ist, yet am, to great de-
gree reconced to il from the fact that il affords me
present aud existing enjoyment in place OF what
would now be but pleasing recollection.
In speaking of the emigrant and exile from other
lands in public manner here ofore, gave bu'
expression to what l regard as American feeling
and stood upon American ground. should have
stripped the past of its glory, and cast reproach
upon the memory Of our ilustrious forefathers had
held different language, or given utterance to other
sentiments. Why, what we all but emgrants
and the descendants of emigrants' From whence
Strung the 10 900 900 Of people inhabtng the States
Of this great confederacy' Who were those bold and
fearless men, who, two hundred and thirty six years
ago. made the first footprints of civilization on the
beach at jamestown in my own native Slater And who
were those who, at later period, leap'd upon Ply
mouth rock, and made the wilderness vocal with
their songs Of praise and thanks giving TO that great
Being who had conducted them in safety over the
trackiess ocean 10 land Of civil and religious liber
yi Who brought hitler magma charta, the great
common law privileges, the trial by jury, and the
habeas corpus' Who first unfurled the banner Of
equal rights and planted ton the ramparts Of writ
ten constilut ons Who but emigrants, and the des-
pendants of emgrants-who have erect in this new
land altar to liberty, with its top as high as the
heavens and its base as broad q continent--emi-
grants who fed the expressions of the old world and
their noble descendants Let, them the lover Of IL
bery, from every cline, hither and worship at
that altar in spirit and in truth, and he will be hailed
as the younger brother in family Of emisrants lie
comes to assist in reclaiming wilderness Of vast OK
tent He to chant forth his matn and his vesper
songs in places where the light of civilization has not
yet penetrated lie comes to kinde the fires of lber
ty on hill-tops and in valleys yet but ndistnctly
known. He comes to convert the heather roaming
over those vast plains which stretch to the Pacific
oceanic cast down the idols Of supcrstitious
ship, and to rear on their ruins temples to the only
true and living God. For such purposes and for
such objects l say, for one, let him come, and may
an overrung Providence protect him on his way and
crown his efforts with The panoply of our
Ia, "a nd n fror
harm.
For your kind wishes for my successful admins
traton Of the public affairs, you have my wsrmest
thanks Take, sir the assurance that the great and
ruling object of my ambition has been, and shall be-
TO hand TO those who may succeed the insti-
tutions Of my country uninjured and unimpaired.
have been surroundd by no ordinary trials. Under
Providence, have been made the instrument for test
ing new and untried experiment upon the
sutfcency of our institutions. A Vice Pre-
sident has succeeded to the Presidency for the
first time in our history and it has been tauntngly
but truly said, without party. Such will be
the case in like contingency; and it is in a
course to be tested whether he can administer the
Government according to his convictions of duty,
whether the Executive authority is 10 be placed in
allegiance during the term 10 which he has succeeded
1t is question of the greatest importance to our
selves and our posterlty, and in olives in its failure
the Constitution itself All that il becomes to say
is that the trial shall be fairly and fearlessly made
and that have abiding confidence in the virtue,
patriotism, and intelligence of the People.
You have my best wishes for the entire success Of
your Benevolent Association. You propose through
IT to cotbe the naked feed the hungry, and to visit
the prisoner and the captive" 1t cannot do other
than succeed, since II is in obedience to a command
from on high and in fulfment Of mans duty to his
fell w-man.
repeat the assurance Of the pleasure which your
visit has conferred upon me- and salute you cordially