New-York daily tribune., 1844-08-29

| progress II covered every Sea with our taE-it
replenished The Treasury-li prld the debt OF the
Revolution. Above all, it gave US name and
/ f1me-it give Us character aud stand iT-5smadc
tie flag Z PiuriJUs UHum known, Wherever any
thing could be water borne. In the Northern ana
Southern, the Eastern and the Western Seas.
wherever our Navy went, there went forth the
Stars and Stripes, and there they made known
that the United States OF America lad become
one in all that related 10 their intercourse with
foreign nations. 1t gave general significance,
new respect, to the power-importlng name OF
| America, and on that We rest.
Under this Constitution We have attained the
rank of the second Commercial Nation in the
world We have risen from population of :hrce
millions to twenty millions. Every interest, in
my Judgment, has been successfully maiatained,
sustained, cherished and noIrished by q wise and
paterrai Government.
And now, gentlemen, is there man among
you. ur in tic country, who on just and can
did examination Of This history, is not ready to
stand by the Constitution or are there those who
prefer another form of Government? put Il To
you 10 day, whether, in the history Of the past,
which we have briefly scanned, you see any
thing you wish reversed Do YOU wish 10 rcvo-
luiionizs the hiStcfy of the past Do you wish
TO blot it out? Is there any thing in the his
tory Of your Country thus far, which makes you
ashamed that you are Americans put 1t to
the elderly Incn assembled here to-day, whose
career Of life is fast drawing to a Close. do they
know any better Government, any be...f~Tr eitca!
system, To which they would wish 10 entrust the
lives and property of their children L put 1t 20
you, men in middle life, engaged in the Concerns
and business of life. Do you wish, Can you con-
ceive, have yoa notion, of any system better
calculated to secure industry, To MAINTAIN liberty
to protect property, and to enable you to provide
for yourselves and for those who are near and doaT
to you? And You, yonng men, full oi the asp!-
ratlons Of ingenious youth, full, Know, OF pa
triotc feeling, ard aspiring 10 enjoy, 10 honor
and TO serve your country, 90 you wish to render
public service under any other banner
Then, gentemen-then, fellow Americans
then frieadS, if ii be true that the Constitution
of the United States under the various and sue
cessive administrations that have taken place
since l7S9, has fulfilled all The Just hopes, ano
more than even III; most sangnlnc hopes, OF the
country, is there question that II Is the part oi
gratitude to God, of respect TO our ancestors, th'
part of regard Tor every interest hat IS dear 10 us
and to ours, 10 cedvc TO 1t as to the Ark Of Our
polit cal sivaliUn-tFat hOUevcr IL may be with
others, however others may stray from the great
nblect OF national rcgard-!or us and ours, W.
will adhere 10 1t, will maintain, we Will dcenG
it, to our dying day
Then, gentlemen, if this be so, ifthc Constitution
of the couhtry has, In fact, proved eminent
ly useful, the next question Is upon what system
nf general policy, according to what measures re-
latlng 10 the great Interests OF the country, has
The Constitution, on the wholc, been admins
tered? How d it commence? What measures
were deemed necessary, from Its cradle, ii L may
say so
Gentlemen, this leads us back to that interest
ING aud important epoch, the commencement OF
WASHINGTON administration IN the city OF New
York, unCcr the presen. Constitution Of the Uni.
red States.
Fer myself revisit those scenes al~ays with
delight. refresh myself by gong back to this
>pring.tme of the Republic, 10 contemplate the
character of the men, 10 contemplate the chardc
ter of their measures, and above all, to admire
the purity of their patriotism and the elevation oi
their principles. In idea [ love to gather around
me the circle Of WASHINGTON and his grand com
patriots. not in the field of battle but III great
or feld-thc field of political wisdon, the field
nf patriotism, the field where prudence, and DIS
cretion, ard fi;mness, are as necessary as
in thc greatest conflict IN arms. carry
myself back TO the Halls of the Congress
which sat in the spring OF 'o9. Can
present 10 myself sort of living image of that
great assembly Of wise men. In the centre you
may see WAslIrNGToN himself, aud his immediate
advisers; Mr. JAY, who had not yet ceased 10 be
Secretary for Foreign Affairs under the authority
of The Old Confederation; Mr. HAMILTON anu Gc>l.
Knox. In the House of REPRESENTATIVES were
AMEs, and GooDHUE and Benson, and LAWRENCE.
and BoUDINoT, and FuzsIMMoNs, and MADISON,
and HuGER la the Senate were hing, and
Scuuy1eR. STRONG, and ROBERT MoRRIs, and
BALDWIN of Georgia, and RICHARD HENRY LEE
of Virpinia-he who had moved the resolution Of
Independence in &c, ,hen in the Senate, and he
who had proved himself tre champion IN Gebaie
of that resolution, then presiding over the Senate
In some or another department were thc warriors
of many wel.lJught tieid;' and civilians
and statesmen, who tad been trIeJ in the fiery
deal of the Revolution, and come forth like bur-
nished gold, surrounded the Chel OF the Govern
ment.
Gentlemen, can realize the scene when Gen.
Washington ass smbed these Houses OF the Le-
gisature before him, and made to them his iirst
,p ech, and paid to them the tribute due to their
character. and laid before them and before the
country those great p'iHIiPi'S w Po"iN o" "
private virtue, On which he wished and desired
10 see the administration Of the government estab-
lished
Il, will he more consistent" he says, with these crc'
stances md f more cuns=ula with the feelings wHch nc
m me In substitute in place Of recommendation ol aricu
IA meos,es the tribute that due 10 hea!ents n- reiude
~ rhs nuirom hch adun the claftcers selected 10 de
,se md rd,d ihan In these honorable qIhiicatlo'
h.hnl the >ur1I pe'cs that nI one Sce no local PIE
,,ces r alchHents-n1 separate v'e~S nor paf'y ON
ns,,;es ND mdirect the coinpTenen>ve ana eqli eye
which al, n, 10 witch tins .teat >.enbage nl 'hhu
e interests 50 another hat the oInrati9s o cur i'
,nc nnilcy VII lie ial IN ITe ana !niunbe p''ncp"N
f nIiyn,e noraty mud the nneuce o ire guSerrS
il. syemuled hy attributes which caa WIN '- affections
T ~ ct,,ns md command the respect OF tte word shc we
nj the fire oi liberty and The destiny OF he
nbcnn rn:ei government are Justly Considered rs dtp
~ nehaps finally aked an the experiment entrusted u Tie
hands ofthe American People
And in this scntimcnt, gentlemen, uttered by
WASHINGTON, | concur with all my heart.
[ believe tnat We have the great pledge IN our
hands and believe that every lover OF Liberty
m the whole earth is looking steadily and ear
nes,ly to see If this gTea; model OF Republican
government may be held up 10 the imitation OF
mankind
TINS is the scene in which our government
,,orccd m, 60 were the auspices under