The republic. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1849-1853, 1850-02-07

Il
tear down the fabric ofou Union. they were asked
10 purchase the sacred relics Of Washin gon 10 de-
Posite them with the Government. He must
slider this proposition desecration Of the memo
" of him, which the message calls up. With these
the resolution. tf
Mr.. STEPHENS, of Georgia, did not propose 10
say much la reply 10 either of the gentlemen who
preceded him. 4 soelned 70 him thst the very truth,
the solemn truth, expressed by the gentleman from
Alabama, made him ardent and strong for the adop-
ton o. tho resolution y true that the spirit Of
asked, what should be the course Of the representa-
tiyes Of tAe people, Should they not II by any pos
sibiiity they could do call back that spirit? Is
there man from the North, East. South, or West
| who would not invoke il 70 returni For himself,
he would, to-day, with the gentlemen Of the North,
who are making aggressions on the South, invoke
tho spirit OF the address which the Father Of his
country gave 60 the people Of tho United Statcs.
The gentleman from Tennessee asked, what was
the old writing WORTH lie (Mr. 81 did not intend
70 enter into calculation Of dollars and cents
they had not yet arrived at that degree that they
could estimate the immortal sentiments which per-
yaded the address Of the Father Of his country He
had not, and he trusted !hAt no other gentleman had
come 70 that point, and he trusted Ia God they
may. He believed that II all portions would come
together aud read over the address carefully dis
passionaiel and enthusiastically the spirit q patriot
\ ism, now hckering In the socket would blaze and
ilumnc the Confectionery from end Of Il 10 the
other.
| Mr.. JONES inquired whether II was contem-
plated that tho committee should go TO Philadel-
pha ON the day Of sale, and bid for the manuscript
or were they y appoint agent TO judge OF the
| gcnuineness Of the paper!
Mr.. STEPHENS did not know whether tho rcso-
luton said how the committee should discharge
their duty; nor did he know whether il would an
swcr wise purpose 10 do 80. He took Il for grant
cd that they would discharge their duty faithfully
Mr.. MEADE said that lac had addressed = note
to the librarian. asking whether nm original copy
OF the address was Ia thc library in the State De-
partmcnt; and, in reply, the librarian said that.
hi; * kns srs5sssM i was in neither place.
immaterinl whether there a copy there or not,
because he wishcd to have the original. With what
interest do we look the fac silnile Of the letters
OF Junius, and the intcrlncaiions and crasurcs Of
his master-spirit. And upon the manuscript OF
| Byron! What would not gentlemen give 10 have
in their private library the original manuscript Of
Hamletl Would they not give five hundred times
" What is the old manuscript worth - The gen
| tleman from Tennessee says that We have already
| got an original manuscript of the address. There
can, however, pc but ono original. We may have
a manuscript copy j. may be . corrected one Of
| the address Of Washington. But what he wished
the original, with the intcrlineations and era
sures, as it passed from the hands Of Washington 10
Mr.. JOHNSON askcd what evidence has the
gentleman that this 10 an original papers
Mr. STEPHENS understood that the question was
settled beyond doubt. He did not understand that
any gentleman pretended TO rcfute the fact. hut
the resolution authorizes the committee 10 purchase
the original paper, and he willing To lcayc the
matter TO their discretion. He could not presume
that they will be imposed upon. He understood,
on irrcfutablc testimony, that the manuscript was
handed by Washington himself to Mr.. Claypole.
He would take neffable pleasure ia reading the
original manuscript Of the Father Of his Country
He did not intend to say any thing Of the character
of Washington He treasured his memory more
highly than that Of any who ever breathed
on the face Of the earth
Mr. "a l. z. .,..t.
information, and he asked, did not the Government
pay forty thousand dollars for the manuscripts of
Washington! How, then, is it that this has got out
of the collection?
Mr.. STEPHENS said that tho inquiry showed The
wide difference between the gentleman and him
self He did not, he repeated, estimate the value
OF the address by dollars and cents II the Govern
mcnt had appropriated one million Of dollars for
the papers Of Washington. and had been cheated in
the contract, and if this had been left out he
would pay any thing to rescue Il. Suppose the
father Of any one of us had departed this HE and il
was ascertained that an individual had letter
which was addressed by the father 10 the con at a
most important crisis of his life-warnng him
against the dangers and the breakers Of life-sup-
He would not hesitate TO give whatever the posscs
sor of it demanded for the interesting cpistc Of his
father. Mr. Claypole was not man bidding for a
own request He kept Il durar ssh is II n and II s
to his heirs at his DEATH The gentleman from Ten
nessec said that Mr.. Claypole was asking Congress
to buy it. He (Mr. So did not understand that
the proposition came even from the heirs.
The fact had been repeated, over and over again,
that, according to the laws of Pennsylvana all the
personal effects of Mr.. Claypoc must be sold. The
to buy the paper. The proposition to buy II ema-
mates from Congress. Suppose IL should become
necessary, at some future tme TO establish the ex-
act reading Of the address, is it not important that
the Government should be in possession of iti But
this Is not the motive. He wanted il in the Libra
ry, where all the people may il; that they may
go as IT were, before the altar of the country, and
by seeing it, revive the patriotic feryor which
should exist in the breast Of every American He
verify believed, without wishing TO pcrpetuatc
party sentiment, that, when they see the address
there, they may learn, rs the Father of his Coun-
try said, this Union is the palladium of their safety
and can only be maintained by brothcrly love and
Kindness towards One another. He hoped he fer
vently trusted, that the troubled waves would be
stayed, when the spirit of the address, like the
voice of the Saviour Of the world would be heard,
saying, peace, be still; il is l."
Mr.. CHANDLER said 1t would be found that the
great Father Of his Country, though dead, yet
speakcth. He should regard the introduction ofthc
subject, whatever may be the consequences Of the
resolution, good for all. He trusted that they
ought this day to estimate the value, not of the adj
dress, but of the sentiments contained in il; and
learn TO strive, now and hereafter for the good of the
country, as whom the words Of wisdom sprung from
the head ofthc Father OF his Country For himself,
he desired with the gentleman from Georgia, to see
the manuscript spread out before them, and when
the turbulent spirit of party and sectional difficulty
threatened to overwhelm them, they could say,
You, as the Moses Of this flock, lead us 10 the con-
temptation Of the truth; brethrcn," He esti-
mated the yellow paper and faded ink over all other
manuscript, as he did the remains of the Father Of
his Country over all other remains, sancticd ms the
bones arc by his spirit. lie did not believe with
the gentleman from Alabama, that the spirit of the
address has departed. He believed that H. could
be called back II IL not dead, but slecpcth;
and II will be called up from the tomb and animate
us. He was ignorant of the truth that the admin
istrators had presented themselves here sellers.
lie did not know that they had desire that Con-
gross should purchase the manuscript, other than
that, being Americans, they preferred that their
own Government should have IL. Other nations
want IT, but do not need Il; need il. He desired
that the committee should be authorized to make
the purchase at fair value.
MIR. STANTON, of Tennessee, desired TO recon-
INIT the resolution, with instructions 10 inquire
whether there is not copy of the same instrument
in the State Department
Mr.. JOHNSON, Of Tennessee, moved 10 lay the
resolution on the table The motion was mega
tivcd