The mountain sentinel. [volume] (Ebensburg, Pa.) 1844-1853, 1850-03-07
ELOQUENT Tribute 10 the Prosperity Of our
Country.

tUuNlFi.
Henry Clay, IN his recent and really
great speech on Slavery and the Union,
draws the following eloquent picture o.
the past and present condition our Repub-
lie. Coming, as it does, from the idol of
the Wing hearts, it is bright commenta-
ry on the hypocritical "ruin' statements
put forth by all the Whig journals. Mr..
Clay is right. Our country is prosper
Gus, and was never more so; and 1t is
Democratic policy that has made ii what
il is:
"Sir, this Union is threatened with sub
version / want, Mr.. President, TO take
rapid glance at the course of the public
measures in this Union presently. want
however, before | do that, to ask the Sen
ate to look back upon the career which
this country run since the adoption OF this
constitution, down to the present day.
Was there ever nation upon which the
sun of heaven has shore that has exhibited
SO much prosperity? At the commence
ment Of this government our population
amounted to about four millions. II has
now reached upwards of twenty millions.
Our territory was limited chiefly and prin-
cipally to the border upon the Atlantic
ocean, and that which includes the south
ern shores of the interior Lakes of our
country. Our country now extends from
the northern provinces of Great Britain to
the Rio Grande, and the Gulf of Mexico,
on one side, and from the Atlantic TO the
Pacific, on the other side-the largest eX-
tent of territory under any government un-
that exists on the face of the earth, with
only two solitary exceptions. Our tom
mage, from being nothing, has risen in
magnitude and amount so as 10 rival that
of the nation who has been proudly char
acterized ''the mIstrsS of the ocean,. We
have gone through many wars-wars too
with the very nation from whom we broke
off in l776, as weak and feeble colonies,
and asserted our independence as a men,
ber of the family of nations. And, sir,
we came out of that struggle, unequal no it
Was-armed as she was at all points, III
consequence of Just having come out OF
her long struggles with other European
nations, and unarmed as we were at all
points, in consequence of the habits and
nature of our country, and It's institutions
we came, | say, out of that war without
any loss of honor whatever-we emerged
from it gloriously.
In every Indian war-and we have been
engaged i'll many of thcm-our armies
have triumphed; and without speaking at
all as TO the causes of the recent war with
Mexico, whether it was right or wrong,
and abstaining from any expression OF
opinion as to the justice or proprlety OF
the war, when once commenced, all must
admit that, with respect TO the gallantry of
our armies, the glory of our trlumphs..there
is no page or pages of history which re-
cords more brilliant successes.
Sir, our prosperity is unbounded; nay,
Mr.. President, | sometimes fear that 1t is
in the wantonness of that prosperity that
many of threatening ills of the moment
have risen. Wild and erraric schemes have
sprung up through the whole country,
some of which have even found their way
into legislative halls; and there is a rest
lessness existing among us which L fear
will require the chastisement of Heaven to
bring us back to the immeasurable benefits
and blessings which have been bestowed
upon us by Providence. At this moment
all is prosperity and peace, and the nation
is rich and owerful. Our country has
grown to a magnitude, to a power and
greatness, such as to command the respect
if it does not excite the apprehensions of
the Powers of the earth with whom we
come in contact.
Singular .4bd,tctaOn Case.-The B0s
ton Herald mentions an elopment and