The Lancaster gazette. (Lancaster, Ohio) 1846-1852, 1851-05-29
saturday Evening, May "a, 1881

Jug 'he glorious inauguration trip, on
the New York and Erie Railroad, we
see nothing which pIeases US better than
speech by the venerable John J. Crit.
tenden, at the Dunkirk barbecue. We
refer, especially. to his reference 10 the
democraticising tendencies Of railroads.
Mr.. Crittenden, said:-
He was in the hsbit Of obeying the
voice of his friends He was not, how
ever, accustomed TO such an elevated
position. He trusted his awkwardness
would be excused (LaughIerJ He
was full of the subject which seemed to
occupy The minds of all. He had to ac
knowledge his ignorance Do you be
lieve it, that it was not ill after testing
the statements of tue President, that he
had any idea of the magnitude of this
work When he received his invitation
he inquired, what great work is lhisl
know. said he, now what it is. shall
be ready to answer all inquiries that may
be made nf me that it is line uf rail.
road that binds in adamanline chains the
Atlantic Ocean with our own at west.
ern inland seas. (Applause Buona.
parte boasied in the height of his power
that his eagles had flown from steeple to
steeple until they lighted on the top of
Nnue Dame. But what have donel-
What have scent What have | heardl
have come IN a railroad from the Allan
tic Ocean To the shores Of Lake Erie, a
distance of 467 miles, not from steeple
to sieeple, but from mountain top to
mountain top. (Tremendous applause J
| can tell euquirers, though not in the
bombastic language of the cnnqueror, but
in the sober words of truth, what will
give a satisfactory ans wer to all concern.
ing the work of which a few days ago
was ignorant. History, if it is full of the
ingralitude ofnations, also records nstan.
ces OF ther appreciation Of benefactnrs.
The solons who formerly framed wise
laws arc still il2nored-the great Hanui.
bal who crossed tue A ps is still memo
rable all, aud every schoolbov is whip
ped into admiration ot him. Now what
does President Lo1er and his associates
deserve? What do we not owe to theml
They have not, like Hannibal, cut their
way across the Alps ii'r the sake of blood
shed and conquest. but they have done
more. They have made the mig ty Al.
leghanes bow down before Them for the
neneft of civilized man (Chfers What
other country can boast Of such an a.
chievement by its private ci,izensl
wish that, humble as my voice is, could
reach every poor man on the line of the
railroad, claim ri4ht to be heard 10y
every one of them. | am but pool
citizen of this great Repub C. would
tell him, be not ashamed of poverty
My friends, the bread That is earned il
poverty is feast In this great republic
of ours, wealth is republican. Wealth
is patriotic. BE not euviuus of it while
lhe men that have fortunes use them like
patliols. They use their wealth for our
beueht. and their wealth is in part ours.
let not Jealousy arise in your minds,
for under our Institutions wealth is pa
lriotc, and will he dispensed for the gen
era welfare. There Is an instance Of it
in this railroad All of you Will be bene
fited by the millions laid out on this road
Prohtby il, take care of this road. fcI
low citizens. In addition To the gre at
national interests connected with This
wlrk, there are great muri aud pulitica
interests connected wilhu. What were
the rich On y a few centuries agnl The
,, Iordlngs of creation, aud, enjoyed encIu
sive privileges. Mr. Crttenden then
proceeded to say that railroad car wa,
a litle democracy, in which all the pas
sengers rich and poor were on par
The rich man cannot jostle the poof man
for he pays no more for his ticket thar
, the other. thank God that ii is SO.
/ should not be so good Wing as am ifi
were not SO. He then dwelt on the in
: Auence that railroads exert in preserving
the Union -uot mere union of bargain
, but union of feeling aud union of bro
= therhood is what we want. That is wha
/ our fathers gave us, and if we are no
dastards to our fathers, we will neve
give up that glorious Union. (Great ap
. plause.) A union in peace, in war, it
, hardships Of the FIRST settlers. aud in al
the agonies of our revoluliOn--are WI
, wiling to sacrifice all thisl No. no
thank God, no! No, | trust not. Ther
: let US go on. Let US hoI on by botl
hands to that Union, and we shall be tn,
q greatest people that the sun ever shrnt
| upon.--[Great Applause This cont
f nent seemed to be reserved by Provi
, dence for late discovery, aud at tim
; when religious aud political tyranny i
Europe forced the bodest the braves,
q and the best of her spirits to seek a
a>ylnm. They came here. Provideuc
4, seemed to have reserved virgin cont
q nent for them-a mos; magnificent abod
. for man. Here we have setled--w
have power. and are great, chose
J people What is to be our destiny?
am not prophet. but in all the conidenc
of prophetic spirit it is plain to me th
your children and my children. if tru
$ to themselves, will WELD sceptre MOI
;, commanding than ever swept the worl
q by spreading liberty through it. Yo,
9 children and my children shall see thi
$ Then their word shall be ihe law of III
. world
e ~ A negro called on minister f'r th
h purpose of being spliced to one of tt
g blackest specimens of the African rae