The daily crescent. [volume] ([New Orleans, La.]) 1848-1851, 1851-05-20


We find in the Petersburg Southside Democrat,
the following description of this gentleman's pro-
tracted speech on the basis question:
The speech of Henry A. Wise is one of the most
remarkable harangues ever delivered to delibe-
rative body Whether considered in respect OF Its
magnitude, or the manner of its delivery, or the
doctrines it promulgates, it is phenomenon-an
intellectual monster. No man who has not seen
and heard him in his present performance, can
form the least conception of the matter the man.
ner The attitudes and gesticulations of the man,
are in themselves marvel. Now he stands erect,
with uplifted hands, imploring the favor or i'm
precatiDg the wrath of heaven again he sinks
almost TO the floor in the agony of some extreme
passion. Now he whispers forth the accents Of
persuasion, he Kisses out some whitening ana
| thema AT one time his voice rings like the bleat
of suffering calf, again it sinks to the solemn
| sound Of Sunday sermon. At one moment his
| face beams with gentleness, presently it flames
with all the passions of fury. He strides up and
down the floor, he losses and swings his arms, he
shakes his fist and points his finger he stamps and
| raves and scowls.
The matter is suited to the manner. Such a
| torrent Of twaddle such a mush-mixture OF mere
fustian, such agonizng pathos such cratic fights
OF fancy, such blasting invectve, such solemn
prayers, such blasphemous imprecatons! Every
topic is discussed by the orator. matter what its
irrelevancy. Now, he is specializing about the
origin Of society," in a moment he launches into an
mNeCuNc against race nOISeS, NOW, ne ID Cuil-
phmentlng Jesus Christ, and now abusing John
Randolph; at one moment he quotes Shakespeare
at another the Bible. Magma Charta and King
| John, the Declaration Of Independence and Thomas
Jefferson, the Modes and Persians, the Greeks ant
Romans, the French and English, the whites ant
the blacks-all figure in the comprehensive med
ley. But to say that this speech of Henry A
Wise is not characterized by ability, is to utter
manifest absurdity. In mountains of the meres
trash and dirt scattered gems of the first water
Mr.. Wise is an orator a.; he can, and does contro
the will and feelings of the men he addresses Ii
power, in interest, in effect man in the Con
vention campare with him. Crowds flock /
hear him, just they GO to the play house. to b
/ amused and excited by comic passages, and b
brilliant defamation.
Booth was playing Hamlet at the theatre, an
n Wise Harlequin at the capitol and the latter dre'
i the crowd. But when we say Wise's speech is
theatrical exhibition, we do not mean to intimat
that he produces impression. He does produc
+ an impression, if not upon the Convention, "
upon the galleries to whom he especially addresse
. himself. 1t is impossible to characterize the do,
A trines of Mr.. Wse's harangue in terms sufficient
denuncatory Their tendency is mschievous
the last degree. We speak not of his opinion
e upon the basis of representation, but OF tho'
y socialist doctrines which he promulgates with
}; the zeal of the reddest republican. The who
d burden Of his Grafton, is abuse of the rich (who
II he calls the artaocrats) and laudatons OF Il
e poor and the inevitable effect of his doctrines,
to exasperate and excite these two classes OF socie
d against one another.
It The tendency of his doctrine is revolutionary
indeed he openly proclaims, that rather than su
T. NIT to what he calls the domination OF the ar
tocrats, he would excite rebellion. Hence
denounce the doctrines put forth by Henry
~ Wise as dangerous to the peace of society q
:. their perncious tendency should be counterfeit
~ by the united opposition of all good men.