The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1851-01-20

Senrs0 tA1t IuiiJ ApPteciAte the pOetiop ooCcup
this evening and the honor you intended to confer
and II should be wanting In set phrase to render tn
acknowledgements which belong to the occasion,
trust your kind consideration will supply the d.
hciency. sm scarcely with you yet; though sr
eighteen months in your city am but little scqusint
ed by association, with the people OF New York. bu
know enough OF them to know that they breathe al
atmosphere In which unfounded prJudices readily mel
away. (Uheers) have come among you with tn
full conviction that your prejudioss would be
come by the light Of truth and reason; and am mo-
disappointed. You have fully appreciated my
and have given me credit for higher merits than
possets your letter Of In vtstion you have
10 an epoch in the politics OF this State interest
ing to me than any other portion OF our history; and
you Mr. President have also referred those trans.
actions am glad you have done SO. You have said
that IN lS46 after the grsst party struggle the wings
were completely PROSTATE In this you have only said
what we must all admit know that our leader on
that occasion was estimated he deserved IT, indeed,
Harry Clay could he FULLY estimated Loud cheers
fou have said We were ysnq snquished-overthrovn. We
were The causes of our defeat not interesting
It has raid that traitors lurksd around the
camp and that treason bore its part in the
OF our orces OF the character of the great lead
er r. frain from DiD ste details that would pose
the rearhery that sta bbed In the dark But were
ov.rthrown as l have said. The fiiends Of Governor
Bouck were overwhelmed with defeat and sss Wright
trim plant. do not epeak Of the occasion with
view 10 make mention Of the part I took In those
transactions but as we are all In the heydsy OF fe
that we may profit by q recurrence to the past The
wbig party had hope. Their spirits were crushed
They "A members In the House and four Sena-
tore bat they were Possessed Of that qusliAca-
tion courage which Is valuable alike " and in
legislation they there TO meet the
OF prsvious disaster-to hsht . battle with party
fnshee with success and elsted with power There is
TOT cire umsaRce connected with those events that
rot as the images that cluster around the rsoollsc
ons OF early childhood. What to be done in this
great emergency 1t was not enough to preserve the
integrity OF the whig party We had not numbers to
retrieve our defeat Additional strength must be 90
quires To do that II not necessary that
abs ndon Of those principles that but
that We should become blieanizsd
believed then. do sow that the whig doctrines are
the true republican doctrines Of the country and all
that vas wanted was to present them In . popular
fer. An observing man, in view Of the difficulty Of
psbpg It. would ask how 10 this to be obtained?
The chsDpels n which tho people 60
worked deep and wide and unless there was some
ds 70 attempt TO struggle Its reslsss power
There seemed but one way to the attainment Of that
object and that lay through revision Of the oonsti
tutiop and ct an early day In the session declared
IL to be my intention to advocate convention for
that purpose. Thsn, now, IL said that my pur-
nal power and personal poson was
sad that the people had not with their peti-
ton for convention. But We assumed we came from
them, and bore their memorial The party opposed to
US we're not entfiey united in sympathy and feeling,
and they were almost equally divided upon the quss
wrought in the constitution we're tho.s that related
to the judiciary The Senate constituted major part
OF the court OF aft fesort and 1t idle to
tisttwothirds Of that body would wish to part with
that power We could not, therefore expect to pro-
cure the smrndments desired by Legislative action.
committee Of from each Senatorial district had
been sppointsd They stood four to four and oonss-
qusntly NO report could emAnate from them.
But the popular sentiment WAS making progress,
and the % OF April, ls46, an event occurred
that laid the foundation for all the political power that
the wings have since obtained both in tho State and
distinctly ss II it were yesterday. was in the su-
preme Court, when received note from distia-
euishsd member from Ontario, saying the time had
come for scti6p. went down TO the House, aud the
people there bled also seemed to think the time
had come, never saw 80 dense . mas, ., 80 much
exctsmvnt, ss prevailed In and around the galleries
and Hobbies Of the Houe. resolution to amend the
constitution had been reported and motion been
made TO rsf end the me Der from Ontario had owed
TO amend BY ntructisg the committee to report the
bill for convention Of the people OF the state In the
ranks Of our political opponents IL was known there
posed to It, Yet not single could DO found In
Isvor OF compelling report. The hour Of twelve
o'clock came. The accomplished Speaker, for whom
some OF you have recently voted, opposed
10 the bill, and ct once announced the special
order OF the day. 1 moved to postpone that order
The members representing the native American party
who had been raised TO power In the city ofNew York.
came 10 our ala and the vote Was 81 to al recoect
well ihe SILENCE that pervsced that body, and those
this vote. The people had caught the inspirsti u,
snd the feeling vas nsns In the gallery the
floor. Every man held In bis breath, and when the
Speaker declared the vote to be 81 to AZ these men
lived sgain There not . loud shout, but q voice
that told the public sentiment had sustained Us.
Vehement cheers) A motion was made 20 reconsider
the vote The mum bers 81 10 ST. The resolution
WAS net rscopsieered IL was adopted; and when the
,un went down on that day saw tha' progress had
been made that principle had made see trcsress and
everything about US had put ON anew aspect. zap.
rlaute) You know the rest The bill passed. and at
the hrst election under the revised consttuton the
wings returned ninety three members OF the House.
and twsnty.fcur seLNtsrs WIN you pardon me IL
instructive 10 those Who viii participate largely In DO.
itics heresfter For myself my path lies In another
way The passsge OF the bill for convention defeated
Gen Ca's, and elected Gen Taylor. (Chesrs) Issy
nothing OF his Administration And II has placed In
the Presidential chair his successor in my opinion
the wsest man that has been there since the da,s Of
Washington. (Cbeersl How has II done 20 Upon
the secession Of Governor Wright, one OF the
.blsst men this country has ever setn, he found
the policy OF supporting both sections in,tesd
q crushing either. He nrst assisted one, and then
the other. President Polk came into power, aid
tcopted the tane rule. The consequence VAS that he
preserved equally the strength Of beth divisions Of
his party. do not kno~ that 1t Gas In the power Of
Govsrsor Wright and President Polk TO have united
end 90 desirable to them II they had selected
or the other Of these great divisions they would have
rvellsd ~ w fcm the ranks Of the other diysiJn till
t,csne the party and they would have defeated the
psfssgs Of the bin and kept us just where we had
been ysars before, In ,msll minority. We came to
Albany lthe men have mentionedl not % advance
the intsretts "a any particular faction, but the In
tsresisof the county BY straightforward legislation
Then there vas no csbai There VAS no need OF one
usrshter) We had no power or patronage to divide.
1hs t,nisr editor q the influential organ of the party
-the Er,ning JoinrGl had lsft the country for the
resisn and placed In charge OF his paper young
who believed he discharged bis dsty faithfully by
publhbins correct siatements Of what occurred
There was no person then 10 In trisue and publish
things that never occurred, while things that did
occur we're carefully suppressed Roars Of laughter
To this circumtance, are In no Uncomfortable de-
gree Indebted for success In the remark, you have
made mr PRECEDENT. you have spoken Of portion
81 my oficisl conduet Governor Of the state l
have never taken the trouble 70 contrsd diet th'
ttatm.nts of certain newspapers on thi. subject,
nCr would advert to the matter now but that
! dt,m " due 70 you. o. you have mentioned the
isct that alleged 20 have tsken place during my
scmiDsiraton IL was alleged that prior to the cleo
uou, had expressed an opinion that those persons
convicted of the anti rent riots ought 20 be pardoned
They ssia had never denied the charge This OPT.
mon o. pledge was supposed TO have expressed IN
letter to Mr. Harris previous to 1876 That gentleman
has tircs coptfsdictd the in his place In
the Senate tCheers) lie said had expressed NO
such hfentlmtnt | would nov cay (not because wish
70 Iersct thing ever ,aid that never gave any
humatian 70 any man, living or dead that these msu
outbt 10 he pardored. Tor the offence Of which they
we're convicted. CHEERS The pardon itself was,
hink fully justified by the circumstances Of the Gaze
fhsfp htNeu me Iad l.en tad ~ Crenrs.