The miners' express. (Dubuque, Iowa) 1849-1854, 1851-11-26
,c;,,Io. or fresTnG CARDS.

the or, al which | have so deep
art. (Hear, hear) ! wish the people OF
gland to know the true nature of the past
ub!es in Hungary, in order that we may pre-. -
'e Il generous sentiments already dis
wed town ds US, and believe that that can
no way be SO well done as by plain state
MT of facts, without any other unnecessary
,urish or artificial pomp Of words (Hear.
,ar) To understand fully the Hungarian
,estion, it will be necessary to say few
ords about Hungarian institutions You all
now that Hungary was more than 500 years
Institutional monarchy, and that alone is no
mall indication to the elements of strength
Slstng in my nation. GIear, hcfr0 VIII
GU reflect on the geographical position Of Hum
AIRY, ana reject that the Magyar race arc ASA
&c peopie-ihen thrust into the middle OF
European races, without friends and with
nut kindred - you must give credit fer the
irmness ana inherent strength that main
aimed the national institutions for SO long
period. We were, in fact, surrounded by des-
potc powers. On the one side was Turkey
on us for centuries, and against
which we had for ages been considered the bull
wark OF Europc-nnt only of its civilization
but of its Christianity ; and on another
Russia, power which, not for the benefit Of
mankind, has grown prodigiously within the
'ast century, (hear), on the third side was Aus
ria, not the large empire it now is, but the pro-
one Of the sons Of which, if history speaks
truth, ever the friend of political freedom.
One of them, It's true-Joseph 1.-was the
fend of religious freedom, and of the social
freedom of the peasantry. But even he, the
b st OF the Austrian dynasty, was s!renuously
opposed to the extension Of political privileges
Such was our position, then, surrounded by
Turkey, Russia, and the dominions Of the
house of Hapsburg and besides all that, we
eff nf hmm b,ch has
| ways been considered bar to national great
| ness-namey, that the people of the country
were excluded from political privileges. Still,
with all these difficulties, the Magyars pre-
served not only their national life, but their ma
tonal institutions. Oiear, hear.] Am net,
then, justified in saying that in such nation
there are elements of future, and that such
nation deserves to have rights Loud checrs.]
| / have already stated that the original people of
the country had share in constitutional rights.
The constitution of Hungary was aristocraiic,
but an aristocratc constitution in Hungary was
somewhat different from the meaning which is
attached to the word in England. In Hungary
the word is not SYNONYMOUS with power and
wealth, but simply means position obtained by
birth so that if a man were born noble, all his
children and children's children would be noble
also. What was the consequence? Nations,
! like individuals, are subject to many changes,
and tie descendants Of the old mobiles of Hun
gary did not remain great and powerful, but be-
; came so propagated and dffused as to be nearly
the people themselves, and poorer than the
t peasantry, because the mobiles had the ambition
not to werk, as labor were not the highest ho-
5 nor Of humanity Loud cheersl Therefore,
we found that this poor aristocracy were not
only in the condition of the people, but actually
i poorer, because not so industrious But one
i prominent feature in these facts u.s. that our ars-
r tocracy was not so opposed to the extension of
d constitutional rights as even the other arsto-
cracies of the middle ages, and as was formerly
b the aiistocracy of this country. say was, be-
Z, cause confess that the arstocracy OF England
have known how to meet the exigencies Of the
time, to share their privileges with the people,
e and to bear with the latter their proper share in
$, the public burdens of the country And thew
have had their reward for the arstocracv Of
d England has remained firm, while other aristo-
IS cracies have been scattered to the winds But
e in Hungary the mobiles were diffused among the
: people, mere agriculturists, landlords. or manu-
e facturers and laborers, and therefore the word
e in one case must be taken with meaning DIFF
e ferent from its acceptaon in other countries
J. and must add, that although the people were
e not by the ancient constitution allowed to
d speak for themselves, still we always found
e among the aristocracy generous and valiant
e, men, ready to stand forth as the champions of
i their country, and of the rights of humanity.
Of framed two institutions-en was what NAV
call the Parliament of Hungary, and the other
: was the county municipal institutions which
latter, more than the Parliament, were the safe
e guard Of the rights of the people. Besides,
n these county institutions framed that
l. they could be the only media through which
k the government could convey orders to the
at magistrates and other officers. These county
,r meetings were composed of noblemen who re-
n sided in the counties, and in some counties
e amounted to twenty-five or thirty thousand
n every one of whom had the right of voting at
lie elections for magistrates, who were the only
lc executive power of the country.
L. If the government wanted any order execu-
c ted, it must be done by the municipal magis-
e trate; but he could not come into immediate
e contact with the government, who must send
y their orders in the first instance to the county
e meeting. Such meeting had right to discuss
y the orders of government, and more than one
a. case has occurred in which the order was not
K forwarded to the magistrate for execution, but a
G. rcmonstrance sent to the government for send
re ing it. They formed strong barrier against
lie the encroachments of the government, and no
country has needed such barrier more than
g Hungary. For more than three centuries the
house of Hapsburgh had not at its head man
who was friend to political freedom, loud
lie checrs) Now, the house of Hapsburg has rul.
n ed in Hungary for these three centuries, not by
It, conquest, but by the free choice of the nation
i not without conditions, but firmly bound by
s. treaties, the chief feature of which was, that
re when the King was admitted to power in the
n order of his lineal succession, he to rule
s. and govern Hungary by means of its own public
h institutions, and according to its own laws he
< swore solemny to do so, and prayed to the eter-
u nal God to bless him and his race, as he was
t. true to his oath. Thirteen Kings we have had
S. Of this dynasty, and no man charge me
Or with exaggeration when 1 say that the rule OF
T. these thirteen Kings has been continuous per-
"A jury, (Great sensation, caused by the wonder
d full energy which NJ Kossuth threw into tie
lie delivery of this sentence.) Yes, perjury-that
n IS the word. (Renewed cheering) Gentlemen
81 I am a plain man, and call things by their
right names. CHEERS and laughter) Now,
v when the Hungarian nation elected the house of
y Hapsburg as her sovereign, the country con-
: tanned upwards of 1000 geographical square
Is miles, which, am informed, are equal to about
@ 100000 English square miles, and fifteen mil
, lions of people-no small or insignificant realm
e as you will admit. (Hear, hcar) At that time
ut too, the house of Hapsburg ruled constitution
Id ally in all their other provinces, but subsequent
y those provinces lost their rights, and through
r the whole of the three centuries, the direc-
s. ton of the ambition of the house of Hapsburg
re has been to obtain undisputed absolute domin-
ion all their territories Shortly before the
a Pesth struggle there was not single province
IF of the Austrian empire that had constitution,
is the ambition of the house of Hapsburg havir g
| absorbed the constitutional rights Of all. Our
d constitutional rights were not absorbed, because
we did not belong to the Austrian empre nor
had we any connexion with it, except such as
that of Hanover with this country, with this ex-
ceptior, that the line of succession was not
limited in the same manner. We administered
l. a coronation oath, setting forth that there was
:, to be no connexon between Hungary and any.
e other province, and that, while we acknowledge
i ed the same sovereign, our rights were to be
J, preserved, and we were to be governed solely
G by our own laws and customs (Hear, hear)
t We also provided that, in the sovereignty
: should, in the line of SUCCESSION, fall into the
f hands of child, the course should not be
c adopted in the of Austria In such a
: contingency the regent of Austria would be
0 some elder member of the royal family, but we
provided that Hungarian palatne should be
~ nj rirhts chnnll