The republic. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1849-1853, 1852-04-15

who was the great champion thenf Who was the |
man that could como and stand ON the shore and
10 .pS no.
theTi'' Henry Clay, Of Kentucky. Immense APP
piausc.J Tell me Of his service to the country;
tell me OF hs honorable services. of his long years
OF devotion and sacrifice. OF the pains and the
guish, and the torture OF public service; tell Of
his prosecutions; tell me Of his trials aud Of his
triumPhs tell me of Greece, and of the South
American republics tell me all the pride and glo
rious pictures OF lis character; but away from ALL
tell me where was the man, living or dead, who
thrice saved his country Tell me of the man
that thrice, In three. quarters Of a century, was
called OF God to stand out and and redeem his
country tGreat applauscl That man is Henry
Clay. Here 10 the old cAmp-here is the old
guard; but as for myself, ! say am ambi
tous--aye, write it down, cay am ambi-
tious. ] would rather be member OF that
sold guard" endorsing the character and prin.
ciples and practices, and the memory Of Henry
man that ever trod the earth. have never been
worshipper Of men, am no idolator. believe
In the living and the true God. But, sir, think
| there Ia something due TO character, something
due to merit, and every thing due to sound and
| correct principles; and it is that ground, and
that ground alone, that have ever given 10 this
distinguished man the warm, the generous, the
cordial, the undivided appreciation Of my head
and my heart. [Great applause, and three cheers
for the speaker. But, sir, will not dwell longer
on that point. This is peculiar occasion, and
\ one as i nave before REMARKED, OIL o peculiar
interest; and in responding TO the two sentiments
uttered, desire to say one thing in respect 70 the
| last, and that 10 that sentiment which speaks OF
our country. am certain that, whatever of per-
sonal opinion there might be in the first, the latter
is sentiment which must find generous re-
spouse in every heart. Our country! Sir, there
is something majestic in that term-somethng
which comes home to the heart of every indi-
vdual. Our country! What are we without our
| country? Have we not enough in this country to
love. to CHERISH to admire, and to adore 60 far as
alteration Of earthly things is to be found? We
have country, a great and glorious country,
| a widespread world, vast universe, which the
God OF Nature himself has created. Nothing pre-
sents such wonderful and astonishing aspect
this country OF ours And. sir, 10 1t not wonderful!
Does II not strike the mind with profound astonsh
ment, when we look back and remember thai, with
in the lifetime Of the distinguished individual whose
birthday we are here to commemorate, we have
had our national existence? Have not u right to
wonder, and admire, and adore. that through
| stupendous Providence we have sprung up to one
| Of the mghtest nations on the EARTH from being
merely colony? From three millions OF poor de-
| fenceless people, almost, we number now twenty
i've millions. We were few colonies combined
within barrow limits; but now the world itself
| seems scarcely large enough to contain this won
| derful American heart aud spirit AZ an Ameri-
can freeman, nsk you here tonight; and perbaps
it is the last time shall ever address you. ICries
of"No, no."] Well, hope not mysslf-God for
bid; but it may be Bot put the solemn question
to youis there not enough, aye. more than enough,
in this country of ours, to fill the largest desires Of
10 not "passing strange" 10 it not wonderful In
fatuation, that we can, under any state Of circum
stances, for solitary moment, forget that we
are all members OF glorious family, and all heirs
OF the same glorious inheritance? IGreat applause
When walk along your streets, ! sometimes see
men gazing on me with curious eyc-I cannot
tell wby-and sometimes think, DWELL, that fel-
low is saying to himself, why, he lie a southern
man." And so, if one of your New York YAM
| kees-and God knows we consider you the worst
specimen OF Yankees-evcr got over to my part Of
cay, sob, there goes a Yankee" Now, is not this
strange; ia it not humiliating; and does it not fill
| the patriotic heart with regret? What right have
you to know that l am a southerner, and what
right has a southerner TO say you are from the
North? IApplause.] 81 know no North. no South,
no East, no West-nothing but my country" And,
sir, it is that sentiment which draws Henry Clay to
my heart. If believed he was = sectional man,
could not love him. III believed he had senti
ment in his soul which would lead him to disre
gard the rights of part of this Union for the sake
4 Of another, would despisc the man. ICrics of
bravo.l 10 II not strange, my countrymen-l had
hike 10 say, my fricnds-that members OF the same
great family, having an identity of intellect, q
community of feeling and sentiment and who arc
bound TO the same destiny, would cherish such
| miserable, such low, such humiliating, and, reli
gioosly speaking, Glowing to the Rev. Mr.. Cha
pin such damnabe prcjudces as sectional ami
mosties, (great applause and APPRECIATION that We
cannot live together harmonously, and az men,
bers Of the same family, without discordi What
| have you to gain by quarrclling with me! What
interest il my interest. my interest 10 your inte
rest; and you can more exist a free, pros
porous. happy. Heaven. blest people without US,
than can without you. Enthusiastic applause
We can more exist in prosperity without you
than you can without Us. Now, hope you will
write that down, my friends, and send 1t to every
| southern paper in the Union. preach the same
doctrine there as now do here. say the same
| things here which say everywhere. i have n
scorn and contempt which IL ineffabe and sublime
lIaugh,erl for those miserable demagogues. North
nr Gntrth hn a., 81 ,nn
| and place by sectonalities. fAppause.l Yes, sir
n had the power TO damn them, would damn
them 90 low that the thunder Of the last resurrec
ton itself would not reach them. fChcere and
| iaughter.l do not mean TO breach on politics.
gentlemen. ! do not mean 10 say word OF IL, be-
| cause ] know we have some Democratic friends
here whom would take to my heart with tho
most cordial zeal, particularly since they nre
Clay Democrats ! will not say syllabIe
about politics, but have felt it my duty to say
this much in behalf OF my country, because know
| there Is vulgar sentiment, North and South,
adverse To this country; and as live, and as God
lives, II bad the power to hang every OF the
traitors on the highest gibbct would do go. DO not
! care whether the man bail from the North or
| and deserves a traitors DOOM and the highest
pride would feel in this world next to being Pre-
sidcnt, would be to be the hsngman OF such trail
| tors. loud cheering The man who tries 10
| invade the sanctity Of the Union deserves 10 be
hung; and he who calmly and deliberately plots
treason against IL is nccursed OF Heaven and utterly
word more TO say, and then am done. This is a
pleas,nt, yet sad occasion. We have met to com.
mcmorate the biz bday Of great American states
man. The next time you assemble here, in all
hum m probability, will be 20 commemorate his
birth and his death. That great light which has
sbone so brightly in the political armament is fact
| going out. How sad is It, in hours of contempla-
ton, to gaze on the sinking uninary Of day as il
declines and losce it's brightness in the western
armament. And yet we know that in n few re-
volving hours IL will come back with all lie
brightness, with all it's rciulgepcc, with all its
greatness. With feelings akin TO these I gaze on
that bright and glorious political luminafy that has
bgbtencd this world for half century, and sec il
day by day AZ II sinks quietly into eternity
again TO enligbten the world. stand by him eve
! ry day Of my life, and zee that bright and glo-
rious spirit OF bis as he approaches his last hour,
and with philosophy, not Roman or Platopic, but
| with Christian philosophy, gaz-s upon that ap-
preaching event with all tho ca nncss, all the com
posture, all the self possession which fill the
| heart OF an honest man and OF patriot. When
| next you meet here he WILL in all human probable
ity, be in glory. Bot. sir may cay that, If your