The southern press. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1850-1852, 1852-07-14
THAI ~ the SfisisAl chAfsetsf Of Maa4ashti'

think understand il think have read every
page of her history. have known some Of the
great ment of that day personally. ! never saw
John Hancock. or Sam Adams, or James Otis.
have known John Adams, Robert Treat Paine,
Eibridge Gerry, and some other great men OF
that period, and | have listened to them az to
oracles teaching me rs young man as to the
proper performance Of my duties, II should
have any public duties to perform.
Well, then, succeeding to this revolutionary
epoch, came the con ,titutional epoch. The
necessities Of the country at the close OF the
war showed the necessity of more constitu-
tional form Of government than then existed. IL
was a great thought II was, if one may say
70, q fearful experiment It appeared 30 to
some of the wisest and best men of Massachu-
setts-it appeared to those men, at the head of
whom was Sam Adams, that it might be dan
gerous to create central government with
authority to act directly upon the people, and
not be obliged to act through the interference
of the States. lie was wise man. lie saw
the necessity Of such government. and he
yielded to it; and in yonder Old State House
believe it was in the Old South-he gave his
vote for it. think | behold him now, in his
half @ uaker dress, with his broad brim hat, his
gold-head ed cane, not less than five feet long,
and after all his discussion, and all his doubling,
crying out AYE" and the whole assembly re
echoing the shout of rejoicing Cries Of
"good."l
The Constitution went Into operation, and
the country had the good fortune to place Wash
ington at the head Of affairs. You all know how
it revived everything Massachusetts went under
that Constitution, sacrificing her peculiar rights
to the general good, and letting the government
Cypress her commerce, which was more than the
commerce Of every other State in the Union
three times overwhelming the whole to the best
interests Of the new government And she has
from that day to this experienced rich reward
for all she sacrificed by the protection which that
government has afforded her by unfolding her
flag all over tho world, and instead Of holding
up her venerable Indian with the bow and arrow,
maintaining the stars and stripes from ocean to
ocean and river to river. Good" and cheers
There were great men in that day of consti-
tutional authority, many Of whom have heard
There was Cabot, and Sedgewick, and Sewa
and Goodhue, and Ames, and other persons con-
nected with the administration Of Washington
There was Eustis, and Samuel Dexter; all emf
nent and distinguished in their day and genera
ton. Now, by this time the people Of this CON-
monwealth had been formed into parties, and
different sentiments divided them in relation to
the public concerns of the general government,
and different sentiments prevailed in respect to
the administration of affairs at home. Rival can
didates were put forth for Offices, and sometimes
one succeeded and sometimes another. Vari-
GUS successes attended various rarity move
ments down to the period of 1923, when it was
nv fortune, for the good or evil of the country
to be placed amid its councils Cries of "good !"
Mr. Webster, bowling, 81 thank you'll
Now, let me soy, that down to that period,
that is fifty years from the period of lndepend.
ence, there was not, in all the parties in Massa.
chusetts, from Berkshire TO Cape Cod, to be
found man with the slightest tincture of dis
union sentiment about him. [Cheers There
was not man who was not willing to thank
God daily that we had been so successful in es-
such government, and which had
secured to us such an eminent degree Of pros
perity. And when went to Congress from the
city of Boston, there was not man in Congress
who entertained disunion feelings, and if it had
been so he could not have held his place one
hour after the people had had the opportunity
to act upon it.
Now, gentlemen, that was Massachusetts
when came into her councils in 1923. That
was the Massachusetts which | embraced, and
which did me the honor to embrace me. That
was the Massachusetts which | honored histori.
calIy from the revolution downwsrds.
The character of nations and Of cities, gentle
men, is made out of facts. 1t is not the por-
traiture of the pencil 30 much it 10 the narra-
tive Of the pen. History tells us what she was
when she did me the honor to call me into her
service, and in that character, honored her, and
still honor her. if not the first, among the first of
all the true, patriotic Union States. | will not
say she was primus inter pares, but will say
she was not secundus inter pares. Ii she did
not 20 before others, aver no others went be-
fore her.
This being the character of Massachusetts,
this her attachment to the Constitution and the
Union, with some differences of sentiment as to
State and national politics, but after all, the
ruling sentiment being attachment to that great
principle of government that first made America
what she is--this being the characteristic of the
State, entered into her service with all the de-
votion Of my heart, and gave to it whatever
ability | had.
Now, gentlemen, from that time-from the
time entered into the Congress of the United
States at the wish of the people of Boston, my
manner of political life is known to you all.
do not stand here tonight to apologize for it.
(Cries, "You don't need it.') Less do stand
here to demand any appreciation. leave it all
to my country, to posterity, and the world to
say whether it will or will not stand the test of
time and truth. (Cries, "It will, it will" and
loud cheers.)
Now, gentlemen, have only to say to you
that at my present time Of life | am not likely
to adopt any sudden change. What have
been propose to be- No man can forsee the
occurrences of future life. Iprofess to forsee
nothing. The future is distant, the present is
our own, and for the present am content with
expressing my utmost gratitude to you and
assurance of my perpetual regard.
But ought to thank you little more partic-
ularly for this generous, spontaneous outpour-
ing of such multitude to greet me. | thank
you for your civic processien--for all the kind
ness of individual citizens, many of whom are
known ard many of whom, especially the
young, are unknown to me. | ought also to OK
press particular debt of gratitude to the militia
ry, who have accompanied us as an escort You
all know, gentlemen, it is not my fortune to be,
or to have been, successful military chieftan
Laughter and applause. | am nothing but a
pains taking, hard working, drudsing civilian
rvo;on ava, nro nor;al w ohoto~ ond th,t,.