Worcester daily spy. [volume] (Worcester [Mass.]) 1850-1888, 1852-01-10
Kossuth s Speech.

Speech delivered by the great Magyar, in les
pOuse to the toast proposed by Senator King of
Alabama
"Hungary, represented in the person Of our
honored guest Having proved herself worthy TO
be free, by the virtue and yalor of her sons the
law of nations and the dictates of Justice alike
demand shat she shall have fair play in her strug-
gle for independence.
We do not wonder that such eloquence as
Kossuth's should recall early sentiments to the
breast of even Daniel Webster Nor are we
astonished that indifference, GOODNESS, and hostli-
ty to his mission should be dspelled by its magic
influence.
Sr,-As once Cineas, the Epirote, stood among
the Senators ofRome, who, with an earnest word
of sef-conscous majesty controlled the condition
of the world, and arrested mighty kings in their
ambitious march, thus full of admiration and rev.
erence l stand before you, Legislators Of the new
capitol that glorious hall of your peoples collec.
tive majesty. The capitol of the old yet stands,
but the spirit has departed from it and come over
to yours, purified by the air of liberty. The old
stands inourninl monument of the tragiity of
human things yours as a sanctuary of eternal
rights. The old beamed with the red lustre of
conquest, now darkened by oppression's gloomy
nght-yours beams with freedoms bright ray
The old absorbed the world by its own central
lied gory-yours protects your own nation
against absorption even by itself. The old was
awful with unrestricted power-yours is glorious
with having restricted it. At the view of the old,
nations trembled--at the view of yours they hope
To the old, misfortune was only introduced with
fettered hands, to knee at the triumphant con-
lion Is granted to unfortunate exiles, invited to
The honor of seat; and where kings and Caesars
will never be hailed, for their powers, might and
wealth, there the prosecuted chief ola down-trod-
den nation is welcomed as your great Republics
guest, precisely because he is prosecuted, help
less, and poor. In the old, the terrible UG uictuS
was the rue--in yours, protection TO the oppress-
ed, maledcton to ambitious oppressors, and con-
ISOLATION TO the vanquished in a Just cause. And
while out Of the old a conquered world was ruled,
you in yours provide for the common confedera-
tive interests of a territory larger than the con-
quered world of the old. There sat men boasting
their will TO be the sovereign of the word-here
sit men whose glory is TO acknowledge the laws
of Nature and of Natures God, and TO do that
their sovereign, the people, wills.
Sir, there is history in these parallels. Histo-
ry of past ages, and history of future centuries,
particulars, TO which the passion of living men
clings with fervent zeal, as if the fragile fingers
of men could arrest the rotation Of destiny's
wheels-these particulars die away. 1t is the
issue which makes history, and that Issue is al
ways logical. There is necessity Of consequent
ces wherever The necessity of position exists
Principles are the Alpha; they must finish with
Omega, and they will Thus history may be
told often in few words. Before yet the heroic
struggle of Greece first engaged your country's
sympathy for the fate of freedom in Europe, then
so far distant, and now so near, Chateaubrand
happened to be in Athens, and he heard from
minaret raised upon the Propylaen ruins,a Turk
is priest, in Arabic language, announcing the
lapse of hours to the Christians of Minerals
town. What immense history in the small fact
of Turkish Imaum crying out, ''Pray, man, the
hour is running FAST and the judgment draws
near" sir, there is equally history of future
ages written in the honor bestowed by you to my
humble self.
1t is in the garden of Capitalization where the
venomous plant of ambition ihriyes. ! dare con-
fdently affirm that in your great country there
isis not single man through whose brain has
ever passed the thought thai he would wish to
raise the seat Of his ambition upon the ruins Of
your country's liberty, ifhe could. Such wish
is impossible in the United States. Institutions
react upon the character of nations. He who
sows the wind will reap the storm. History is
the revelation Of Providence The almighty
rules by eternal laws, not only the material but
moral world, and every law is principle and
every princl pie is law. Men as well as nations,
are endowed with free will to choose principles
but that once chosen, the consequences must be
abided. With self-government is freedom, is
justice and patriotism. With Capitalization is
81 IL, N. i
Yours is happy country, gentlemen. You
had more than fair play. You had active, opera
tive aid from Europe in your struggle for indepen-
dence, which, once achieved, you so wisely used
as TO become prodigy of freedom and warfare,
and a book of life to nations. But we, in Europe,
we, unhapplly, have no such fair play. With US,
against every palpitation of liberty, all despots are
united IN common league, and you may be sure
despots will never weld to the moral influence of
your great example. They hate the very ex-
stence of this example. 1t is the sorrow of their
thoughts, and the incubus of their Dreams To
stop its moral influence abroad, and to check its
spreading developments at home, is what they
wish, instead of yielding to its influence. We
have no fair play. The Cossack already rules,
by Louis Napoleon's usurpatlon, to the very bor-
ders of the Atlantic Ocean.
One of your great statesmen-now, to my deep
soIToW, pOunu 10 lhe SICK Deu Oh TAR advanced age,
alas! that am deprived Of the advice which his
wisdom could have impaired to me-your great
statesman told the world thirty years ago, that
Paris was transferred to St. Petersburg. What
would he now say, when ST. Petersburg is trans
ferred TO Paris, and Europe is but an appendix to
Russia! Alas Europe can no more secure to
Europe fair play. Albion only remains; bat even
Albion casts sorrowful glance over the waves.
Sill we will stand our place, sink or swim, live
or die. You know the word. 1t is your own.
We will follow it. 1t will be bloody path to
tread. Despots have conspired againstlhe world.
Terror spreads over Europe, and anticipating per-
secuton rules from Paris to Peslh There is
gloomy silence, like the silence Of nature before
the terrors of hurricane. LISA sensible silence,
only disturbed by the thOusand-ioId rafting Of the