Portage sentinel. [volume] (Ravenna, Ohio) 1845-1854, 1852-01-26
KOSSUrH'S GREAT SPEECH
AT the late congressional BANQUET.

=
I Mr.. King gave the following toas,
which was prefaced with appropriate re-
marks: ,=s "
+ Hungary-represented in the person OF
our honored guest-having proved herself
worthy 70 be free BY The virtues and valor
of her ,sons-.he' law. of nations and The
dictates Of justice alike demand that she
shall have lair playIin her struggle for in.
dependence. Enthusiastic cheerirgl
Gov. Kossuln rose and responded az fol.
lows: ...-.,s 1..l4.. ~
! SIR-As once Cyneas, the Epirote, stood
amongsl the senatots OF, Rome, who with
an earnes, word Of sself-couscipus majesty,
controlled the condition of the world and
arrested mighty kings in their ambitious
marcb,--thus, full of admiration and OF
reverence, standamongsl you, legislators
of the New Capitol that glorious Hall of
your peoples collective majesty. The
Capitol of Old yet stands, but the spir, has
departed from ii and come over 10 yours,
| purified by the air Of liberty. The old
stands mournful monument Of the fragil.
ity Of human things-yours, as sanctuary
Of eternal rights, The Old beamed with
the red luslre, conquest now darkened by
oppression's gloomy night; yours beams
with freedoms bright ray. The Old ab-
sorbed the world by its own centralized
/ glory; yours protects your own nation
against The absorption, even by itself. The
4 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, humanity hopes. To
the Old, misfortune was only introduced
/ with fettered hands to kneel at triumphant
conquerors' heels; to yours, the triumph OF
introduction is granted to unfortunate exiles
invited to the honor of a seat.
And where Kings and Czars never will
be hailed for their power, might and
wealth, there the prosecuted chief Of q
down.trodden nation is welcomed as your
great Republics guest, precisely because
he is prosecuted, helpless and poor. In
the Old, the terrible re! ractis was the
rule; in yours, protection TO the oppressed,
nnalediction TO ambitious oppressors, and
consolation to vanquished, just cause. And
while out of the old, conquered word was
ruled, you and yours provide for the CON-
|
er than the conquered world Of the Old
There sat men boasiing their will TO be the
sovereigns of the world ;here sit men whose
glory is to acknowledge the laws of nature
and natures God, and 10 do whut their
sovereign, the people, wills.
Sir, there is history in these parallels.
History of past ages and history of future
centuries may be often recorded in few
words. The small particulars to which
the passion Of living men clings with fer
vent zeal, as If the fragile fingers Of men
could arrest the rotation Of destiny wheel
these particulars die away: it is the is
sue which makes history, and that issue is
always logical. There is necessity Of
consequences wherever the necessity Of po-
stion exists. Principles are the Alpha;
they must finish with Omega, and they
will. A.-- al..,5s f. 4-,z..-t a.
Thus history may be told often in few
words. e%1 '-.s,- 80
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, Chateaubriand
happened to oe in Athens, and he heard
from minaret. raised upon the Propy-
leum's ruins, a Turkish priest, in Arabic
language, announcing the lapse of hours
to the Christians of Minerals town.
What immense history in the small fact Of
a Turkish Imam crying out spray. man!
the hour is running fast, and the jud gment
draws near!'' .---a '=-55 a7
Sir, there is equally history of future
ages written in the honor bestowed by you
to my humble SELF The first governor Of
independent Hungary, driven from his ma.
tive land by Russian violence; an exile on
Turkish soil, projected by Mahomelan
Sultan against the blood thirst of Christian
tyran,s; cast back prisoner 10 far Asia by
diplomacy; rescued from his Asiatic prison
by America, crossing the Atlantic charged
with the hopes OF Europe's oppressed ma
tons: pleading, poor exile, before the
people Of this great republic his down.trod'
| den country's wrongs and its intimate con-
nexion with the fate Of the European con-
tinens, and, with the boldness Of just
cause, claiming The principles of the Chris
tian religion to be raised 10 a law Of ma.
lions, and to see not only the boldness OF
| the poor exile forgiven, out 10 see consoleo
by the sympathy Of millions, encouraged
by individuals, associations, meetings, cities
and States; supported by operative aid, and
greeted by Congress and government as
the nations guest; honored, out of gene
rosity, with that honor which only one man
before him received, and that man received
it out of gratitude with honors such as no
po,entate ever can receive; and this ban.
quet here, and the toast which have to
thank you for-indeed sir, there is hslo-
ry of future ages in all these facts! They
will go down to posterity in the logical
consequences Of principles which are the
foundation Of these facts.
Sir, though have the noble pride Of my
principles, and though have The inspira-
lion of just cause, still | have also the
consciousness Of my personal humility
Never will forget what is due from me
to the sovereign source of my public ca.
pacily. This owe TO my nations digni-
ty; and therefore, respectfully thanking
this highly distinguished assembly in my
| > 7 ..l. ho1