Mississippi palladium. [volume] (Holly Springs, Miss.) 1851-1852, 1852-01-15
Koss1-ais Great Speech at the Banquet
Of The Eew York Press

sed Siates-The Deiiverers of Kos
sssth-How Just and clear the cause in
which nations so distant from each
other, and SO different in their forms Of
government, unile their sympathieS
and their acts.
Hon George Bancroft responded
He took the ground that the United
States IS solernnly pledged to every
thing that Is great and good-and
closed with The following sentiment:
The American Press-It is response
BE for the liberties of mankind.
The next regular toast was: The
Mississippi and her officers, honored
agents in executing the nations will.
Tue third toast was: Lonis hos
s0th.
As soon as the name of the Cover
nor Of Hungary was mentioned, the
assemblage cheered vociferously.
kossuih responded as follows:
KOSSUTH's SPEECH.
GESTLEaEN:-Rising respectfully 20
return my most just thanks for the
honor OF the toast, and the high bene-
fl OF the sympathy manifested by this
solemn demonstration, it is with min
gied feelings of JOY and fear that ad-
dress YOU, gentlemen / address you
with JOY, because, conscious of the
immensely of the power which you
wield, it is natural TO feel some awe in
addressing those in whose hands the
success or the failure of our hopes is
placed Still, equally know that in
your hands, gentlemen, the indepen-
dent republican press is weapon, but
4 weapon 10 defend truth and Justice,
and not to offend.
Ii Is no screen to hide, no snuffers
10 extinguiSh the light, but torch lit
at the fire of immortality, spark of
which is glistening in every mans soul,
TO prove its divine origin; a torch
which you wield loftily and high, to
spread light with it TO the most lonely
regious of humanity. And as the cause
Of my country is the cause of justice
and trGth-as it has in no respect to
fear light, bat rather wants nothing but
lighI 10 see secured TO it the support
and protection of every friend of free
dom, OF every noble-minded man, these
are the reasons why | address you
with Joy, gentlemen. The more with
JOY, because, though it is sorrowful to
see that iil-wilied misrepresentation or
secret Austrian intrigues, distorting
plain, open history to a tissue of false
hood and lies. know how TO find their
way even 10 small, Insignificant part
o. the American press, still am proud
90 see that the immense majority of the
American press not only proved mac
ceSSibie 10 these venomous intriguers.
bat conscious Of the noble vocation oil
an independent press, and yielding to
the generous inclination of freemen. o
protecting truth and justice against the
dark plots Of tyranny, has, without an .
Interference from my part, come forth
- protect the sacred cause of Hun.
gary
The independent press of this great
republic has in this very case also pro
VeG 10 the world that even against the
mlischievous power of calumnies, the
most efficient protection is the freedom
oi the press, and not preventive meas
uTes, oondemning human intellect te
eternal minority | address you, gen
ilemen, the more with Joy, because
through Won have have the invaluable
benefit TO address the whole university
u the great. glorious and free people
Of the United States. This is a grea
word, gentlemen, and yet it is literally
trGe- While, eighty years ago, the
Immortal Franklin'S own press was al
most the only one in the colonies, now
there are over three thousand newspa
pers in the United States, having a cir
culaiion of five millions of copies, ane
amounting IN their yearly circulation
20 the prodigioas number Of nearl,
four and q half hundred millions; eve
" grewn man In the Union reads, or
the average, two newspapers week
and one hunored and five copies year
nearly eighteen copies fall, in the pro
portion TO the population, to every hu
man being in the Union-man, woman
a-d child
am told that the journals of New
York State alone exceed in numbe
those of all the rest of the world be
yond your great Union, and the circu
iation Of the newspapers of this city
alone nearly exceeds those of the who'll
empire of Great Britain. But there i
yet one particularly remarkable fac
which cannot torbear to mention, gen
siemen- L boldly declare that beyont
the United States there exists scarcel,
practical freedom of the press-a
least IN Europe, not except, perhaps
Norway. OF whose condition, in tha
respect. am not quite aware. Yol
know, gentlemen, how the press is fet
tered throughout the European cont
Eenf- even, for the present, in Franc,
iiseli. whose great nation, by a strang,
tate. sees, under nominaiIy republic
an. but centralized government, all th,
glorious fruits of their great and victo
nous revolutions wasting between the
blasting fingers of centralized admins
tEznve and legislative omnipotence.
Yoa know how. the Independent
press OF France is murdered by i'm
prisonment of their editors, and b,
fees: You know how the present gov
eminent Of France feels unable to bea1
the force Of pf.i,Ise or,inix,r--Sf, s,,,,,..l