Richmond daily times. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1853, 1852-01-10
SPEECH AT THE CONGRESS
SIONAI.DINNER

world and arrested migly kings in their ambitious
march, thus full OF adulrailon and of reverence,
stand amongst you, legislators of the new Capitol,
that glorious hail ut yGutpeope's collective majesty
The Capitol OF old yet taHds, but the spirit has de-
parted from il, and CONS over yours, purified by
the ali OF liberty. the bid stands mouTnful monu-
meat Of the frsgity o human things yours as a
sanctuary of eternal rlgss. The old beamsd with the
red usre OF conquest, dafkened by oppression ;
gloomy night; yours bans with freedoms bright
ray. The old absorbed he world by its central
lied glory; yours protects your own nation ag 4inst
| absorption, even by ltsei. The old awful, with
Unrestricted power; your is glorious with having re-
strcted 1t. AT the vewof the old nations irembsd;
at the view OF yours humanity hopes. To the old
misfortune was only intoduced with tettered hands
to knee at triumphant conquerols heels 10 yours the
triumph OF introduction is grated TO unfortunate
lies invited 10 the hoior OF seat. And where kings
aud Caesars never will be hailed tor their power,
might, and wealth, here the prosecuted chief of
| down-trodden natIonis welcomed as your great Re-
public's guest, preeiely because he Is prosecuted
helpless, and poor. the old, the terrible UiCtis
was the rule In yours, protection TO the oppressed
middleton to AMBITIOUS oppressors, and consolation
10 vanquished just cause And while out of the old
conquered world was ruled you in yours provide
tor the common federative interests of territory
larger than the conquered world Of the old. There sat
men boasting their will TO be the sovereign of the
| worl d; here sit men whose glory is to acknowledge
the laws Of nature and OF natures God and to do
| what their sovereign, the people, wills,
Sir there is hste inthese parallels history of past
ages, and history OF unre centuries may be often re.
corded in few words. The small particulars to which
he passion OF living men cling5 with teryent zeal, as
te fragile myers oil ffen could arrest the rotation OF
destnys wheel--these PARTICULARS die away; is the
issue which makes hstoy and that is always 10
geal. There is necessity OF cons equences wherever
the necessity OF pc tim ex sts. Principles the
alpha; they must finish Win the omega and they will
| Thus history may be old often in few words
Before yet the heroic Struggle ofGeece first engaged
your countrys sympathy Tor the fate of freedom in
Europe, then so Tar dsait and now near, Chateau
BRAND happened to be ir Athens, and he head from
a mlnaret raised upon th Propyleum's ruins Turkish
priest in Arabic Language announcing the lapse OF
hon tn tno fhr.fi aof
| immense history in the snail fact of d Turkish Imum
crying out, "Pray, man. he hour is running fast, and
the judgment draws near
| Sir there is equally history of future ages written
in the honor bestowed b. you to my humble self The
first Governor OF independent Hungary, driven from
his native land by RusSi,n violence exile Tar
kish soil, protected by a Mohometan Sultan against
the blood thirst OF Christian tyrants; back pri-
soner to far Asia BY diplomacy, rescued from his Asia
tic prison by America cr,ssng the Atlantic charged
with the hopes OF Europs oppressed nations; plead
ing, poor exile before The people Of this great Re-
public his down rodden eouRDrY's wrongs and its iRii
mate connexon with the fate OF the European conti
nent, and with the boldness Of Just cause, claiming
the principles OF the Christian religion 10 be raised to
law oil nations, and 10 zee not only the bolduess OF the
poor exile forgiven, bat see him consoled by the
sympathy OF millions, encouraged by individuals: as,
sociations meetings cities and States supported BY
operative aid and greetedby Congress and by Govern
ment az the nations guest; honoled out OF generosity
with that honor which only before him
celVed, ana that man received 1t out oil gratitude;
with honors such as no poentate receive; and
this banquet here, and the oast which have to thank
foroh! indeed, sir, there is history Of future ages
in all these facts they will 20 down TO postery in the
logical consequences OF principles which are the foun
| dalton Of these facts
| Sir, though l have the noble pride OF my princi.
pies, and though have the insprst on oil lust cause,
| still have also the conscience OF my personal hL
nifty Never will forget whir ia due from to
the sovereign source oil my public capacity. This
owe to my nations dignity; and tlefeiore respectful
y thanking this highly distinguished assembly in my
county's name, have the boduess to say that Hum
gary we'll deserves your syrDathy--hat Hungary
has claim to protection, becalte it has claim to
Justice But to my own hubble self, permit
humbly to express that am wei aware not to have
| 10 all these honors any personal share Nay, know
| that even that which might seem to be personal in
your toast, is only an acknowledgment OF a hlstori-
cal fact very nsructiveiy connecei with principle
valuable and dear to every republican heart in the Uni.
Ted States of America.
Sir, you were pleased to mention in your toast
that am unconquered BY misfortune, and dnsedneed
by ambition. Now it is proudenual fact that
misfortune has the privilege to ennoble mans
mind and to strengthen mans Character. There
IS sort OF natural instinct OF human dignity in
the heart OF man which sees his very nerves
not TO bend beneath the heavy blowsof great adversi
ties. The palm tree grows BEST beneath pondsrous
weight Even SO the character ola nan. There no
merit in it. 1t is e. law Of psychology. The petty
pangs oil small daily cares have often bent the charac
ter OF men, but great misfortune seldom There less
danger in this than in great luck
| And as TO ambition, indeed neverwas able to un-
derstand how anybody can more love ambition than
principal demonstration OF that influence which inst
tutIons exercise upon the character ofnations
| The Hnngarans are very fond Of the principle Of
municipal self"government and we have natural hor
ror against the principle of csntrazaion That fond
| attachment to municipal se-govelament, without
which there is provincial freedom possible is
fundamental feature OF our national character We
| brought it with US from Asia a thousand years ago,
and we conserved it throughout the yiclssudes of
| ten centuries; No nation has, perhaps, much
| struggled and suffered from the ciiized Christian
world we We do not complain OF this lot. 1t may
be heavy but 1t is not nglorious. Where the cradle
| of eur Saviour Stood and where hisidivne doctrine
was founded, there now anoherfaith lues and whole
| Europe's armed pilgrimage could MOI avert this fate
from that sacred spot, nor stop the rushing of
| Islamsm from absorbing the Chrislianempire of Con
stanne. We stopped those rushing wares The brea
| OF nay nation proved a hreakwater % them, We
guarded chfistendom that Luthers and Cavins might
! reform it, It was dangerous time aid thu dangers
of the time often placed the confidence OF all my ma
| ton into mans hand; and that confidence gave
power into his hands to become ambtleus. But there
was not sing e instance in our his.orywhere man,
honored by his peoples confidence, had deceived his
people by becoming ambitious The man out Of
whom Russian diplomacy succeeded 10 make the
murderer of his nations conidence-he never had it
| but was rather regarded always with Gstrus- But
he gained some victories when victories were the mo-
ment's chief necessity: Attic head of al amy, cir
| cumsIances placed him in. capacity to ruin his
country But he never had the peoples aonfdence.-
So oven he is eontradctio the historical truth,
that no Hungarian whom his nation honored with Its
| confidence was ever seduced by ambition to becone
| dangerous to his country's liberty
This is remarkable fact and yet it is not accidental,
it is the logical consequence of the influence Of insti
| tuition upon the national character. Our nation,
through all lis history, educated in the sheool OF
municipal self government and in such a country am
bon, having no field. has also place in mans char
acter.
The truth of this doctrine becomes yet more iusra-
ted by quite contrary historical fact in France
Whatever have been the changes of government in
that great countryand many they have been TO BE
I've have seen convention, directorate, cansu ls
and one consul, and emperor and the restoration,
and the citizen king, and the republic. Through all
these different experiments, Capitalization was the
fundamental tone of the institutions o! France-power
always centralized, omnpetence always vested some
where. Aud, remarkably indeed, France has never
yet raised one single to the seat of power who
has not sacrificed his conntrys freedom to his personal
ambition
1t snrrowul indeed, but it is natural Its in the
garden OF GENERALIZATION where the venomus plant Of
ambition thrives dare confidently affirm, that n your
great country there exists not single man through
whose brains has passed the thought that he