New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1853-05-06
John p. HALE


spportioned 70 bis halfbrotherz 1t is every way IN
worthy Of our ace attempt to honor reward o. show
admiration for public beuefsctOr by Teasing him, even
when las at Boston yesterday Intoxicating Liquors
excluded. But an ordinary Public Dinner. " with
stick in it, i, essentially bestis performance. Two
or three hundred people assembled to eat an inord
nate meal Al an unusual and unseasOnable hour paving
fort sum that many Of them cannot really afford, and
washing il down with incessaut ibarons Of vlanousy
dragged cider and oOckrOach Madeira which gets
steadily worse as the company get more and more en-
Enthusiastically ard obviously drunk-then tde speeches,
beginning with the prOsy AMI the oggy and ending some
where in the infancy Of the small hours, with the
tipsy and the nasty-then the leathey cloud Of cigar
smoke which for the last hour two is ba.tened down
upon the whole concern, affecting torturing demora
ling all well bred clearly uncorrupted sensesand ah
the sick headaches the days Of misery and often the
fatal illnesses that follow Death the Pale Horse
was followed-on the whole, consider the Public
Dinner the absurdest, stupidest bore of the XIXth
Century.
So we did not attend the Dinner given yesterday at
Boston 70 joins P H,LE-we did not even respond to
the invitation, as perhaps we ought TO have done. We
might have written civil line, but the memory Of past
vsitations in the shape Of Public Dinners so vivid
and so dsagreeste that We did not feel Ike assisting
at another even By letter.
Yet we do Dot the less honor and admire JOIN P.
Hale. Dor would we hesitate, because Of his party re-
latons to render him Just need Of appreciation. We
do not forget that, when the Annexation Of Texas
carried through Congress, he, Democratic Represent
alive from State thoroughly debased by les rUliag
politicians into doce and wiling instrument OF the
Slavery Propaganda fit 70 demand, in behalf Of
Human Freedom that half the territory thus added to
our Union should thenceforth be FREE territory
shielded foreger from the scOurge and shame Of selling
Women at the auctiOn-bock and paying Labor with the
Whip-and being voted down on that moderate and
reasonable proposition he obeyed the dictates Of his
conscience rather than those Of his party openly aud
fearlessly opposing the entire scheme Of Annexation.
For this be was elected from the Democratic ticket
which he had already been nominated for reelection,
expelled from the party traitor, and forced TO ap
peal to the People of New Hampshire against SEN
tence Of political OutlaWry and humiliation He was
not reelected to the House. but one elected in
bis stead for the ensuing term aud within the year fol-
lowing his prescription he, by his eloquent and forcbe
appeals aided by those of other independent aud just
men, wrought a revolution which placed him in the
L. s. Senate for the term of six years which expired
gu
has been one of the Senates most useful faithful eff
Gent Members. True he has not originated measures
of public policy for he has been adudged outside Of
any healthy Political organization and placed in
position to introduce bills with hope of having them
acted upon favoraby; but bis voice and vote have uni
formly been given to the side of Justice Humanity
Reform and Freedom, and his brief pithy, humorous
nterlocutory speeches have contributed sensby and
irresistiby toward the sOtening of partisan bigotry
and the correction of popular There is hardly
a public man living who is 80 widely aud Justly
esteemed outside of the party to which he belongs
JOHN p HALE How could he take that abominated
Constructive MileageD
-" Well" says Political Atheist " what has he
gained by his devotion Principle Isn't he doloH
the final result ofhis strike for the privilege ofkeepng
conscience-out Ofofice, and likely remain there
True, O Epicurus he IS now out Of Office and
quite likely to remain so-not more likely, however
than be was when be defed the party mandate in sl5
when Polk was just approaching the White House with
every thing to give that politicians heart longs for
and Democracy had apparently safe lease of power
for long stretch ahead. In 1916 be was a proscrpt
discarded and reprObated by the party which seemed
impremably fortified in power in his own State and
scarcely less in the Union-in 1876, he had reyolu
tionzed that State and chosen one Gifts Senator'S
of the United States for six years ensuing Who shall
say what year may again bring forth
But we will presume that Mr. Hale has hidden
final adeu public le-that he is to be henceforth
teemed defeated and Frustrated as Hannibal Marus
POmpey, Milton, BOnspsrte, and so many greater men
throughout the evening Of their days-what oft
How very few asprants rise relatively so high Mr.
Hale has done And how many even of these remain
in Office TO the close Of their lives Nay, more-how
many leave public life-snce all must leave it some
time-vh the eeyating consciousness that their viz
tues not their vices, their fidelity 20 principle, not
their derecton heIefron was the cause Of their de-
cadence ard that they might probably have risen higher
by STOPPING lower and crawling where Manhood had
chance to stand erect Fortunate is that man who
leaves the public service with such consong rehec-
tons, rather than he who remains in il by psnderng
popular prejudice, Dhaming National rapscity, and
fawning at the foOtstoOl Of Power
1t has not been our fortune TO belong 70 the same
party vote the ticket with Mr. Hale at any time
in the past and il may be in the future The best
consideration could give TO the subject has not en-
abled TO perceive the wisdom patriotism of throw
ing scattering votes when it is practicable to give ef
hcient ones without moral wrong We have neveryet
known an important election wherein there did not
seem 10 be great preponderance Of good one side
the other between those candidates standing with
in the possibility Of success, and We could not realize
that it was our duty refuse 90 good because
should have preferred 10 do more. So We presume
il will be again. We should prefer 10 live under rule
81 lie ora1 II