The national era. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1847-1860, 1853-02-03

come upon Us every day ana every nour. ne
epoch Of to-day will be succeeded by the epoch
of tomorrow, and one will make about a.
much impression a. the other
The honorable Senator has found food foi
some. Of his remarks in some comments which
he has seen in a Buffalo newspaper | do not
read newspapers, and that is the reason dc
not make so many visionary speeches as some
people That is the reason why my remsrk
are always 50 practical.
Mr.. CAss Powers of nature could no fur
Their go.
, Mr.. HALE But, sir, there was one remark
which fell from the honorable Senator which
panied me. All the rest was gratified at. HI
says there is no people on the globe that evince'
such want of patriotism as the people OF thu
United States
Mr.. CAss beg the Senator's pardon.
said there was no country where there were sC
many persons unfortunately wanting it.
Mr. HALE Then it amounts to this: that
no country in the world has so many VIII,
, evnce a want OF patriotism as this country
confess do not see the difference between tha
aud what stated as the position of the honor
able Senator but he does, and therefore viii
T give him thefIll credit Of it but think that
in cooler moments, when the impulses of warn
blood shall have subsidized, and the reflection Of
maturity comes to that Senator, laughter. he
will regret that remark, because it is an inpu
taton on the motives of our fellow citizens il
which think he ought not TO indulge Thii
is country where freedom Of opinion is toler
ated to very alarming extent, as some gentle
men think. Ii is country where tho freedom
of opinion finds vent in freedom OF words tC
, very remarkable extent, as we have had al
illustration to-day aud | would not be aston
ished, if in this country Of free thought and
free speech there should at times be sentiments
uttered not at all accordant to the opinions OF
the majority as to what patriotism may require
but, sir, think that a decent degree of oandor
/ and charity will induce all to do credit TO those
who differ from us and if they do not think "a
we do, we may, at least with charity if we
cannot with candor, believe that although they
do not see as we do, they are yet none the less
friends of our country, true, just and patriotic.
Both the honorable Senator from South Car
dina and the honorable Senator from Michi-
gan have referred TO remark which | made
in relation to this country backing out. wish
to say something in reference to that When
ever the emergency does come that calls upon
the people Of this country to throw aside the
pursuits of peace, and 70 out rendering them
selves, it may be- the victims for their country's
good--wheneyer the defence of our fresides and
our homes shall call for the true-hearted and
the brave, they will I've ready to 20 out and to
die in their country's behalf My word for it,
you will not always find the most selEdenying
patriots amongst those who have made the loud
est professions but in the quiet retirement of
life-in the shades of prlvacy-y0u will find
the true hearts that have never given uttorance
to noisy sentiments--men who have not specu-
lated nor acted upon the course of political
events which have had so important an interest
upon the destiny of their country, and there
fore have not been heard to utter sentiments Of
what was or what was not becoming the coun-
try you will find from them many and many
man come forward, who will, by eloquent
action, put to silence the defamation of those
whose hotheaded counsels have plunged the
country into what may be an unnecessary war
| think that will be the history
Sir, | have very little to say for myself
do not know but that when the emergency may
come, as Falstsf said on another occasion,
shall be found to be little better than a coward;
| will not say that shall not but will say
this-that If | should, would be an unfit rep
resentatve of the people that sent me here.
The little State that have the honor in part
to representation little while-although it is
not large, and although its people are not
wealthy nor numerous, believe it is generally
admitted, has acted we'll her part in the great
drama of the country's history. | believe that
amongst the patriotic men that have main
tanned our rights in the field, or indicated
them upon the floor of the Senate, while at
least the Senator from Michigan has place
in the memory Of the people, New Hampshire
may not be ashamed of her history Aud, sir.
will tell the honorable Senator that in all
commissions and trials of war to which the
country has been subjected, | believs of the
"Old Thirteen she is the only State whose
soil was never impressed by the footsteps of an
enemy although she runs from the Atlantic
ocean co Canada. 1t may be that the country
was too poor to attack do not say that it was
not, but claim the fact Of history. Let it go
for what it il worth. ! think, however, consid-
ering the character of the soil and the people.
that those who would make the attempt would
find it a bad bargain to undertake to invade it,
Now, | have single word more to say and
when | say word" use the term in a Pick
wickian sense, the sense in which it is general
ly used in the Senate--a meaning which be-
lieve distinguished friend of ours, no longer
here, and whose absence regret, gave to the
term word | refer to the honorable Sena- |
tor from Mississippi, Mr.. Foote | have
word to say about the destiny Of the country,
in reference TO which 80 much has been said
The honorable Senator from Michigan quail |
fed it and said he would not speak about
manifest destiny but he went ON to say
that we do not want to be circumscribed; that |
we want room that there is hardly room
enough for us in this narrow space between
the - tlantic on the one side and the Pacific on
the other, with the Gulf of Mexico for a wash
basin. He thought these were rather circum-
scribed limits for such u progressive people rs
we are.
Sir, dissent from those sentiments. do not
think that our progress should be in getting
more territory, until we have improved what
we have got. And do not think our desire
should DO to get more people until we have
educated, and refined, and improved, those
whom we have already, and until we have
given homes to those, all those who are home
less, from the vast and immense territory
which we now possess. We do not want any
more territory; our business and our mission is
at home, and it is to improve upon our advan-
tages it is TO advance TO elevate, and to anne
liorate, the condition Of mankind Ii is to show
to the despots Of the Old World, by the pract-
cal results which are to follow from the ex-
pertinent which we are making, that the insti-
buttons under which we live are those which
are most eminently calculated to advance the
highest interests of man, and subserve the great
purposes Of social and civilized society. Ii is
by the arts Of peace, by the multiplication Of
the means Of internal communication, by rail-
roads and canals, by commerce, by education,
by the general diffusion Of information, and by
all the means, which are abundant and which
wealth and power give us OF doing what we
can to demonstrate TO the world that SO far as
the great purposes of the Creator may DO un--
derstood in tho creation of man, and placing
him on this globe to work out the great expert.
ment of human probation, that here are en-
bodied and here are concentrated the most ia
vorablc circumstances for that experiment