The national era. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1847-1860, 1853-10-13
NEW YORK DEMONSTRATION TO CAPTAIN
INGRAHAM
SPEECH OF HON. JOHN p. HALE.

Mr.. President, ladies and gentlemen fellow
citizens; and when | say fellow. citizens, use
the phrase in no restricted sense; mean fell
low citizens, whether victims of oppression driv-
en- from kingdoms of the Old World, or the
islands of the ea-fellow-ctizcns, sll-Iap-
plause from the LIST of August, 1920, when
the Pilgrim fathers of New England from the
Old World fled from its expressions, its perse-
cutions, and its despotism, that they might find
in the wilderness of this New World place
they might anew lay the foundations of q tenn
pie Of Liberty, up to the moment in which
address you, with the solitary exception of the
Declaration of American Independence, there
has been no single incident of American history
that has thrilled my heart, and sent my blood
with renewed velocity through my veins, more
than that incident We have met to con. memo
rate this evening. 1t was but this morning
that the Partially of one of your Committee
notified me that 80 humble an individual as
myself might be expected to say word this
evening When considered the magnitude of
the subject, and the interest which attaches To
it in the public mind, was at loss to conceive
a reason, but your Chairman has explained it
all this evening.
There are fears in the minds of the prudent
and the popular that this cause is going to be
unpopular, and they thought that one who had
been 80 long connected with an unpopular
theme was a fit one to address you this evening.
Laughter and applause Well, my friends,
there are some prudent people in the world it
is well there are; end what would the world
do without them? They are not willing to let
the impulses Of their humanity and sympathy
20 out unchecked and unbidden at every va
grant call. They want to stop and examine
and study and scrutinize, and see il it is fit and
proper that such august pcrsonages as they
should be moved They want that the lawyers
and politicians should study the precedents,
and 20 back into the dusty folios of by-gone
ages, and see if there is an example of such q
thing before laughter before they COM
mence TO move or be moved. Well, many men
have spent great deal of time in examination
of Capt. lngraham's conduct; they want to
know if there is any precedent for tiff there
is anything in the code of International law to
sanction it. And my friends they are study
ing the precedents tonight, and | say to you
for one, and before God, that do not believe
they will find one, and | hope they will not
Laughter ! would be sorry to find that there
was any precedent for it; and | tell you it il
not the part of the destiny or the duty of this
Republic to follow precedents. We must make
them, and let the world follow Enthusiastic
applause.
| have no doubt that those gentlemen who
are studying precedents will find enough for
Wrong, and Oppression, and Violence, and Out
rage, and Robbery; they will find history full
of that; but of precedents of firm, manly de-
voted, selfsacritcing devotion to liberal princi-
pies, they will find very few. Well, now, my
friends, this little affair Of Koszta-which, had
said, is one that thrilled me with so much pleas.
ure-I thought it could be best eulogized and
vndicated by the simplest variations Of the
facts, which are familiar TO every one of you,
for the simplicity of the truth is the sublimest
vindication which the actors in this scene can
have. What are the facts?
Last June, there might have been found 10
one of the cities of Asia Minor a solitary indi-
vidual-solitary enough, God knows The land
that was his home once, was his home no long.
or. Despotism had done it's worst the sons Of
that land, driven to desperation by the Calling
weight of the chains that bound them, rose up
in the energy Of despair, marshalled themselves
beneath the banners Of Freedom, and bid def
ance TO the hosts of tyranny. Applause Then
came that individual Koszta. He came, and
then among the first acts that signalized his
advent in our midst was his declaration agree
aDly 10 our laws anu tOnstItulirb, Vi MS lnSen-
ton TO become citizen of the United States Of
America And now what was the position that
he occupied? The Government OF the United
States require him, as the preliminary step-the
first condltion-that he shall renounce all ALE
glance, in the words of the statute, to "any for
egn prince, potentate, State, and sovereign,
whatsoever" and especially 10 the sovereign Of
which he was lately subject. That this is
the first condition, and Koszta complied with
it; and was there no corresponding obligation
on the part Of the Government that oxtorted it
from him say Yes. He outlawed himself
from the country from which he came; he
filings their allegiance in their face, and says,
that from that time forward he renounces it
forever, and at the same time follows his deter
mination to become citizen Of this Republic.
] say, and | stake my reputation as lawyer
upon the truth Of the assertion, that from that
moment there attaches 10 the Government .
corresponding obligstiOn to protect him. APP
piause.
How far shall they protect him Just exact
~ TO the extent they protect the citizen born
on the soil. Why 30 far AS thatl Because this
matter Of protection does not admit of division;
it ia good for the whole, or it is good for moth