The miners' express. (Dubuque, Iowa) 1849-1854, 1854-02-08
From the New York evening Pest
col. BENTON'S HISTORY.
-ASSo l524-JAMEs MONROE FRESHEST.
Vtsa OF Lafayette to the United States.

elite, accompanied by his son, Mr.. George :
w ashing;on Lafayette, and under invitation
from the President, revisited the United States,
aiie, lapse Of forty years lie was received
with uabounded honor, affection and gratitude
by the American people. 10 the survivors, OF
the Revolution, il was the return on a brother
10 the new generation, born since that time, 1t
was the apparition Of a historical Character, Ia
miliar from the cradle, and combining all the
titles TO Love, admiration, gratitude, eLthusi-
m, which could act upon the heart aad The
Imagination of The young and the ardent. lie
visited every State in the Union, doubled IN
number since, the friend and pupil OF Wash
inrton, he had split his blood and lavished his
fortune for their Independence. His progress
through the States was triumphal process'oa,
such as no Roman ever led up-a procession
not through ciy,but yer continent followed
not by captves in chains Of iron, hut bya ma
ZION i , tho bond. Of affection. To him it WAS
an uncxpcc,ea and overpowcrins reception
II q modest estimate Of himself had not allowed |
him TO supposed that he was 10 ctrify CON
tinent. lie expected kindness, but not enihu- |
siasm He expected to meet with Surviving |
frie DIS, but not 10 rouse young Generr;ion -
As he approached the harbo o. New York, H.
made inquiry of snnne acquaintance t. know
whether he could find hack t. convey him To
hotel: l!lustrions man, and modest as Illus
|
was on foot TO receive him-to take possession
of him to tho mom,nt he touched her srl-
to fetch and to carry him-to feast and applaud
him-to make him the gaest of cities, SAFES
ard the nation, as long as he could be detained.
Many were the happy meetings wh CHI he hrd
with old comrades, survivors Tor rear hau
| century, of their early hardships and dangers,
and most grateful TO his heart il was to see
them, so many of them, exceptions to the max.
i'm which denies TO the beginners OF revolutions
| The GOOD fortune to conclude them land OF
| which maxim his own country had just been 50
| sad and exempication) and TO see his old
| comrades not only TO conclude the one they be.
| gan but live to enjoy its fruits ard honors.-
| Three Of his old associates he iunnd ex-Presl-
dents, adams, Jefferson and Mad sony enjoy
| lag the respect and ELECTION of their country,
after having reached its highest honor
Another, and the las, one that Time would
admit to the Presidency, (Mr. Monroe, now
IN the Presidential chair, and inviting him to
revisit the land Of his adoption. Many of has
early associates seen in the two Houses o!
/ Congress-many in the si,te governments,
and many more in all the walks Of private
life, patriarchal sires, respected for their char
acters, aud veneraied for their patriotic SER
vices 1t was a grateful spectacle, aud the
more impressive from the calamitous fate which
he had seen attend so many of the revo-
lutionary patriotcs of the Old World. But
he enthusiasm of the young generation aston
ished and excited him, and gave him new
view ofhimself- u future glimpse of himself
aud such as he would be seen in afer ages
Before them, he was in the presence of poster
ity; and in their applause and admiration h
saw his own future place in history, passing
down to the latest time as one of the most per-
! feet and beautiful characters which one of the
most eventful periods of the world had produced
Mr.. Clay, as speaker of the House of Repre-
sentatves, aud the organ Of their congratula-
tons Of Lafayette, (when he was received in
the hall Of the House, very feliciteusly seized
the iden Of his present conformation with pos
teriiy, and adorned and amplied it with the
sraces OF oratory. He said: '.The vain wish
has been sometimes INDUCED, that Providence
would allow the patriot, after death, to return tc
his country, and to contemplate the immediate
changes which had taken place-to view ths
forest felled the cities built, the mountains lev
eled the canals cut, the highways opened, thu
progress of the arts, the advancement OF learn
ing, and the increase of population. General
your present visit to the U. S. is the realization
of the consoling object of tina, wish, hitherto
! vain. You are in the midst of posterity.
"Every where you must have been struck will
the great changes, physical and moral which
have occurred since you left us. Even this very
u
f to you and to us, has since emerged from tht
for.s, which then covered its site. In one res
pect you behold us unal,ered, AMI that is in thu
sentiment Of continued devotion to liberty, ar:
Of ardent affection and profound gratitude t
!, your depart, friend, the father of his country
and to your illustrious association in the field ant
in the cabinet, for the multiplied blessings which
surrounded US, and for the very priveg,
of addressing you, which | now have
He was received in both Houses of Con.
, gress with equal honor; but the House
, did not limit themselves to honors; they adde'
substantial rewards for long past services an,
e sacrfces-two hundred thousand dollars il
money, and twenty-tour thousand acres of fer
!, tile land in Florida. These neble grants d.,
not pass without objecton-obiection to tn
principle, not TO the amount. The iagratitud
: of republics is tie theme of any declaimer:
required Tacitus TO say, that gratitude wa
the death of republics and the birth of monar-
chies; and it belongs to the people Of the Uni
ted States to exhibit an exception TO that pro
j. found remark, (as they do to many o'he
lessons of history,) and show young republi
that knows how to be grateful without bein
> unwise, and is able to pay the debt Of grutitud
e without giving its liberties in discharge of tn
obligation. The venerable Mr. Macon, yield
ing to no one in love and admiration of Lafay
cite, and appre citation Of his services and sacri
fees in the American cause, opposed the grant
in the Senate, and did it with the honesty c
a purpose aud The simplicity of language whic
distinguished ali the acts Of his lite. He SAID: 81
was with painful reluctance, that he felt him
self obliged to oppose his voice to tie passag
$ of this bill He admitted. to the full exten
claimed tor them, the great and meritorou
!, services of General Lafayette, and he did nc
object to the precise sum which this bill pr,
3 posed to award him; but be objected to the bi
S on this ground; he considered General Lafay
cite, to all intents and purposes, having beer
during our revolution, son adopted into tn
: family, taken into the household and placed i
j. every respect, on the same footing with tn
other sons Of the sane family. To treat hir
as others were treated, was all, in this view q
his relation to us, that could be required, an
: this had been done.
8 "That General Lafayette made great sacri
n fees, and spent much Of his money in the ser
: vice OF hrs country, (said Mr.. NJ as firml
believe as do any other thing under the sun
J, | have no doubt that every faculty Of his min
e and body were exerted in the revolutonar
. war, in defence Of this country; but this wa
equally the case with all the sons Of the FAM
ly. Many native Americans spent their al
e made great sacrifices, and devoted their live
' in the same cause. This was the ground of hi
: objection OF this bill which he repeated.
was dsagreeabe to him to state as it could b
e to the Senate to hear Hs did not mean t
J. take up the time of the Senate to debate upo
the principle Of the bill CT to move any amend
ment to it. He admitted that, when sue
things were done they should be done with
free hand. 1t was to the principle of the bill
j. therefore, and not to the sum proposed to b
: given by it that he objected
!, The arden. Mr.. Hayne, of South Carolins
= reporter of the bill in the Senate replied to th
e objections, and first showed from history (no
/ from Lafayette, who would have nothing to d
h with the proposed grant,) his advances, losse
:, and sacrifices in our cause. He had expende
= for the American service, in six years, froi
y l777 to 1888, the sum of 10000 francs ($I4O,
r 0O0,) and under what circumstances "a for
. eigner, owing US nothing, and throwing hi
fortune into the scale with his life, to be lavish
ed in our cause. He left the enjoymen,s of hi
o family, to come and serve in cur almost desti
i. tute armies, and without pay. He equppe,
). and armed regiment for our service, an
freighted vessel to US, loaded with farms an
munitions. 1t was not until the year 1874
!, when almost ruined by..the revolution, and b.
his efforts in the cause Of liberty, that he woui
tror bod ,x-i.h