Washington telegraph., 1855-07-11
Speech of Albert Pike of Arkansas,
at the Philadelphia Banquet.

GENTLEMEN-The State from which |
come is one of those rude, wild States in
the backwoods for which, 80 far as num-
hers. wealth. and influence In tnis confede-
racy 90. but little can be said. | am, there
fore. quite satisfied with the space of five
minutes allotted to me within which to
sneak. We of the backwOods have an in
stncr: and we are all Americans CHEERS
We have an idea that he who is born upon
American soil, under the American sun. is
little better and little nobler man than
any one born any where else cloud
cheers) | recognise. Mr. President, your
oHE pride OF birth. but dare tell YOU here.
that proud as yuu may be of having been
bora in Pennsylvania. or as nv friends
whom have heard with Sd much pleasure,
NAV be OF having been burn in Maryland
and Virginia. and other States of the Union,
| feel myself little better than any of you
because was born in the good old Com
n,auwealih of Massachusetts (Cheers)-
Sir. | know it is the fashion now to talk
about the accidents of BIRTH" but let me
tell YOU that we in the backwoods are
rot philosophers or meIapbysicians. We
DO not go to the boukS to learn what arc the
springs of human action. No wise states
man ever did. Long essays and lucubra-
tons upon those springs Of action that gov
ern the hnman race. have never done gos.d
in the history of tie world, aid never will.
We feel by instinct, and We are proud 10
feel it. that it is a merit in US to have been
born upon this soil Of ours Mr. President.
when the great Emperor Of France said to
the army of Frenchmen in Egypt
the summit of the pyrtm dS forty centuries
book down upon YOU" TO whom did he ad-
dress that speech Was it to the pyrarnidS
harry with forty centuries of age? No
l. was to Frenctmen, ard it WAS b.cau>e
they were Frenchmen. and that they bore the
eagles of France triumphant over half of
Europe
Up bills and bows
Up men of Kent and Sussex.
was the English cry; and the drum best of
England is heard all around the world -
Let US then have the cry. up Americaas.
tor your country aud yOnr principles =
tCheers) You may utter long philosophi-
cal dI-quiSitions about the human family,
and tell me as often you F!ease that he
who c''mes to this country from choice l.
Mere deserving of credit thar he who was
born here by necessity. but tell you that
the same principle VII ch has made the ari--
tOeracy of England the great bulwark Of
that country-pride of blood-is that which
has governed the human race from the very
beginning of the world (Cheers) am
proud of my good Anglo-Saxon blood If
had been born Of that good old stock that
trst peOpled New York and PENNSYLVANIA,
| should have been proud of my German
ol0d; and if had been born in South
CarOiIna, and had had the good fortune to
be descendant of the people who first peo-
Pied that State, >hOnld have been proud of
ny HuguenOt blood Let every man be
proud of his own blood and country. Ii is
ateeling with which God has inspired US :;
and that feeling which God has put into the
universal heart Of the human race, is right
Because Sod has planted it there Cheers J
mat feeling has won all the great victories
o' the world. That feeling it was which
urged Ney with seven thousand men. to
Charge sixty Thousand RuSsiaI.S. and cut his
way through them Il i that feeling wh;e,
las carried the flag of England all over the
world 1t is that instinc, that We on ae-
count Of our birth, and our own ancestry.
are better than any else. Prejudice YOU
may call it. folly you may call it; but de-
E'r9y that principle and you destroy the
ma InHaI'hSPHng Of human Improvement
tCheers)
care nothing about your theories. 1t is
.nouen for the people Of the Western conn.,
Ny 10 KNOW, there in their rude baekwoodS,
'ue, tfe shelter Of those glorious trees and
o.ea'n'ng the free air Of the prair;es-it is
enough for them to know that they are AM
sflcan born citizsn<: and tn believe. as they
~ IN the utmost flores OF their hearts be-
As'e, That being American born citizens the
.S .us.a does not hold their equals cloud
S) But | am transgressing beyond
- I'VE minutes. Loud cries of-"Go on,