Burlington free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1827-1865, 1855-07-06
Speech of John r. Hale

1act, tnat III was MS EoOu fortune, u lew even
ings since. to listen to a lecture in the hall
where they were then assembled, from the
distinguished Senator from Massachusetts,,
(IIcnry Wilson, in which he contrasted the
America Of 1875 with the America of 1855.
While the lecturer dwelt upon that theme,
he thought to himself that good Lyceum
Lecture might be written by man who
should take a narrower Wow, and contrast
New Hampshire of 1855, with New llamp-
shire of lS45, applause y and thore was no
one that could occupy standpoint and look
at the subject in its strongest points, better
than the humble individual who stood before
them. Ten years ago, in this very town, he
was called upon to deliver an address, and
he had before him, as he had now, the mem
bers of the Legislature, the Senate and the
Governor, he believed at any rate, those
who stood behind the Governor, greater than
he.
Not very strongly sympathizing with the
views he was about to present, they stood
looking upon him very much as u judge
would look upon the prisoner who has had
trial, been found guilty by a jury, and asked
to say why sentence of death should not be
pronounced upon him, determined before
hand to pronounce the sentence Of death, let
him say what he would. For seventeen years
the breath of liberty had not raised a single
ripple upon the waves of the dead sea Of
party despotism here, which bound the hearts
and conscienccs of the people. But now the
people had spoken out, and spurned the
thradom and trampled like Sampson upon
the cords with which the great and little men
of New Hampshire would have bound them.
That was the contrast presented in ten years.
The expression with which he should greet
his fellow citizens tonight, would be from
bn n,,I IL,
and Thanksgiving. If there ever was public
man upon the face of the earth who had
reason to bow down in gratitude before his
constituents, that man stood before them to-
night. lie thanked the members Of the Le-
glslature, and the people who had sent them
there, and he thanked the women, too, for
that which he valued more than votes-the
sympathy with which they had forwarded the
glorious Reformation in this State. And he
thanked, too, his political opponents.
y man of much greater talents than he
possessed, would have sunk into insignifi-
cance had it not been for the pitiless pelt-
ings which the hired minons of corrupt
Administration had bestowed upon him. lie
actually began to think that be occupied
position in the State something like the tree
in the orchard, which showed that it bore
the best fruit, by having all the clubs thrown
at it.
would now come to o. the s su6Ject t upon When
he proposed to speak. He wanted to speak
of the past position of New Hampshire, be-
cause he desired to contrast it with the pre-
sent. What was the position of New lIamp-
shire in times past Anti-slayery In 1920,
when the Missouri Compromise was the great
subject of discussion, the New Hampshire
Legislature passed most stringent anti-slavery
n1t,tto h,,o &c I'D
nays. New Hampshire followed this same
line of policy down to 1850 when it seemed
as If the Legislature thought they had passed
resolutions enough, and it was time to stop.
They were going then to pass one for all !;
one that should stand for all the past, and
speak to the future. The following was the
resolution
Resolved, That the people of this State
are bound byno compact, express or implied,
to suffer the introduction of slavery into ter
ritory now free, and that they are unakerd-
bly, opposed to the erection Of any territory
without its prohibition by positive law.
Cnaltorable That WAS phrase that strict
ly belonged to the most High. Every thing
altered, but himself But the New Hamp-
shire democracy felt that they had made such
progress as to have arrived at an tnaherable
state. In 1854 came the Nebraska Bill
which passed notwithstanding the unahrrable
position of the New Hampshire democracy
What did they say about it They said
that acquiescence was the very best possible
thing to be applied OF all the essences they
preferred acqui-escence. (Laughter) lie
took issue with them there. Acquiescence
was not the thing they were sent into tho
world to learn, and least of all the people Of
New Hampshire. Why did they not ac
quiesce in the sterility Of their soil Talk
about vexing the unwilling earth with
| ploughs, harrows and spades Why moi
acquiesce, and let nature have her own way
He supposed there were acquiescing polti
clans in l776, but he did not find in the his
tory Of the Revolution, that the men who
| threw overheard the tea in Boston harbor
and who resisted the stamp act, were acqui
escing men.
1t was not only the opponents but thu
| friends of the Administration who were begin
ming to feel that it was not quite well tt
acquiesce in the encroachments of slavery
| One Of the most instructive things he haC
seen lately was the resolution passed at the
State Democratic Convention Of Maine, helC
few days since. The resolution read al
follows
"5. Resolred, That the National Admin
istration, by its faithful execution Of thu
laws /; by its adherence to the Constitu
ton oy Its admirable foreign pohey ana DI
It's resoiute mnintehance ol tne olu lanu
marks OF the Democratic party WI, com
mana the respect ana support oi all lfu
men lS ~ oeinS ungfrstcoa tnat tH's aPp'oCa
me Na'ion" Adm'"'SI"'on 'S eIP'tsst ,L
Q, no op"ion IN re'af'on 10 me repeat " IN
h,SSo4rI ,t oomprom.se. n,..
Inc meaning OF wiich was heSofpeo
mat they 'tne democracy oi Malne,) woul'
consent 10 hoid al 'he ous.om Houses an
roSt oIlces, proVlueu tney were not oprise
10 pap'ise .hen'SetEes = IN tne in'aniy oi I'll
auillihiStratlon' lLaugh'er)
When ne cast his eyes over the Tree States
ne thought That the prospect was the mos
cheering and encouraging OF any that ne Ia
yet seen Wherever the question OF SLAYER
extension had been raised the friends oil lreS
dom had carried every state, with the sing
exception oil california anu every ota'