Washington telegraph., 1855-07-04

theirs-which the old world seeks to wrap
around our hearth and hearts, our senate
houses and our temples. making the land of
the free the home of slaves the basest-
because willing slaves and therefore worthy
only of fetters.
1t is true that they, offered a refuge to
the virtuous martyrs of liberty-how could
they do otherwise but solely as the home
offered by freedom to viptue. They dream
ed not of The commerce of emigration
the rival, with its annual hale million. of
the slave trade at its worst-with all that
is sordid in its motives, and fatal in its con-
sequences. But fearfully has that privilege
been perverted How has the portal thus
generously opened, been thronged not by
the excess of over-crowded Europe-fcr no
land is over-crowded--but by acts and aids
of hostile policy or inscriptions commerce,
at home and abroad, which 1 need not des-
cribe. But, reverting to the times and the
men Of the Revolution. how appalling is
the contrast They left us a united and
homogeneous people now, mixed and mot
tied, Our very origin is doubted
| observe that the New York press ex-
presses bitter indignation because the late
meeting of the Democracy was not address
ed in High Dutch and low Irish, and you
remember that kossuth. in his speeches ap-
pealed to his audiences as if they were fer
eigners-ignoring, on American soil, the ex-
istence of an American people, and that
/ thousands-thank Heaven | was not one
waited upon and applauded him. Nay, so
confident was he of the foreign predomin-
ance, that he dared to claim the government
and the country for his foreign policy nor
was he rebuked until the spirit of Wash
! incton, entering the noble bosom of dy-
ing American patriot, inspired his prophetic
eloquence. and the sordid inlposter receiv-
ed and. Will, until his dying day. writhe un-
der the fire (holy as that of the altar) which
fell from the lips of the illustrious Henry
Clay.
Our fathers left Us religious liberty un-
questionable ballot box venerated as the
holy of holies of our freedom-a Union
that knew and feared no fce-and, above
about to realize the loftiest aspirations of
man in his moral. religions. political and
social condition. Where is that religious
liberty Under the feet of foreign arch
bishops. the mi ghty masters of many thou
sands of voting retainers, and of millions
of property-bOth ready to be used at the
bidding of foreign potentate. whenever
needed in the war against free education,
an open Bible and Protestant liberty
Where is the Union Threatened By the
violence of factions made violent by stran-
gers who neither know nor love our Consti-
tuition nor our people. And, above all.
where is that social virtue, which, In the
childhood of the older among US, before
prisons and alms-houses numbered thousands
on thousands of foreigners, shuddered at the
| darker crimes as marvel and horror p
Where are .he doors unlatched at night,
and the streets where the shades of evening
brought neither shame nor terror to unpro-
| tected innocence ? The contrast is fearful
one. and extends to every political and every
social interest; and is it strange that a NOR
al degeneracy so rapid-which cannot be
native, for no people ever so rOtted before
they were ripe, no political body ever before
fell into corpse-like putrefaction while it re-
tanned youth and vitality-should excite
our wonder!
Can such things be.
And overcome us like summer cloud,
/ Without our special wonders
Having wandered SO far from our faith
ers. we would retrace our steps. and at least
save what of hope is left to u.s. Their ex-
ample, their creed, their virtues. these are
our objects. They were in the revolution
forced, by the necessities of self protection.
/ to hax-o fn
long and so far as the same cause requires
it. the same policy is justifable- But the
time will soon come when every charge will
be dispelled-when the world will know
and admit that we are far from illberal-
far from proscriptive-far from disposed to
regard the friends of Protestant liberty
among US as other than brothers Mean
while our first duty is to our country and
her children. When that country is true
to herself. she cannot be unjust to any class
of men.
| To thine self be true,
| And it will follow as the night the day;
Thou canst not then be false to any man.
The Mayor was frequently Interrupted
with acclamation, and sat down amid thun-
ders of applause.
1he Chairman then gave the tlrst toast
The Union" adding that Kenneth Rayner,
of North Carolina. would reply.
Mr.. RAYNER rose to his feet amid tre-
mendous applause. cheers. waving of nap
kins. and other demonstrations of enthusi-
asm- He said
Hard indeed is the task imposed on him
to whom is assigned the duty of responding
to such a sentiment as this of the Union.
around which cluster so many hallowcd and
heart-stirring associations The Union
the very word is poetry itself; aye, the po-
etry of patriotism What tongue so elo-
quent as to portray its beauties-what heart
so full as to appreciate its glories-whai
brain so capacious as to estimate its value
The Union, The very mention of the word