Anti-slavery bugle. [volume] (New-Lisbon, Ohio) 1845-1861, 1855-07-14
JOHN P. HALE'S SPEECH.
The following is the close of the speech of
John p. Hale, ut Concord, New Hampshire, June

The following is the close of the speech Of
John p. Hale, ut Concord, New, Hampshire, June
81, 1855:
Now looking at the past what is the duty Of the
present? The present crisis has duties and re-
sronsblities beyond those which any other time
in our history presents. | hold the duty of all
true in the free States to be this forgetfu of
all past differences, forgeful of of all divisions of
names, sects and parties-tO come up in one solid
phalanx and give effect efficacy and vitality to the
sentiments and convictions of their hearts (Ap-
pause) am willing for ono to work as a private
in this great host of frcemen. | care not to ask
what have been the party anteccdcnts of a man,
the party name by which he has been called or the
party flag under which he has rallied. | ask not
indemnity for the past, but security for the future
Regardless of all past differences will say to him
in the language of inspiration, I" Is thine heart
right, give me thine hand'--and, hand in hand,
we will carry forward the glorious revolution SO
auspicously begun. | call upon you all, my
friends in the spirit of that great truth and that
great sentiment which was pronounced by Henry
Wilson n few days since in Philadelphia, when he
said to the South, proud and arrogant they are
'thc past is yours but the future is ours" (Grcat
Applausc) Let us make that future ours. The
past, with all its defects ana virtues, cannot be
recalled and there it stands-ts history fixed and
unaterabc as the history Of years before the food
But, thank God, "tho future is ours" (Applausc.)
Upon Tic bright page of coming history, we can
inscribc a record upon which our children an
chillrcn's children shall dwell with unaloyed sat
isfuction. Let us, my friends, write upon that
page, Liberty, to which we pledge ourselves to be
faithful; and let it be no spurious liberty but let
it be liberty, which, whilo it strikes crowns from
the heads of tyrants also breaks lcters from the
limbs Of slaves. (Applause.)
Let it bo n liberty that shall be faithful to the
great mission of the present, Let it be liberty
that shall inscribe upon the platform upon which
it stands fidelity to the constitution ana obedience
to the law of God. Let it be liberty which shall
spurn the mere petty catch-words of the day, that
shall turn deaf ear to the allurements Of party
leaders, who would cOnscences, deceive
our judgments, and lead us captive to do that
which the honest convictions Of our hearts con
denim, lest we should be wanting in fealty and
fidelity to party. Let our party be our country.
Let us remember, my friends if We must and will
have parties, that we have n country to serve
and God to obey, as well rs party interests to
subseryc. Let us come up and stand upon the
broad platform of individual Judgment and indi-
yidual manhood, exercising the powers with which
the Almighty has blessed us, in the light OF
that conscicnce-aYc that private conscience
which he has implanted in every mans bosom,
and not in the light of that public conscience,
which nobody knows where to find, or who is its
keeper.
When we do that we shall prove ourselves to be
men and women worthy of the day and the times
in which We live; for, my friends, we live at a
time which, if we could stand upon tho banks OF
eternity and look over all the area of time past,
we would have selected from all the years gone
before. We live at time when it seems we are
to develop great principles, and put to the tes
the great principles which our fathers proclaimed
years and years ago Wclive at time when tho
sacrifices Of patriotism, and the prayers of til,
saints are about to be poured out upon the cartl
from that golden vial in which they have been pre-
served before the throne Of God. We live Mt
time when tho forces of human freedom and sla
very marshalling for the great contest which i
to decide whether man is capable of selEgovern
mcnt or not. We live, my friends, at most glo
rious time We live in tho New World, in tina
home of liberty in which our fathers came TO tr
the experiment of selfgovernmcnt removed from
the corrupting influences cf the Old World, il
which they were born, bred, and educated W.
live at a time and in q country when it seems a
! if God-wearied with the repeated failures whcl
man had made in all the past to establish govern
ment upon the foundations of human liberty--hal
at last, here III this western world granted the
boon Of enc more experiment. 1t has fallen upon