The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1856-04-15

oy nose VINO conquered at Saratoga or Yorktown
ny Iae sunerings and sacrifices Of our forefath.
as oy the common heritage Of the institutions
iii sas.n snsmsfed to Us, this cannot But
& VII oeeiare my conviction that to render the so.
nuity OF the fabric of the Union immoveabie, IL
needs only that the balance OF power be establish.
between the North and the South to terminate the
question; and II does need that the balance Of
power be fixed permanently and by means that !
cannot now suggcst
VIII now conclude by saying, Mr. President
| that speaking here l must feel as every man not
70 tne manor born must feel. that speaking
nere IN ms State OF Virginia must feel that first
thought that presses on the mind of every citizen
Q. me United States that in those early days of the
nepuohe upon the green hills and by the fruitful
.ners, ana amidst the fresh breezes Of our noun.
tans' u would have seemed the prolific seed of the
| strong men of the land in the teemng womb of
| It's high hearted mothers, had engendered gene.
ration OF giants, the demigods of the Heroic Ages
| OF 'ne Republic; such. for instance, as Washing
| toh, henry, Madison and Jefferson, whose names
are familiar on the lips hous ehold words to every
| American, and of whom it becomes us only to
speak with bated BREATH If we stood in the visi
Die presence OF the immortal beings on high in the
crystai chambers OF Heaven. But when we pass
| from them we come TO another generation, not OF
| that heroic age. They have been our immediate
predecessors, our associates, our teachers, our
| friends; of them we may speak with veneration,
aud yet with reverence; and in regard to them
there are gentlemen here present who will do more
emphatic justice TO their memories-particularly
| the memory of him whom we have met here to
honor, than it is in my power to do; for here in
Virginia that generation of great men has its sue
| cessors Its worthy sons; and see before me,
| not only Virginans who more ftly address
| you, but Kentuckians well in whose presence
| II Is almost presumptuous in me to speak. i feel
that in commemorating the great actions of a
| statesman who, If born in Virginia, was adopted
! and nurtured in Kentucky. In addressing you of
| the State of Virgnia-Yirginia, the mother of
States; but on whose brow age has made no i'm
press, save that OF more serene matronly beauty
Virginia of whom it may be said, applying
| the bold metaphor of Milton ''the fairest Of
her daughters Eve "and to You by Kentucky metre
pulchra fila palchrior / conclude, then, with ex
pressing my hearty cooperation in respect for the
memory of HENRY CLAY.
The PRESIDENT remarking that it had been de-
ternined as fitting memorial of the occasion to
| chris.en the locality where they were assembled
heretofore known as the Slash CottageO with the
name of Ashland" called upon Mr.. Bolts to per.
form the ceremony of the christening, facetously
| styling him reverend gentleman"
Mr.. Bolts said Mr.. President and gentlemen
| " Immortal" by courtesy, knew was. daughter
| but have added to it now the new and perhaps
| more important title OF Reverend" by which l
| suppose am to be known hereafter. 1t is, per-
haps, proper should say to you that while it is
| not often that l have occasion to apologize for
| what might have to say, that it is duty which
| owe to myself well as to the President of this
| company, that should apologize for my unpre-
1
called on upon rsere notice it were, of fifteen
| minutes, to act in this capacity of divine cloud
| laughter)
| 1t is in the contemplation of the President and
4 Directors of the Richmond and Fredericksburg
| Rail Road Company the proprietors of the beau
| tiful spot on which we have assembled, and which
| is destined to become not only in all probability
| the county seat of old Hanover, but one of the
most beautiful villages in the country; and which,
in spirit of monopoly, they propose now to
introduce into the family of cities of the Union.
| With this view, they propose to change the name
of this humble spot, and to call it hereafter Ash
| land " (Applause) And that gentleman at the
head of this table the presiding officer here well
| as the President of the Company, departing from
his usual sagacity, has selected me to oiciate at
the baptismal font, and he proposes now to change
| the name of the Slash Cottage" into that of
Ashland" in honor of the memory of the Illus
trious patriot and statesman, whose memory we
| have assembled here this day to commemorate
| Called upon, gentlemen as have been, as said,
within fifteen minutes have drawn out for the
first time in my life, perhaps general outline of
| the remarks which mean to submit upon this in.
teresting occasion (Laughter)
Well might it be for us all if there were more
such days in the Union, in which the lion and the
lamb might lay down together"-well might it be
for the welfare of this country when gentlemen of
all political parties assemble together either
for the purpose of consultation on the political
condition of the country, or for the purpose of
meeting at the festive board and Offering their con-
gratulations and heartfelt sentiments one to the
other. / see around me- sir, gentlemen from every
part of the United States, aud numbering among
them some Of the most distinguished gentlen en-,
ave- sir even from the capital ITSELF and from the
Senate of the United States; say, sir, there
here the most distinguished members of the coun-
! try mingled together with us, the common citizens
| of the country. Laying aside and disregarding all
former differences, and all political difficult
ties we have met here, sir for the purpose of of
| fering common tribute to the memory of the man
| who stood foremost among his compeers. Gap
| plause)
| Seventy-nine years ago, sir, this day, under an
| humble roof hard by, Henry Clay first saw the
light and breathed the fresh free air of Heaven
| and by that event the Slashes of Hanover as the
| eloquent gentleman who has Just taken his seat
has announced to you, is become renowned, not
| only throughout the country, but throughout the
| civilized world and only because it was the spot
| that first ushered into being the man who stood
pre-eminent as the patriot the statesman and the
sage, as the man whose life was devoted to the in
terests and the advancement of the people-who
| was essentially and in every particular the peo-
ples man. (Applause)
We have had Mr.. President, a great number of
distinguished men. We have had military men
and able heroes; we have had statesmen, phloso-
piers and jurists that have commanded the admi,
| ration and respect and confidence of the country
1 but think it may be safely said that there have
| been three who have lived since the formation of
our government that have commanded at once
the respect the admiration, and the confidence and
| the affections of the people of the United States
| (Applause) They were WASHINGTON first, JACK
SON second, and CLAY, though last, far from being
| least, in the opinions of many. (Applause) Be-
tween General Washington. whose daguerreotype
| see sir, at your head, and the rest of mankind,
never have, and never will, permit myself to insti
| tute comparison. (Applause) He stands alone,
| above them all !; but when YOU depart from him,
we may institute comparisons among others
| jackson was one of those men who did not only
| command the confidence and support of large
portion of the country, but took hold upon the af
| fectons of his countrymen. We have had mill.
| tary and naval heroes. We have had Decatur,
| a Perry, and Bainbrdge;-we have had statesmen,
| among whom were Jefferson, Lowndes, Pinckney
| and Hamilton we have had jurists, among them
| Jay and Marshall yet Of all these, who among the
| multitude knows the day upon which any one OF
| them was born, or the stone that marks the spot
! upon which his ashes rest? Not so with Clay
Who is 1t that docs not know that the 18th of April
| l777, was the birthday of Henry Clay1 Who is ii
| that does not know where his ashes rest7 Nor,
| sir is it confined TO MS who have assembled here
| TO commemorate the day that ushered into exist
| ence this truly immortal man. Sir, at the very
| moment that speak his memory is commemorated
| In the largest cities of this Union The Henry
| Clay Association of New York is now, while
speak, celebrating that mans birthday; and in one
| Of the large cities of the Union-New Orleans
1 AI.s Law fhl