The Washington union., 1857-04-29
SPEECH OF HON. CALEB CUSHING.

Hon. Caleb Gushing delivered speech at New
buryport Massachusetts,, on Thursday last, on the
occasion Of his return to his native State. He de-
scrbed in glowing terms the wonderful progress and
manifest destiny of the American Unon-overleap-
ing the Aleghanies absorbing the vast domain of
France from Lake Superior all around to the Gulf Of
Mexico, and westward to 0regon--possessng itself
of the two Floridas, and then Of Texas-and finally
marching through New Mexico into remote Cali
fornia. Mr.. G. proceeded:
/ pray you not to misunderstood me- rcprobatc, not
ITSELF but all irregular enterprises of hold
that the great issues of peace belong to the sovereign
power Of the Unon and should not be wantonly usuped
by Individual rnshness glory in the acts which it has
lN 10 TO perform toward the repression of all such
ertakngs in the United States whether the part
Of prcsumpuons British minister recruiting troops with
In jurisdiction for the purpose of warfare in the
Crlmea of reckless American adycnturer recruiting
them for the purpose of plmder and murder in Mica
ragua. No, let not the small man, Walker be hon
orcd for that account of which the great man. Burr
was damned
The United States require no such instruments to help
them forward to the consummaon Of their dcstnes in
America On the contrary, they impede us, just as
Walker, without capacity power of possible good in
himself has only served to obstruct national purposes in
Mexico in Nicaragua, and in all Spanish America and
such things tend to discredit also Thus far If there
be in all the annals of time of mighty nation
steadily advancing to its zenith in the shining light Of
untanishcd honor it is these United States So mote 1t
be-NoJlesse oJiye Independence of England with our
limits of original dominion intact achieved bravely
the field Of battle, in righteous war, with Bunker Hill
at the beginning of the contest and ut the close of it
Saratoga and Yorktown. Our succeeding great step
louisiana and that by the spontaneous act of
Oldest and may she cease to be constant
ally and friend generous and glorious France Fol-
lowed the Foridas not extorted by from SPAIN but
ceded to us by her, John Quincy Adams with his
forcibe eoquence explained in my hearing ceded to
in fair exchange for province of Texas That
again returned to of its free WILL after having
been rased through the gallantry of her sons, with
Houston and Rusk at their head, to independence of
Mexico by the same identical right that Mexico in
dependent of Spain. And California is ours, which
we acquired in just war, and might have kept by the
just right of war; but dsdaned to do so, choosing rather
to hold it by the tenure of ccsson and of conract with
contribution of ample indemnity therefor TO Mexico
say all that is record of which any nation might with
good be proud and may it be continued here
after in the bright lines of glory and Of Justice to
the end
But enough. am trespassing on your indugent at
tenton and hasten without further extending these
marks, to the moral which, in my judgment, they sug-
gcst to us of the State of Massachusetts.
My friends thus perceive, on review of the history
of country from the days Of jamestown and Ply
mouth down to this hourfor the history of the Union
does not begin at the revolutions perceive that one
great providental event occupies permanently to wit
the population and cultivation of North America under
the auspices of representative institutions and by
of the overflow of the crowded oppressed and discon-
tented millions of Europe That is the railroad track on
which the of British America have running for
two centuries dashing on and smashing and crashing
everything which stood in the way of its mighty
mcntun irresistible, since it the viii of God To
the simple unity the absolute continuous identity of this
great event. there has been but exception sepa-
ration of Canada, New Brunswick and Nova Scotia from
the thirteen colonies In their endeavo unite all Brit
ish America under government the founders of the
American republic failed but the failure was in appear
rather than reality for the race the same
mind, the law the political institutions and
the public and private interests control and direct
the fortunes of the severed parts of British America
their progress and its results in substance the same
and recent treaty arrangements of reciprocal intercourse
have associated them in commercial union which, aid
ed by geographical facs will terminate in their associa
ton by political union.
hold America 1t would have been better for her to
have done this Mt the revolution for by relnquishng
America she gained will gain, Asia. TO her the two
things have almost the intimate connexion of and
effect Instructed by the past and let add with
bier thoughts ON the subject than heretofore she
sees and admits this in her present attitude towards
Hencforth, then, America to work out in it the
eternal DEGREES of Providence
Men of Massachusetts, have you all times thoroughly
appreciated and strenuousy coopeatcd to advance these
great purposes Of Providence Have you ~ might say
YOU have in act but not always in thought You planted
self-govenment in America the you touched Its
shores Then YOU mistakenly sroye awhile To establish
here an exclusive theoctc but in this YOU