The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1857-04-28
THE DAILY DISPACTH
Tuesday Morning, April -. 1887.
A speech for the Unisn.- III on. Caleb Cash.
Ing at his Home.

hpE1k -, AS0y.
A speech for the Unisn.- ON. Caleb Cash
ing at his Home.
The citizens OF Newburyport, Mass on the re-
turn there of the Hon. Caleb Cushing, late Attor.
new General of the United States, gave him pub
lie reception In an eloquent speech, chief y
dwelling on the uuexsmpled progress of this ceun
try since its settlement, and its future destiny,
the distinguished orator said:
Issy that is the work appointed of God for us
TO do and, with the blessing OF God upon us, that
work we will do. Ii rivers run across our path,
we will bridge them; if mountains rise up TO stop
U.S. We will tunnel them; If deserts appear, we
will reclaim and cultivate them; if oceans inter-
vene, will navigate them, to which last end,
SO long as there's an oak left on earth, gallant
ships shall continue to be launched into the wa~
ters of this oar Merrmac. No material obstacle
can arrest our progress. We WOO this fair nature
which lies before us, and We woo it as IFS conque
ror, like the vikings of the old time, winning
their brides of the in open combat | say
this in the same confidence of conviction as one
who. seeing The sun set forth from the portals Of
the Esst, may speak of is onward course 10 the
West For time was, when the United States
were but weak little colonies of England, scat
tered along the sea shore. Then they overfiowed
the Alleghanies into the valley OF the Mississippi
Next, they absorbed the vast domain of France
from Lake Superior, al around to the Gulf OF
Mexico. and westward to Oregon. NexttEey pos
sessed themselves of the two Floridas, and then
of Texas. And, finally, they have marched on
through New Mexico into remote Caltforns.
But in our conquest cf nature with our stalwRrt
arms, and with our dluntless hearts to back them,
It happens that men, nations, races, may, must,
will perish before u.s. That is inevitable. There
can be no change for the better cave at the ex-
pense OF that which is-oue generation give place
to another. Out of decay springs fresh lite. The
tribes CT Indians who hunted over the land, with
out occupying it. retire before us like the huuted
deer and the buffalo emse!ves-deeper AID deep
er into the innermost recesses OF .he coniil eat.
Aud the Hispauo MexicanE, wasting away by ap
parent incapacity Of stlf-government, are suffer-
ing province after another of theirs 10 relapse
into pristine desoaton, and thus to become pre-
pared to receive the people and the laws OF the
United States.
All that is now history. Yet wise men ssw
long before that SO Il was to be. From the pre-
aent they inferred the future and spoke of it with
the posiiveness and precision of inspired prophe
cy
Men Of Massachusetts, have you at all timea
thoroughly appreciated and strenuously co oper
atfd 10 advance these great purposes of Provi
dencef Have you? | might say, Yes, you have
in act, but not always in thought. You planted
self government in America the moment yor
touched its shores. Then you mistakenly strove
awhile to establish here an exclusive theocraCy
but in this ycu failed, because it was Incompatible
wish one great preordained event Yon yielded d.
length and needed to others that religious lib.
erty which you had previously claimed for your
selves alone. You pursued the thoughts Of in
dependence to the day of the Revolution, embody
ing tlst idee Ia the framework Of a confederation
of republics
You clearly perceived and frankly, earnestly
powerfully contributed with Virginia to develop
the great terri orial capacities of the Northwest
But were you equally clear sighted il regard to
the not less important Southwest Did you III
feeling support Virginia theret Did you not
struggle to prevent the acquisition of Louisiana,
the acquisition of Florida, the acquisition of Tex
as the acquisition of California. Was not the
Union, as our fathers conceived it, thus completed
in spite of you. And yet, who profted first, wao
profted next, who profited constantly, by each OF
these great stages of the great eyentt Was it not
you, the men Of Massachusetts, with your ships,
your manufactures. your mechanic arts, and your
inteillgeI ce Nay, did you not unconsciously aud
it were in despite of yourselves. poter italy
contribute. with might and with will as Massachu.
setts does whenever she acts, to the consummation
of the great event, by pouring your capital, your
Industry, your inventive genius, and your men,
into each one Of the successive territorial access
siOns 10 the Union Z You did you could not help
doing it you strong acd sef-wied, but the
great event was stronger and more wiiitul than
you and it snatched you up out of the depths of
opposition TO it, absorbed you into its vortex, and
when there, IS with your virtues and your Lights
you deserve 20 be, you became the most ethcacious
element of its further progress.
Why ia it So Why is it that for so many
years Massachusetts has perseveringly opposed
whatever is, and persistently endeayored to pre-.
vent whatever is 10 bet
look around in nay native State, and seeing
it as it is crammed full with intelligence and ac-
complishmert of the highest order in all the pos
sibiities OF life, aud ask myself if she be Dot-and
If she be rot why she is not-the head the brains,
the thought, the soa of the American Union
1t is not that The men of Massachusetts, with
admitted high intelligence, lack courage. Quite
as often otherwise, they have this in excess,
plunging into the strife as if they could master it,
"Ard with atroug hand ho.d in the rearing world;'
and occasionally manifesting somewhat of that
hardhood of unreRson, which plants the butting
bull in front of the locomotive machines full ca
reer.
Nor is it because CT int, views the part of
Massachusetts,. she is .ingu sfly dsinterested
erned by ideas rather than by mere Interests. She
msnfests this even in her political alterations. 8he
oupoaes all oicies of tbs Federal Government,
sornetimes merely because they are such. Thus at
ore period, with Dsni1l Webster in the State De-
partmen- Edward Everett Minister to Eng and,
isaac Bates and Rufus Choatc in the Senate and
a delegation composed of such men as John Quincy
Adams Lsverett Saltonstall Nathan Appleton
Robert C. Winthrop, and George N. Briggs, in the
House. Massachusetts had or might have had, her
own way in all things reas nable and yet she u led
the building down about her head out OF maglnaiy
devotion to the United States Ba0k Why need she
trouble helsslf that? " hat is Hecuba to her,
or she to Hecubs! !"
Could il advantage Boston TO nave all the banklng
capita al Of The country Tevoiv6 around Philadelphia
Or was it important to Boston, whether any iitt Q
surplus OF public Treasure on hand was or was not
used 4 banking capital! Ye. on such an igsle tp-
position Mssssehusetts would Incorporation 10
her ow a men, nay, TO her own of men; just as
Ia tbs same train of incidents the que stion
whe,lmr daily postage should be paid in silver or in
bank pBp~r, there another transient agony, ct
least in Boston.
hy is it again let ask, that Nj hus sits as
not inste I'd of sing always rather assumed her
pest in s,ious right of intelligence aad courage
proudly IN tn van Of the march Of the Union Why
lingsr the away to pull back to critc.ss
complain Of the Federal Government
cannot say why itis-I ses how ic is She per
mits hei self be preoccupied with some secondary
incident of the great event and works beiself into
rare on that il she lost all thought and
OF the great event itself ana of the part which il
abe might and should plsy. At the present time
when human wit il at tbs maximum OF creative and
productive action-u The ste mship, the railway
and the electric telegraph, marvels though thsy be-
are but faint sigma OF the progress around when
earth and sky air and sea. and all which in th is
amin ate or insuir ate, partake OF the greet move
ment a. are instnct with its spirt-at such time
the pubc mind Of Massachusetts stands still, and
grows res 10 late " sr ninor stion And we
forse thai while sit by the wayside, aneriy dis
cu,siug the nuga dicies Of hauis Of idieness. the
world 10 .hlp silently by, leaving Us 10 the iutch.
Must i. be 30 forever? VIII Massachusetts choose
always TO be the dIat or brssk on the wheels, and
never the motis power itsef2 W i'll she constauty
struggle to ccg the march Of tbs great event IL she
re CT, she Will TO satis I'd that she cannot stop tt