Worcester daily spy. [volume] (Worcester [Mass.]) 1850-1888, 1857-10-30
Con. Cu.hing,. snneob.


The speech of Hon. Caleb Cushing, in
Faneuil Hall on Tuesday last, was published
in full in some of the Boston papers of
Wednesday morning. 1t occupied some two
hours in the delivery, and was one of his
most carefully prepared productions, having
it in manuscript before him, from which he
read. perusal of it will satisfy any one
that it is production as marked in point of
ability and ingenuity, as its sentiments are
jesuitical and diabolical in some PORTIONS
The extent to which it goes, in endorsement
of the bred Scott decision, and of the doctrine
of Pres. Buchanan's letter to Prof. Silliman,
shows lamentably the depth of error into
which great mind may be sunk, when it
loses his hold on principle, and wanders
abroad SIN endless mazes lost" through the
vast field of political and metaphysical spec
ulation, to find new arguments to sustain
corrupt administration, in the face of every
spontaneous suggestion of common sense and
the commonest intelligence.
The Boston Journal, in its review of Gen,
Cushing,s speech, has this following just COM
ments thereon
"It was Goldsmith, we believe, who in
quired in regard to DIR. johnson, 90 Can he
wind into subject like an anaconda, as
Burke does p If the same question were
put to us respecting Hon. Caleb Cushing, we
should be disposed to answer in the terms of
the day, " he can't do anything else." For
highly as we admire Mr.. Cushing's abilities,
which are such as to draw crowd and leave
an impression wherever he appears in public,
yet we never fail to be struck with the hexi-
BILE, insinuating, winding operations of his
intellect Some men aim point blank at their
subjects, and hit or miss in straight lines
Others, if we may use the homely compare
son. work like augers going round and round
in process but leaving a smooth, straight
track as result. But Mr.. Gushing winds
into his subject, winds out of it, and leaves a
winding passage all through. Still there is a
terrible responsibility in whatever an anacon.
da does, certainly in whatever resembles Mr..
Burke.
Let us see, in the first place how Mr.. Cush-
ing, in his Faneuil Hall speech of Tuesday,
works into his subject. Like some smaller
men of less injured innocence, he takes up
the representation that the people of Massa-
chusetts are so bigoted and hostile to free
| speech-so subject to the 4" hereditary faint of
intolerance a truthIteler is in danger
of becoming q martyr. In this relation he
| (Mr. Cushing has Especial cause of solicit
tude," and why This enables him to glo-
rify the Pierce administration-as though he
we've a disinterested person in the matter-to
abuse his opponents, and introduce the issues
of the day from his own point of view. Thus
| it will be seen that in getting his topics be.
fore his audience, he rapidly fits through the
characters of a prospective martyr, national
benefactor, a vindicator of his own acts, and
statesman without personal interest in the
| questions which he has helped to precipitate
upon the country. At the same time. while
deploring personalities, he says he must use
them, because " there can be no frank discus.
sion otherwise" So he arrives at the neces.
sity OF personally attacking Mr.. Banks and