The Washington union. [volume] (City of Washington [D.C.]) 1857-1859, 1857-10-10

SPEECH OF HON. CALEB CUSHING BEfohE TIE
ESSEX AGRICULTURAL FAIR AT NE"BUhf-
PORT, OCTOBER l.
Below Nc spread before readers the excellent and
.l ree Of General Caleb Gushing in his native city
an the occasion Of the recent Essex Agricultural Fair
viii repay peras for many reasons and chiefly eeeAnse
II i the speech Of statesman, and contains reflections
up,u thai state Of things here Gnd elsewhere Shlch Is
nov disturbing with such fearful potency al The IeA-
tons Of business
Ma PKEsmxsT You do me much honor. have been
hot spectator here to-day pleased, satisfied, an
imirng one but still spectator, having no privilege OF
presence As a practical member Of tins society As
ookeron il has grAtihed me exceedingly 70 witness the
Tbtron Of cattle and especially that Of fruits nowers
and esulent vegetables and Of objects OF domestic art
and taste which cannot be surpassed, a. II seems 70
me by productions Of the class IN any part OF the
Commonwealth confess, however that my eye nAs
paed with s more qualification from this part Of the
exhibition 10 the vet interesting one Of the men
YES and q the wonen-wbom this annual festival. the
true farmers holiday has brought in concourse TO-
day 10 the city OF Newburgport i have seen De-
fore me the living representation of the strength and
snews OF the county its proprietary and It's industrial
population Immediately connected with the cauya-
ZION OF its land and the representation also OF the
Mothers wives and daughters Of Essex second ID
virtue intelligence and beauty 70 none in the wide
world and OF whom it may be said that II according 70
the old tradition, lost our pmeval paradise py The
fault Of Eve il paradise well lost for the paradise
household divintes Of the homes of Massachusetts, And
in YOU the choice OF the rural population Cd the
county see the worthy descendants Of those Who two
hundred years ago, planted IN this Land the BRUSH race
language thought love Of independence and force Of
earaetar which have made what we are winch re-
claimed the country from lis aboriginal savage lnfah
ants and defended against foreign Toes the Descendants
Of those who wherever duty called them, whether 70 the
rampars of Lousburg the ensanguined banks q Baooas
Brook or the ploughed brows of Bunker Hll,
were ever foremost in the path Of honor and q danger
Yes when look around these earnest and Thought
full faces before me- hardened by voluntary labor and vel
illuminated by intelligence and education, see how II IS
that Massachusetts, creates nyents, and proaaies me
ideas Of the country and feel that IN you and such as
Won is the neverang support Of the welfare and geEy
Of the Union
And gentlemen the spectacle of this day. its objects,
and ia persons have led TO another reflection OF less
General nature but associated with current events, and
ssbich therefore most naturally arises In the mind
The United States at this moment passing through
what i called financial crisis astringency In the money
market paic-tero in the ranks OF business men which
shocks and disturbs all the relations Of commerce and OF
exchange Happy at such time are you, the cultiya-
tors a the land Of that boom mother earthaia Sae
trxwhich 50 long the sun shines and the refresh
ing rains or heaven fall and seed time and harvest sue
coed one another, Is the only certain and exhausess
Of the prosperity and greatness OF men and Of ma
tons.
One of the wsest of the present economists Of France
when rejecting the losses which that country has IN
CURED BY calaitous river foundations by the waste o.
wears of deficiency in the grape and other crops by the
dsvroportionately high price Of the necssaies OF life
by the tendency OF the population TO accumulate IN ms
chieyous multudes in the great cities Ike Paris and
LYONS by the admitted physical deterioration OF the in
habtants and by the immense disasters Of revoiuona
nv oonvusons and sangunary civil conflicts occaSoned
ty the chronic struggle between traditional public inst
tutios and utopian schemes Of socac change IN the
conditions of the human rehecng upon all this,
say be consoled himself by the further reflection that
be might look with undoubting confidence for remedy to
all this in recuperatve power Of the soil and the arcul
tural population of France.
HOW PREGNANT with suggestion Is that thought to US Of
the United States at the present time. Not upon our
Land upon that OF France have periodical nundaiions
and failures of crops To neutralze the Labor OF man
not r for her has the best Of our blood and OF our
resources been squandered in sterile of pride, caprice,
or national jealousy; along sky in hers has the
ayenring demon Of domestic discor passed shaking from
beneath the Thunderstorm Of his black wings the lightning
shafts q revolution and civil in terror and desola
ton upon mems devoted heads not among there
is redundant population pent up in oyerrowed cities
and condemned exort from long tasked soil Its un
willing WELD but instead Of all this, have
Csasing terrestrial pFoiuctyeness unbToken domestic
peace institutions strong in their well crdered freedom,
and this rich country of to cultivate and TO occupy
with its glorious forests its fertile prairies its flowing
rirers its inland seas, its metal teemng earth-in
word this great land In all its untouched native strength
As il that first holy Sabbath of the Creation when
rs boomed and smiled in its maiden charms beneath
His well pleased eye, it declared to be good by
bne OunIs<9ct AlLu ~ sle
mighty
IT. then can be so truly said in France that she has
sufficient remedy for all the greatest calanities in
her agricultural resources how much confidently
may look TO the quarter for relief for whatever
there unwelcoIne in the commercial crisis which
at the present moment afics the United States! do
not hesitate therefore to say that in you, the landed m
rests Of the country be found the solid suhsratun
Of material welfare, and now at all other times
the sure salvation Of the commercial prosperity Of the
country Banks may suspend payment in specie but the
sun does not cease shine merchants may fail but the
earth does not railroad stocks and bonds may go down,
but the harvest comes, and its cotton tobacco, sugar
cor wheat and nice I'LL storehouses and our gTana
e bills Of exchange may be protested, but the coal
and iron Of Pennsylvania and Virginia. the lead OF Wis
cJnsn the copper OF Michigan and the gold and quick
silver Of California remain many weary merchant as
he scans the pages Of his ledger may sink IN despond
sncy but millions Of strong hands and bold hearts viii
survive to carry ON the business Of life promote indivd
nal Sebeing and work out the great problem of the
growth and grandeur of the United States.
We, ii is true, have pet public Affections and we
make the most Of them. feel ashamed sometimes 10
think how petty the political troubles which pre-
occupy us and then again, rejoice and feel proud TO
think how supenal the condition Of country which
enables us 10 enjoy the satisfaction OF grunbng and fret
ting about such trivial and insignificant things you
were TO heed the sensation paragraphs Of the public jour
nails and the vague dsclamatns Of the hustings you
might conceive that millions Of here IN the United
States were in arms for fatrdal combat, that mighty
etadels were lost and daily by contending hosts
that elnhated legions in the field pouring out
against the deadly hail Of the musket and rife that our
Infatuated enemies and that all the worst carntes OF
and