True American. [volume] (Steubenville [Ohio]) 1855-1861, 1858-09-08
Gov. Chase and Daniel Webster on the
Ordinance of 1787.


Gov. Chase of Ohio, stopping in Bos-
ton few days ago, was called out TO
make a speech, which he did impromptu,
from the balcony of the Revere House
The following portion Of his remarks will
be read with interest;
My ancestors were among those who
shared the early trials of this Common.
wealth, and | trust carry with me the
fathers of New England in those great
principles Of civil and religious liberty
which have distinguished your Common
wealth it lis glorious progress. l have
become a citizen Of State which was
then a Western State, but has now, by
the progress of population and the won.
derful expansion of our glorious Republic,
become not Western State, hardly a
central Slate, but almost an Eastern
State--twin sister of Massachusetts, and
still the Empire State of the valley of the
Mississippi. Applause.
Some years ago, many years ago, more
years ago than | should like 10 tell if
there were any ladies present laughter
| was riding along the banks of the Ohio
with that illustrious citizen Of Massachu-
sets whose remains now repose upon
the shore of Marsh6eld, and he said to
me, contrasting the appearance Of one
shore with the other, the great progress
Of Ohio with the slow progress Of Ken.
lucky: "My young friend, do you
know what has made all this difference +?
II is the ordinance" That has done it
the Ordin ance, which in his own glo-
rious language, impressed upon the soil
of Ohio an incapacity to bear up any
other than free men. 1t was that Ordi,
dinance which did it. And whence came
that Ordinance! Why, fellow citizens,
i! came from Massachusetts. That Or
dinance came from Beverly man. it was
the work of Nathan Dane. 1t was,
therefore, Massachusetts wisdom, Massa-
chuSetts patriotism, which God be thank
ed, reaching forward into the future, i'm
pressed upon the soil Of Ohio that glorious
incapacity.
And now, fellow citizens, what have
we to do? Our country expects Of us,
the world expects of us, that we never
shall prove faithless to, those glorious
principles which came to us in the May
flower, which were reiterated in the
Ordinance, and which are now scattering
theifmanifold blessings over the Great
West, and have already brought Califor
hia into the Union as the Queen State Of
the Pacific, clothed all over in the glori-
Gus panoply of freedom. In order to
administer the Constitution as understood
by our fathers, and ia order to obtain
those glorious results at which they
aimed, we must see to it that the plinci-
Piles Of freedom are made 10 animate every
officer concerned to its administrations
And to do that, what is our duty! Why,
simply that we shall disregard hereafter
those petty differences which we have
suffered 10 divide us; not to inquire
whether man was yesterday or the day
before Wing, American or Democrat,
but whether he is penetrated by the great
Wing principles Of '76. the great Amer
ican principle which seeks 10 place the
American nation in the front rank oI
nations in power and in action, as she
already is in freedom, and whether he is
animated by that glorious principle o.
Democracy which believes in the human
ity of every man, and denies to all legis
atures and to all associations of individ
uals the power to take from any man tht
rights which God has given him-askine
only whether he is animated by these
great principles, forgetting all that i!
past, and pressing on to achieve the gres
results for which our fathers prepared th,
way. Applause.