Worcester daily spy. [volume] (Worcester [Mass.]) 1850-1888, 1858-03-22
speech Of John A. Andrew. ESQ.

Loring, and in reply to Mr.. Gushing OF Newbury-
port, is pronounced to be the ablest and most elo-
quent speech delivered during the session. Mr..
Andrew proved to be more than match tor the
distinguished ex-Attorney General, aud met at
every point and thoroughly demolished the in ,
geniously contrived and deceptive augmentation
of the latter on the positions taken in the mes
sage, ana on the policy of removing an unworthy
judicial funnticnary from Office.
We gave in our last Issue brief abstracts of the
speeches of both Messrs. Cushing and Andrew on
that occasion. We now give, below. a verbatim
report ofthe able and excellent speech of Nh An
Andrew:
BIr. Speaker When 1 rose to make a mo-
ton to refer the message of His Excellency-
which l thought the app opriate motion for
the occasion-I did not suppose that l was to
awaken the echoes of this hall by spirited
debate; much less that |, in the extreme in
trinity of my own health, this morning,
should find it needful to engage in one. But
some of the language. and some of the
thoughts. also, of the distinguished gentleman
from Newburyport, demand OF me, perhaps, a
single word OF reply.
! have been struck with admiration at the
dexterity with which the gentleman has been
| endeavoung to steer between his dissatisfac-
! tons and his griets upon the one side, and his
expected EMULATION upon the other (Laugh.
teri As to the latter part of the message of
| His Excellency the Governor, if l rightly APP
| prehend it in the reading, l shall not find
anything in it with which to differ. The
gentleman and myself do not misunderstood
the earlier part of the address, in which, as
he expresses it, the deed is done and when
our friend from the Cape shouted "Amen ="
amid the acclamations of the hall, l thought
his voice was only the first of the hundred
thousand voices which will take up the shout,
and ring it, echoing and re -echoing, from the
hills of Berkshire to the sands of the Bay.
It's no triumph, Mr.. Speaker, of any party,
OF any faction, in the Commonwealth, as the
gentleman from Newburyport would lead the
country to believe. 1t is not a triumph of
passion, momentarily excited by PASSIONATE
emotions, even though those emotions are
stirred up by just thoughts, and honest pur-
poses and correct judgment. 1t is the result of
no momentary effort 1t is the result of three
years of consistent, determined, and at last
successful struggle, to defend the rights and
honor of our own Massachusetts, the rights
and the honor of one of the sovereign States of
this confederacy.
Now, at last, after three repetitions of the
request by the representatives of the people,
the Governor Of the Common wealth, acceding
to an Interpretation of the law acceding to an
Interpretation of public policy-of conStitu-
tional public policy-with which the gentle
man from Newburyport will not differ, which
the gentleman from Newburyport has not and
will not deny to be correct-correct in point
of law, correct and true in point of constitu
tionality; the Constitution of the United
States itself being the common arbiter of us
ALL say Governor of the Commonwealth
has, at last, had the courage to accomplish the
deed, to vindicate the law of Massachusetts
the constitutional law Of Massachusetts to
vindicate the policy of the Common wealth to
assert and vindcate the will Qegislatively ex-
pressed) of the people of the Common wealth;
and to establish an impossible barrier be-
tween the judicial departments of this com
bined, mlXe1 government of ours, State and
federal, and thereby to aid the purpose, and
policy and object, of that personal liberty act
Of 1855, which has just passed under the sharp
criticism of the gentleman to whom | have
the honor to reply. 1t would be extraordina-
| ry, MIR. Speaker, if in an act of legislation,
| combining so many particulars, and spread
out through so many sections, as the act of
1885, there should not be anything open to
just remark and criticism. But when the
| Governor of the Common wealth, in obedience
to the policy of that act, in obedience to the
scheme and system of State administration,
marked out and first placed upon the statute
book of the State, by that act, and in obedi-
ence to the leading idea of that act protesting
his allegiance to the principles admitted to be
embodied and expressed in the personal lib
erty law, to the grand object of the law itself.
"to preserve and protect the liberties of the
people of Massachusetts, )" when the Govern
or, from the high post of his responsible
| ty and his power, obedent to the will of the
| people, and obedlent to the request Of the Leg
| islature, performs high and solemn ACT. IN
conformity with the very letter as well as the
scope, and meaning and purpose, of the stat
| ute, think no member of the opposition on
this floor need plume himself with any high
hopes as to what is to be the policy of Massa-
sets or of her Governor hereafter. l tell YOU
| that the Governor of this Commonwealth,
and the Legislature of this Commonwealth,
| and the people OF this Commonwealth are all
one. There is one sentiment pervading this
great heart of Massachusetts,, and that is, the
sentiment of liberty. There is one pur-
pose which animates and inspires every heart,
and that is the purpose to preserve and pro-
tect Liberty. There is one hope, and that is
the hope of the final success and triumph of
| just judgment and sound reason over that dar-
ing conspiracy between few Southern "fire-
eaters, who, in 1850, inspired the fugitive
slave act Of that unfortunate year, and that
combination of Wings and Demonstration
the North-who found 1t needful to bow
down as Isachar, in the prophecy, "like the
strong ass" beneath the burden (lauehter)
which they have found, already, too heavy to
bear-aIready too heaUy to 5earl If any gem
tleman on this floor expects that one single
provision of that Internal statute shall ever be-
come, for single moment, other than hated
by Mas saehusetts, reply to him in the words
Of the poet: rr
clay not that fa'tering JUNCTION to your souI
That not your trespass but madness speaks
Il will but skin AID Aim the ucerous place;
While rank corruption, mining ali within,
Infscts unseen"
The administration of the Federal Govern
ment- those great and splendid intellects. as
well as the lesser lights that surround and
support it., (and in the first category have
the happiness now, as always have done, to
acknowledge the supremacy of our friend
from Newouryport) may adhere to that Fugi-
tive slave bill, If they choose. They may make
1t part of the policy of this administration
as It was part OF the policy Of the last, which
has gone down to the dust " unwept, Union
ored and unsung;" and as it was a part of
the policy OF that Administration which i'm =
mediately preceded it, and which died in the
throes OF its parturition. CLaughter) They NAV
go on. They may achieve other triumphs. if
you please, encouraged by temporary and mo-
mentary success, over the liberties Of the peo-
pie They may ride rough.shod over free.
dom in the territories backed up by the Su-
pIeme Court OF the United States, composed
Of nine men, nearly all OF them packed on to
| ot tRiah ksye 81 II. n