Lynchburg daily Virginian. [volume] (Lynchburg [Va.]) 1852-1861, 1859-12-13
aailg Sir9iuiau.
Speech OF Hon. Edward Everett at tho
Great Union Demonstration in Boston.

~NAASA III oObLOn.
we published in yesterdays paper q short ac-
count OF the great Union meeting, held at Faneuil
Hail. Boston, on Thursday last. We now have
the pleasure Of laying before our readers the very
eloquent and conservative speech delivered on the
on that occasion by the Hon. Edward Everett.
Hon. Edward Everett, who was hailed with ev-
cry demonstration of respect and enthusiasm, was
now introduced, and spoke rs follows:
Mr. Chairman and Eello.O- Citizens In rising
to address you. on this important occasion. indulge
me IN few words Of personal explanation. |
did not suppose that anything would occur which
would make me think it my duty to appear again
on this platform, on any occasion OF a political
character and had this meeting been of party
nature or designed to promote any party purposes,
| should not have been here. When compelled by
the prostration Of health five yenrs ago to resign
the distinguished place which then filled in the
public service, it was with expectation, no wish,
! and no intention of ever again mingling in tho
scenes OF public lite. | have accordingly, with the
partial restoration Of my health, abstained from
nll participation i'll political action of any kind
| partly because | have found q more congenial
| ana, us venture to think, more uscfnl occupa-
ton in seeking to rally the affections of my coun.
| trymen, North and South, to that great name aud
| precious memory which is left almost aono of all
! the numerous kindly associations which once
hound the different sections Of the country toyeth
| er Applause and also because. between tho ex.
| tremes OF opinion that have long distracted and
| now threaten to convusc the country | find no
middle ground of practical usefulness on which
| friend OF moderate counses can stand. ! think |
do a little good try to--in my waning Years, in
augmenting the funds of the charitable institu-
tlons. concentrating from time to time tho hon
| ored dead and the great events of past days. and
chiefly in my humble efforts to rescue from desc
Grafton and the vlcissitndes of private property
the home and grave of Washington. Applause.
These, sir, scOm to one to bo innocent and ap-
Tropriate occupation for the decline of life am
more than contened with the favor with which
these my humble labors regarded by the great
majority OF my countrymcn; and knowing by ex-
perence how unsatislyng in the enjoyment are
the brightest prizes of political ambition, gladly
resign the pursuit of them to Younger men, Sir
the North and the South including the Northwest
and Southeast, have become tercely bitterly mr.
| rayed against each other. There is no place left
in public life for those who love them both. Tho
war OF words-of the press, of the PLATFORM of
the State Legislature, and, mnst l adj, the pulpit
has been pushed to n point Of cxnsperatiun
which, on the slightest untowurd accident, NAV
rush to the bloody arbitrament of the sword
The great ancient master of political science Ars-
totle tells us, that though revolutions do not take
place for small causes. they DO from small causes
| lie means, sir, that when the minds of the com
| munity have become hopelesslv embttercd and
exasperated by long continued irritation, tho
slightest occurrence will bring the catastrophe
In lact, it seems to me that we have reached a
state of things which requires all good men and
good patriots to forego for q time all mere party
projects and calculations, and to abandon all ordi-
nary political issues; which calls in a word. IN.
on all who love the country and cherish the In
ion, and desire the continuance of those blessings
which we have until lately enjoyed under the Con-
| stitution transmitted to us by our fathers, and
which | regard as the noblest work of political
wisdom ever achieved, to meet as ono man and
take counsel for its preservation. Applause
1t is this feeling that has brought mo hero 20
day. 1t will probably be said, sir that those
who entertain views like these exacgerate the
gravity Of the crisis | wish | could think so But
| fear it is not VIC who exaegerate, but those who
differ from US, that greatly-and soon, fear it
will he, tally-underrate the ominous signs of
the times fear, sir, that they greatly misled
by the one sided views exclusively presented by
the purity press. and those who rely upon the pnrty
press exclusively for their impressions and that
they are dangerously ignorant of the state of
opinion and feeling in the other great section of
the country. Applause. greatly fear that the
mass of the community. long accustomed to treat
all alarm for the stability of the Union as ground
less, all professed anxiety for its preservation as
lnslncere or IL sincere the result of nervous tim
idity, have untitled themselves to measure the ex-
tent and the urgency of the existing danger 1t
is my own deliberate conviction, formed from some
:orrespondencc with other parts of the country.
Though c'rry on more of political nature that
1Ee are on the very verge Of n couvulson which
will shake the Union to its foundation; and that
few more steps forward. in the direction in
Which affairs have moved E,r few years past
Nnll lrng ns to the catastrophe | have heard it
urged on former accasions of public alarm that it
must be croundcss, because business goes on ms
usual, and the thcaters open and stocks keep
up.
Sir, these appea RANGES may all be delusiye.-
The great soeial machine moves with nomen-
tam that cannot be suddenly stopped. The ordi-
nary operations of business went on in France, in
be revolution OF l769 till the annihilation of the
circulating medium put a stop TO everything that
required its use. The theatres and all the other
places of public amusement were crowded to mad
ness ir the Reign of Terror. The French stocks
aever stood better than they did in Paris on the
2lst of February, l848. On the oath of that
month Louis Philippe was flying in disguise from
his capital; the Tueries sacked, and the old
est monarchy in Europe had ceased to exist |
hold it to be time then sir have said for good
men and good patriots, casting aside all pnr-
ty considerations, and postponing all ordinary po-
htical issues. to pause, to look steadily in the face
the condition OF things to which We are approach
ing; and to ask their own conscisnces whether
they can do nothing to avert the crisis, and bling
about happier and better state of things
IAppause. do not ask them to search the past
for topics or reproach recrimination on men or
parties. We have had enough of that. and it has
contributed materially to bring about our present
perilous condition. In all countries where speech
andIthc press are fie., especially those countries
which by controlling natural causes full into two
great sections, each possessing independent local
Legislatures and centres Of opinion and influence,
there will inhe lapse oil time be action
and reaction Of word and deed. Violence of
speech or Of act, on the one side. will unavoidably
produce violence of speech and Of act ON the 9TH
er.