The Ashland union. [volume] (Ashland, Ashland County, Ohio) 1854-1868, 1859-12-28
From the New York Observer, Dec, %.
UNION AND FRATERNITY,
JUSTICE 70 THE SOUTH.
TIE GRE.aRU .N1ON- .uEETY.rG
10000 PATRIOTS IN COUNCIL.

The largest public meeting ever held in this
city, or on the American continent, took place
hast Monday night, in and about the Academy
of, Music. The vast concourse was worthy of
the gcause,-the noble one comprised in the
single phrase "Uustice to the South" Long
before Six O'Clock, before the business hours of
the city were fairly over, before people had
taken their dinner, a crowd began to assemble
in Irving Place, or the Western front of the
Academy. As they arrived rapidly from ey-
cry. portion of the city, they took their places
in front of the three great doors, and waited
patiently, and in perfect order, for the OPEN
ing of the house. The Third and Fourth ave-
nue. cars and all the lians of stages leading to
the neighbordood of the Academy, were pack
cd full of citizens, all going up or down for
the same purpose-to aid, by their presence
and voice, in this sublime spontaneous demons
~stration in behalf of the Constitution and the
Union. Before six o'clock there were at least
5000 persons standing in Irving Place. This
immense throng, though terribly squeezed to-
gether, (each new conner on the outside con
tributing his weight and momentum tot the
general jam, was exceedingly quiet and we'll
behaved. Presently Nollis band, which was
stationed in the balcony, commenced playing
patriotic airs. The crowd were further enter
tanned by the deep bass music of thirty guns,
and by a very handsome pyrotechnic display
uuuSI Gle ulIcCllOH U lH0 uucSSfS. Eupc-T
Among th~e.ireworks was enc superb and high
ly appropriate symbolical piece, representing
"Union and fraternity" with the American
spread eagle soaring above. ss5'r5 ar.t
Inside, on the stage, a beautiful scene had
been prepared by the subcommittee on deco
rations. The great stage had been transform
ed into a gigantic tent Of pure white, with. a
deep lower fringe of American flags, and
gracefully curtained folds Of the national col
ors in front. lin the back ground was the sin
gle sentence, Justice M FRATERNITY"
-Washington.
Upon a broad white banner stretching clean
across the stage near the ceiling were the
words: So ~ 9i GctE tsE t~r-3.I5z
"INDIGNANTLY BROWNING UPON THE FIRST
DAwNINC OF ATTEMPT To ALLEVIATE
ANY PORTION OF OUR N FROM II
BEST, OR TO ENFEEBLE THE SACRED TIES
WHICH NOW LIN TOGETHER THE VARIOUS
PARTs."- Washington. yei iea aaEI
Beneath this were the notices ia .e,-s
""7he Union nsass and shaH be preserved."-
Jackson.
al shall stand upon the Constitution. 7
need no otker Pa16rns."-Webster. iuia-ath
On the private boxes in front of the stage
were exhibited the names of Jefferson, Jack
son, Webster, Calhoun, Clay, Wright, Choate,
Benton, Madison, Monroe.
The Chairman's desk was draped with Amc-
rican flags. -7s.tsn.ii' r
We have only room for the speech of DIR.
BETHuNE. -5ai iiaT.0r lp tHuaa.r Z! .'tl
Amid loud cries for "Bethune," Rev. DIR.
Bethune came forward and addressed the meet
ing. He said:
Il rise, Sir, notIbeeause / have the presum p
ton to think that [ can preserve the attention
of this vast assembly, after all the excellent
things that they have heard this evening, at
this late hour. But, Sir, / come before this
audience to show myself. (Grsat cheering)
Insignificant as 1 personally may be among the
millions of this land, and weak in influence as
my voice may be, when that voice is called
for, and there is a question where [ stand, [
wish to be rcekoned with the Union now and
forever. Cloud cheers) Yea, Sir, 1 love
the Union, and when 1 say that, it is with the
wish that if that Union is to perish, / may die
first. (Applause.1 And, Sir, there are many
things which have been said here this evening,
with some of which | may frankly say, [ could
not coincide. l am not going to read law to
you, Sir. It is not my province, and [ must
be excused from accepting the theology of
some gentlemen who have invaded mine
daughter Sir, when saw the call of this
meeting I said / must be there. (Good.G
Never have 1 attended a public meeting in
any way political before in my life. CHEERS,
and cries of tgood!") And L can say with a
clear conscience that no man has ever heard
me utter in public a single word of party
politics. (Applause.) I belong to a higher
service. (Renewed cheering.) L am, by my
calling and my vows, a minister of the Gospel
of Peace, (cheers,) and it is as a minister of
peace that [ am among you tonight. Cap
plause) 1t is high time, VIXEN the pulpit is
desecrated by appeals to the widest fanaticism
cloud cheers, and a remark. "The right
| ,.olt ,,an 80 ~ Eha ri,,ht Dloco tbic tin,a i''l-
when men by voice Of ecclesiastics, are cano-
nized because they have shown the pluck of a
bulldog with the blood-thirstiness of the tiger
-(Applause)eit is high time, [ say, that
one who, humble as myself, believes that the
Gospel is "Peaee on earth and good will to-
wards man, : should act upon his principles
cloud applause. y [ will not enter into any of
the disputed questions that have been foisted
into our meeting tonight. T. l have seen a dis
cussion about the call of this me~eting-that
there was first one call, then it was altered for
another call-that the same people who signed
one could not have signed the other. [ never
read either one call or the other through
(laughter)-all L saw in the call was the word
"Union," Continued eheering,) and that was
enough. CRenewed cheering l remember
an honest Governor of Pennsylvania, whose
ancestry was traeeable in his broken speech,
was appealed to for the pardon of a man who
had murdered his wife, but the honest old man
said, "What?" "pardon a(man for, such crime
as that-a man who could take a woman, and
promise to nourish and cherish, and den kill
her? Wy he ought to be 'shamed of himself"
(Uproarious laughter and cheers.) So L say
here to night, if any man in getting up this
meeting, or in coming to this meeting, has had
a thought of Democrat, or Republican, or Ma
tive American, higherin his mind than Union,
he ought to be ashamed Of himself. cloud
Applause aj Nor shall / have sympathy with
him, except he repent in lsaekcloth and ashes.
daughter and applause.) You talk of the
Union being dissolved. Sir there has been
deep feeling in most of the speeches that 1
have heard this evening. They say # this
Union is to be, dissolved-schon the Union is
dissolved. Why, Sir, that is what we logieians
call an impossible hypothesis Qaughter and