Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1853-1862, 1860-11-20
The Hon. Charles sumner on she Results OF
the Electforr.

The Hon. CHARLES SUMNER lectured in Concord,
New Hampshire, on Wednesday evening, on the
Life Character and Public Services of General
Lafayette" After the lecture, the Concord Wide
Awakes deening this fitting time to call upon this
distinguished Senator, formed and with drum
corps, marched to the residence of RALPH WALDO
EHERso n esq and, after cheers had teen given for
the Hon. CHARLES SUMNER, he appeared and was adj
dressed by the Hon. J. s. KEYEs in behalf of the
Wide-Awakes, to whichhe replied as follows;
CAPTAIN AND WIDE-AwAKEs: You take me entirely
by surprise came here tonight to perform an
agreeable service, not of political character had
not anticipated any such opportunity as this with
which you now honor me, nor did / anticipate any
such welcome. Letme thank you most sincerely for
the kind and good words that have fallen from your
captain. They are to reward for what little SER
vice may have been able to render in the past.
They will encourage me to what hope to do IN the
future. join with you in gladness at what has oc-
Cured at the victory which we are now to cele-
brate. Victories sometimes won by the cartridge
box but doubt whether any victory won by the
cartridge-box involves higher principles or more
important results than that which has been won by
the ballotbok.
poet has said that the shot fired here was
round the world, and l doubt not but this victory
which we have achieved in our country will cause
revelation that will be heard throughout the civil
lied globe. Persons everywhere who are struggling
for rights, who are indicating liberal Ideas, who
| are seeking human improvement, will be encourage
ed when they hear OF yesterday. 1t VIII be good
news to Garibald in Italy; it will be good news to
/ the French, who are suffering under despOtic
power; and it viii be, my friends, good news 10 all
Of u.s. for it tells great change has occurred. Ey-
! cry four years we choose new President but II
| very rarely happens that choose new Govern
ment. But yesterday we not only chose new Pres
| ident but q new Government. A new order OF
| things was inaugurated by the vote of yesterday
which will put our country under new direction
and lift it up to the platform of principles on which
! it was originally placed by the fathers
Several things may be considered to be fairly es-
tabshed by the vote of yesterday, if look at il
ina practical light. First the American people have
! declared according to the very words of Madison
that it is wrong to admit into the Constitution the
idea that there can be property In man. They have
declared that Slavery, if it exists anywhere, is sec
tiola and must derive all such life 1t has from
| local lave, not from the Constitution; in other
words that slavery is sectional and freedom natonla
in opposition to the idea, which has been put for
ward so often that Freedom is sectional and Slave
ry national In the second place, the American PEG
pie have declared by this vote that all the outlying
| Territories of the Government, so enormous in ex
| tent, and destined to be inhabited by an immense
| population, shall be consecrated to Freedom; thai
the soil shall never be pressed by the ootstep of the
| the slave.
In the third place, they have declared that the
old original policy of the fathers of the administra
| ton of the National Government shall be adopted
in opposition to the slave policy which has been es
pecialy pursued for the last twelve years. and more
or less during the last forty years. They have de
clared thatthe slave trade, which it is now propos
ed to open Nth increased activity shall be in reality
suppressed, and that all the force of the Govern
ment shall be directed in that way. These things
have been declared by that vote solemnly and in q
way from which there can be no appeal, Surely
this is a great action for country, and forms
a landmark in its history
1t remains that, having obtained this grea
victory. should know how to use it with Inodera
| ton with prudence, with wisdom. l believe tina
Abraham Lincoln prolonged applausel has those
elements of character that will enable him to carry
us through this crisis that he is prudent wise, dis
Greet, and also brave. believe that bravery is ne
cessary directing the affairs of1Government, a
much as prudence. believe he is the man especial
" TO see that we not in any way checked or Sc
| back by the menaces of disunion which sometime,
come to US from the South, and are repeated in Mas
| sachCsetts To theae menaces we deem it necessary
to make other reply than TO proceed with ou
work in the spirit of the Constitution, wisely pru
IDENTIFY answering their threats with "the Uniol
! shall be preserved, and made more precious by It
conservation TO human freedom. Three cheers for
| the Union