The Potter journal. [volume] (Coudersport, Pa.) 1857-1872, 1860-09-27
POLITICAL.
From, the STATE Journal.
Gov. SeWard's Speech at Mad=
iSOn.

On Wednesday, Sept. Is, Gov. Seward
spoke as follows at Madison, Wisconsin
FELLOW CITIZENS: 1t is a bright
September sun that is shining down Upon
us-such sun as nature, pleased with
the remembrance of her own benefcence,
seems to delight in sending forth to grace
the close of a season which has been
crowned with abundance and luxuriance.
unknown even to her own profuseness.
1t is such sun as nature, pleased with
seeing the growth of a noble capital in a
great State, may be supposed to send out
to illuminate and to make more efful-
gent the magnificent Beauties IF the place
on which We are assembled Ii is such
a September sun as we might almost sup
pose nature. sympathizine with the efforts
Of good men, lovers tf liberty, ah4iotis to
secure their Cwn freedom, to perpetuate
that freedom for the enjoyment of their
! posterIty, and to extend its blessings
! throughout the whole world, and for all
generations, may have sent forth in token
of sym pathy with such noble race -
/ Applause But, fellow citizens, bright
aud cheerful as this hour is, my heart is
Oppressed, and [ am unable at once to lift
myself above the s; dness OF recent scenes
and painful rocolections | obeyed the
command of the Republican peope of
/ Wisconsin TO appear before them on this,
the 18th day Of September, and as | APP
preached the beautiful seaport, if | may
/ so call the city that crown the shores of
Lake Michigan, and affords entrance TO
this magnificent State, had anlicI Ipated,
because | had become habituated to a
welcome that should be distinguished by
! the light Of a thousand torches, and b.
I the voices of music and OF cannon. But
! the angel Of death passed just before me
on the way, and instead Of footsteps
| lighted with the greeting Of thousands of
NY fellow citizens, l found only thick
I darkness, increased. as enly natures dark
ness can be, by the weeping and wall
ing of mothers for the loss Of children,
and refu-ing to be comtortcd. | have
been quite unable to rise from that sud
den shock to forget that instead of the
voice of kind and merry and genial wei
come, heard only mourning and lamen-
tation in the streets
10 you, perhaps, the scene seems
somewhat foreign, because it occurred
in your beautiful seaport but 1t was
not merely a municipal calamity. 1t
! is calamity and disaster that befalls the
State, and strikes home dismay and hor-
ror to the bosoms OF all its people, tor
these were citizens of the State who have
persisted, and those who survive are the
mourners the desolate widows and or
phans who a:e bereaved Let me, before
| proceed, take the liberty to bring this
subject home to the State authorities of
/ Wisconsin and to ask aud to implore that
nothing may be left undone, if there is
yet anything that can be done, to rescue
single sufferer from that dreadful cal
amity, and to bring to the comforts of So
clal life, and of sound, good, religious,
aud public education, the orphans who
are left to wander On the streets by the
lake side.
Fellow citizens it is a political law
and when say political law, mean a
higher law cries of " Good ia law of
| Providence, that empire has for the last
thee thousand years, 50 long as we have
records Of civilization, made its way cen
stautlv westward, and that it uust con.
tiuue to move on westward until the tides
of the renewed and of the decaYing civil
iZatious Of the world meet on the shores
Of the Pacific Ocean. Within a year l
have seemed to myself to follow the track
of empire in It's westward mareh for three
thousand years stood but year ago
Oh the Hill of Calvary. | stood after
ward on The Piaus of Athens.
a gain | found myself on the banks of
the Tiber. Still advancing westward. |
rested under the shade OF the palaces OF
the kings of England, and trod the streets
of the pow renovated capital of France.
From those capitals | made my way at
last to Washington, the city of establish,
ed empire for sbe present generation ct
men, and of influence over he Gestlnies
OF mankind [Applause. Empire moves
far more rapidly in modern than 1t did IN
ancient times. The empire established
at Washington is of less than hundred
wears foru alton 1t was the empire of
thirteen Atlantic American States. Still
practically the mission of that empire Is
fulfilled. The power that directs it Is
ready to pass away from those thirteen
States. and although held and exercised
under the same Constitution and national
form of government, yet is now in the
very act of being transferred from the
thirteen States East of the Allegheny
Mountains on the coast of the A.qntlc
Ocean, to he twenty States that he West
of the Alleganies, and, ST eteh away from