Worcester daily spy. [volume] (Worcester [Mass.]) 1850-1888, 1860-12-25
MIR. SEWARD ON THE TIMES.

MR.. SEWARD ON THE TIMES.
AT the banquet of the New England Socie
ty, in New York, Friday night, Hon. VIM. H.
Seward delivered an extempore speech, in
which lie made some allusion 10 the state of
the nation. He did not think the example
of South Carolina will be very extensively
followed, and expressed the tirmest faith in
the continuance of the Union. We extract
a few paragraphs from the report of this
speech =
Just at this moment l am going back to
Washington for the purpose OF admitting Inc
state of Kansas in and 1 venture 10 say that for
eueTy state on this continent that WH go out OF the
Union there stand 'ratting at least tauo states that
,cM be qiad to come M and take Their places
loud cheers) They will do so for this SIM
pie reason-tllat every state on the continent
OF North America will be a democratic or re-
publican state. You, gentlemen Of New
England, do not like always to hear the word
democratic. | will, therefore, use the word
republican. No republican state on thtS continent
or any other can stand alone That as impoSsi
billy. And the reason is a simple one. So
much liberty, so much personal independence,
such scope TO emulation and ambition as free
republic gives, where universal suffrage OK.
lists. are too much for any one state standing
alone to maintain"
Alter urging this point at considerable
length, he went on thus -
There is no such thing in the book, no such
thing in reason, no such thing in philosophy, and no
such thing in nature as any state eriSting on the
continent Of North America, outside Of the United
States of america, l do not believe word OF
1t; and do not believe it for a good many
reasons. Some have already limited at and
one is because | do not see any good reason
given for it The best reason l see given for
it is, that the people of some Of the southern
states hate us Of the free states very badly
and they say we hate them. and that all love
is lost between us. Well, | do not believe
word of that. On the other hand, l do know
for myself and for you, that, batting some lit
tie differences of opinion about advantages,
and about prescription, and about office, and
about freedom, and about slavery, and all
those which are family difficulties, tor which
we do not take any outsiders in any part OF
the world into our councils on either side,
there is not state on the earth, outside OF the
American Union, which like halt so well as
DO the state OF South Carolina cheers)-
neither England, nor Ireland, nor Scotland,
nor France, nor Turkey-although from
Turkey they sent me Arab horses, and
nun COutll CdIOllIid llSy sSul me HOtil-
ing but curses. Still, | like South
Carolina better than l like any of them; and
have the presumption and vanity to believe
that if there were nobody to overhear the
state of South Carolina when she is talking,
she would confess that she liked us tOlerably
we'll | am very sure that it any body were
to make a descent on New York to morrow
whether Louis Napoleon, or the Prince of
Wales, or his mother Qaughter), or the En-
peror of Russia, or the Emperor of Austria,
all the hills Of South Carolina would pour
forth their population for the rescue of New
York (Cries Of Good" and appause.) God
knows how this may be. l do not pretend to
know. l only conjecture. But this l do
know, that il any of these powers were to
make a descent on South Carolina, l know
who would go to their rescue. IA voice
WED all go" We would all go-every-
body. ("That's sol" and great applause
Therefore they do not humbug ,cih Nth their
secession. (Laughter) And l do not think they
'0W hunlbug you; and do not Jelieue that, if they
do not hDmbug you and me, they ,oU mnch longer
succeed IN humbugging themselves. daughter
Now, fellow citizens, this is the ultimate result
OF all this bu mess. These states are al,cays to
be togetter-al,0qyS shall. Talk Of striking do,on
a star from that constellation. 1t is thing ,oh,ch
cannot be done. (Applause.)
His speech was capital throughout. Secs
sionism was discussed in the best temper,
sometimes sportively, but mostly in a serious
vein and with that earnest and far. seeing phi.
losophy which makes him so eminent and in
f1uential as a statesman. He had no talk of
that compromise" in which the free states
must yield every thing but he said he would
have nothing of the kind on which New York,
Pennsylvania, and New England cannot stand
together. The speech closed with these
words =
"They ask US, as of course they may right
fully ask, what sill be the value of fraternity
which is compelled? All l have to say on
that subject is, that so long ago as the time of
Sir Thomas More, he discovered, and set
down the discovery in his writing, that there
were great many schoolmasters, and that
while there were very few who knew how to
instruct children, there were a great many
who knew how to whip them. daughter 1
propose to have no question on that subject,
but to hear complaints, to redress them if they
ought to be redressed. and if we have the
power to redress them, and expect them to be
withdrawn if they are unreasonable, because
l know that the necessities which made this
union exist for these states are stronger to day
than they were when the union was made and
that these necessities are enduring, while the
passions OF men are short-ived and ephemer
al. l believe that secession was stronger on
the night of the 9th of November last, when
president and vice president, who were unac-
ceptabe to the slave states, were elected, than
it is now That is now some fifty days since,
and believe that every days sun which set
since that time has set on Modified passions
, and prejudices and that if you will only give
it time, sixty days more suns will give you a
much brighter and more cheerful atmosphere.
Loud and long continued applause.)