The Portland daily press., 1862-07-07

FORT stephen Manchester killed Poland an
Indian chief here, May IA, 1856. The speaker
next paid high compliment to the guest of
the day, Hon. John A Andrew, and welcomed
him home. His account of the history of the
town was brief and very happily delivered.
The Declaration of Independence was then
read by J. w. Webb, Esq. after which the
Chairman introduced Hon. WOODBURY. DAVIS
of Portland. Mr.. Davis, in commencing, al
luded to the unexampled prosperity of the
country during the last fifty years. But one
lesson was to be learned to-day; lesson i'm
portant at all times especially at this; viz
that "Al men are born free and equal" This
truth, the Judge argued with eloquent force,
declaring that whoever excepts that phrase
from the immortal Declaration would trample on
our rights, had they the opportunity and force.
He referred to old French Spanish and English
wars in illustration and thought that the truth
of the principle was overlooked. Our ances-
tors forget that those who would trample on
one mans rights would trample on ours also.
They allowed slavery to come into the Union
and it began to grasp for more and more. The
moment the slave power became secure in
their constitutional rights, they began to en-
croach, and the whole history of the country
from that time down has been a history of en-
croachments upon the North. During the last
twenty years there has not existed in the south
so much real freedom of speech and ofthe press
as in the most absolute despotism. The slave
power finding that the patience of the North
was exhausted, instituted this vile rebellion.
And it is for the people of these United States
to decide the matter now impending.
Foreign sympathies are against us. He be-
lieved in God, who rules, however and also
believed in earnest importantly. He does not
believe in success unless slavery is overthrown.
If we could believe that Mr.. Lincoln intended
the final overthrow of the system, our streets
would throng with eager volunteers and he
longed to see the day, when the curse should
be removed. IF God be for us, who can be
against us~ Slavery overthrown, this land
will be In fact, the "and of the free' and home
of the brave. They never fail, who put their
trust in Omnipotence.
The President then read the correspondence
between Gov. Andrew snd tie town commit
tee, and at once introduced His Excellency to
the multitude.
SPEECH OF HON. JOHN A. ANDREW.
could not, were ever so much to try, by
any form of labored or artistic speech, express
the emotions of gratitude with which EN-
brace this opportunity to make one of the fam
ily of this town. at this celebration. Star ng
here, in the midst of this vast concourse. in
the midst of old friends and new faces, al
though five and twenty years have gone into
the past. / am no longer man, much less
magistrate; but i am a child once more
| What reminiscences-wha reeollections of ear
| ly boyhood of my father and mother, and
| friends cluster here? How those arching elms
| remind me Of the many groves of this, my ma
| tive town. where in childhood used to wan
| der with my piaymates; some of whom have
| long since tasted death, and some Of whom
now see around me. How there comes up the
little square school house; the old meeting
house on the hill where my parents worshipped
the venerable form of old Father Kellogg, not
an eloquent or renowned man, but what is
more than all that, good man; the old gem
| tleman who led the choir and pitched the tunes.
And here beside me is DIR. Waterman. our fam
! lily physician, the oldest friend now have on
| earth. remember. also, the pleasant face of
Mr.. Brown, long before the canal and bridge
at Little River were made. Here. too. Is the
it still stands), whence used to hear the voice
| of Paul Little, whose exhortations at the little
| meeting house will be among the last of my
recollections of public speaking Let me re-
mind you of another man, not of our town,
who first revealed to my childish intellect the
idea Of eloquenee-Eld. James Lewis; his clear
utterance and warm heart cannot be forgotten.
| And Elder Wight--venerable and majestic: a
| sweet touch of poetic fancy ran through his
eprm0Qs and his tho which
| touched my heart Nor can forget the eaim
and quiet meetings Of the quakers-dways
visited twice year at their quarterly meetings
by Franklin Huzzy---and among whom was
| Noah Reed, whose heart and hat were big
enough TO cover the whole town. But how
| can | recite the names of all these, whose names
| now revisit my mind, which revive old reco-
lections, which linger around my heart and
struggle in my speech But must mention
| two more men, who never should be omitted
| these two old soldiers of the Revolution, Jo-
siah Chute and John SWEET. venerable when
first knew them yet intelligent and active.
1 How many more were here, cannot now re-
| collect. Many times and oft, on a pleasant
morning like this, have rode with my mother
and listened to the stories of events, in which
they played part. You know how warmly
| glows every emotion of the heart, when we re-
| turn to the old family hearth-stone. So long
! as memory bears the recollections of childhood,
! so long as the earth of Windham is consecrated
1 by the sacred dust of one, whom no fortunes
4 of life can cause me to forget-so long will her
interests and people be near and dear to my
earnest and afiectionate memories. / thank
| you for the kindness implied in your invitation
| for the hearty manner in which you recog-
nize me, and L hope during the few hours
which duty allows me TO spend in town, to
shake the hands of old friends and get ac-
quainted with their children.
Passing from this tribute, which / felt l
must pay and which you would expect, you
/ viii pardon me If | return to the line of
thought, followed by the eloquent speaker who
has preceded me. We have duties. We exist
not now, only in the past; we dream of ftl-
ture carved out by the sword of brave men.
But to ourselves it is given as a solemn task
and duty, to revive In our hearts the doctrines
of the past Ito review the dealings of God
with this people,--to become the architects OF
of this nations destiny no longer to rest on
our history or what we have been. To our
mothers, our fathers, us ourselves. in our farms,
on tlMmountain tops and in silent valleys, in
the church, in the school house and BY the
wayside--to us alone, is given the work of he
roes TO be done. Five hundred thousand OF
our sons have been poured out anew in defense
of the permanence of the government--in be-
half of the rights of humanity. Five hundred
thousand homes have sent their precious ones
to war, and now, to-day, beneath this warm
sun, perhaps not less than five thousand human
forms lie lileless or bleeding by the banks OF
the James; stricken down by rebellious war
May God in His infinite grace and mercy sus-