The southern aegis, and Harford County intelligencer., 1863-07-31
M(ist&llan.ee.Uus.
SPEECH OF FRANKLIN PIERCE.

p1 I4iS44 Va u 4VkA&N4 4A64&N = AS4ASS@Ssv
Alta Democratic Mass meeting in Con-
cord, N. H., on the Fourth of July, the
Hon. Franklin Peirce made the following
remarks: {: .""a. ~, .# 10 J
My Friends and Fellop- Countryn,ea:-
While. / have come to preside at this
meeting, at your. bidding, permit ME to
say that no command less imperative than
your wish on such an occasion. would have
brought me here and / trust that, in
view of the great aggregation Of personal
relations which thirty years of manhood
life have formed between us, you will re-
cognize in this fact warm reciprocation,
on my part, of theerespect and affection
which, in all that time, l have never fail
ed to find on yours. We meet on the an
niversary of a day hallowed by solemn
memories, and sanctifed as that of the
birth of the American Union. The De-
claration of independence laid the foun-
dation of.our political greatness in the two
fundamental ideas of the absolute inde-
pendence of the American people, and of
the sovereignty of their respective States
Under that Standard our forefathers
fought the battles of the Revolution; un-
der that they conquered In this spirit,
IL ey established the Union, having the
Conservative thought ever present to their
minds, of the original sovereignty and in
dependence of the several States, all with
their diverse institutions, interests, opin-
ions and habits, to be maintained intact
and secure, by the reciprocal stipulations
and mutual compromises Of the Constitu-
tion. They were lhaster-builders, who
reared up the grand structure Of the
Union, that august temple beneath whose
dome three generations have enjoyed such
blessings ot the civil liberty as were never
before voucbsafed by Providence to man; ;
that temple before whose altars you and I
have not only bowed with devout. and
grateful hearts, but where, with patriotic
vows and sacrifices, VIC have SO frequently
consecrated ourselves to the protection
and maintainancc Of those lofty columns
of the Constitution by which it was up
held. CApplause.l No visionary en-.
thusiasts we're they, dreaming vtinly Of
the impossible uniformity Of some wild
Utopia OF: their own imaginat:ons No
desperate reformers were they, nadly bent
upon schemes which, If consummated,
could only resultiin general confusion, an
archy, and chaos Oh, no.! high-hearted,
but, sagacious aud practical statesmcnl
they wefe WIG, saw society as q living fact
n9t as, q atropbled vision; who knew that
a.gienal power consists in the reconcile
a.rsi,lnf diversities Of institutions and in-
aei2SSeeS9, si"t thsir conflict and obliteration !;
and aWlu saw that variety and adaptation
of,parts are thesnecessary clements of all
Shere lis Sublime or beaatifil in the works
of art or Of nature Majestic were the
solid foundations. the massive masonry,
the columned loftiness ofithat magnificent
structure of the Union. Glorious was the
career of prosperity, and peace, and. pows
or upon which from its very birthday the
the American Union entered, as with the
assured march Of the conscious offspring
Of those giants Of the Revolution. Such
was the Union, as conceived and admins
tered by Washington and Adams, BY JEFF
ferson, and Madison, and jackson. Such,
I say, ,cos the Union, ere the evil times
befel us ;kere Id thetthird generation, the
all-comprehensise patriotism 1of the Faith
ers had died out, and given place 70 the
passionate emotions Of narrow and aggres-
sive seotioDalism. a The sEastern States
covered the sea with their ships, the land
with their farms and their manufactures ].
so did Ehe Middle Atiantic States with