Evansville daily journal. (Evansville, Ind.) 1863-1866, 1864-03-05
Washburne on Cox.

HASADAA hO Oh OOAs
The following is the full text of the
telling remarks of Mr.. Washburne in his
reply to Cox, in the House
Mr. Washburne, of Illinois.-I wish to
make an excuse for the author of the
pamphlet from which the gentleman from
Ohio has read such copious extracts. /
think that author has been corrupted by
my friend from Ohio. ! think he must
have been reading q book which the gen.
tleman from Ohio has written, which
now hold in my hand, and which | have
read with great pleasure The gentle
man from Ohio said that he had hereto
fore answered this book in the House,
and that had heard his speech. l al
ways liked to hear the speech he made
to-day. Laughter have listened to
it several times. Laughter. We shall
not probably have the pleasure at the
next Congress of hearing my friend
from Ohio reherse his speech here, be-
cause, think, in the light of the recent
elections in Ohio, and particularly in the
district of the honorable gentleman, /
can say to him, in the language of Watts,
and in the spirit Of the utmost kinds
ness,
You living man, come view the ground
Where yOu must shortly lie"
| desire to show the House what the
gentleman of Ohio has written in regard
to the African, in book entitled "A
Buckeye Abroad; or Wanderings in Eu-
rope and in the Orient-by S. S. Cox.
He is describing st. Peters, and says:
ain the meantime seraphic music from
the Pope's select choir ravishes the ear,
while the incense titillates the nose
Soon there arises in the chamber of the
atrical glitter-what?-a plain, unques-
toned African! laughter and he utters
the sermon in facile Latinity, with a
graceful manner. His dark hands ges-
tured harmoniously with the rounded pc
riods, and his swart visage beamed with
high order of intelligence" Laugh
ter What was he2 Let the gentleman
from Ohio answer. "He was an Abys-
sinian. What a commentary was here
upon our American prejudices! The
head of the great Catholic Church, sur
rounded by the ripest scholars of the
age, listening to the eloquence Of =
whom ?-"of the despised negro, and
thereby illustrating to the world what?
thereby illustrating to the world the
common bond of brotherhood which
binds the human race. Roars of laugh
ter
Mr.. Speaker, | appeal to the House If
it does not appear that the author Of that
pamphlet must have been corrupted by
reading the work of my friend from
Ohio.
But the gentleman goes on to say:
l confess that, at first, it seemed to me
sort Of theatrical mummery, not being
familiar with such admixture of society.
That was the first impression of my
young and festive friend from Ohio, as
he wandered through the gilded corri-
doris of st. Peter S. Laughter. "But,
says he, "on reflection, l discerned in il
which, during the dark ages, conferred
such inestimable blessings on mankind
History records that from the time o
the revival of letters the influence o
the church of Rome, SO favorable to sci
ence, to civilization, and to good govern
ment, has decreased. Why? Why, ask
my friend from Ohio, is the church o
Rome so favorable to science, to civiliza
tion and good government Let tn
gentleman answer: because her system
held then, as it holds now, all distinction
of caste as odious." Great laughter
She regards no man, bond or free, whit
or black, as disqualified for the priest
hood This doctrine has, as Macaule
develops in his Introductory chapters t
his English history, mitigated many {
the worst evils of society; for where rae
tyranized over race or baron over vi
lein, Catholicism came between ther
and created an aristocracy independen
of race or feudaism, compelling eve
the hereditary master to kneel before th
spiritual tribunal of the hereditary bon,
man. The childhood of Europe WI
passed under the guardianship of priest
teachers, who taught, as the scene in tt
Sistine chapel, of an Ethiop addressiu
the proud rulers of Catholic Christendon
teaches, that no distinction is regardt
priest from the people.
"The sermon of the Abyssinian"
that is, Of this colored person, this R
man citizen of African descent" -
beautiful print was trophy, and as
; suvenir of truth which Americans a
prone to deny or contemn." " Laughter
:, Now, ask my friend from Ohio if
has still got that trophy and suevnir
bring into this Hail.