Gold Hill daily news. [volume] (Gold Hill, N.T. [Nev.]) 1863-1882, 1867-02-01
SENATOR NYE,s SPEECH IN SAN
RR ANCISCO,

Ian Francisco, in Union Hall, on last
evening. Believing that what
YER the old Gray Eagle said prior to
eayiug for his Senatorial duties at
Washington is Of interest to his constit-
tents, we make the following extracts
rom the report of last Monday even
up's proceedings which we find report
d in tho Daily Timeso Of Tuesday:
There was an immense audience at
Union Hall, last evening, to listen to
he speech of Hon. James w. Nye,. OF
Nevada. 1t was given under the aus
,ices of the Veterans of the California
hundred and the California Battalion,
and for the benefit Of their Monument
Fund. Long before the hour for open
iur the meeting, and before the ar
of the distinguished speaker,
of people thronged into the hall
it was FLIED to overfowing. The
band of the Second Regiment Artillery
was present and discoursed most spirit
ed music. At length Senator Nye ap-
pesred, and as he walked through the
audience toward the stage, they greeted
him with round after round Of applause.
Hon. Ira P. Rankin introduced the Sem
ator with a few appropriate remarks:
As he stepped forward the applause
was tumultuous and long continued.
When it had wholly subsidized Mr.. Nye
said he felt highly honored by the invi-
tation, in response to which, he was
there, and yet he felt embarrassed, tor
the character Of the occasion and the
object Of the assemblage admonished
him that he ought not to bring unbeat-
en- oil into the sanctuary. Circumstan-
ces, however, imperative in their ma
ture, obliged him to come u~nprepared.
The committee Of arrangements had
been kind enough not only to publish
him to speak that night, but they had
been so very kind as to select the text
from which he was to preach. Laugh
teri A little less than q hundred years
ago our fathers established on the con-
tinent a Government, new in its charac-
ter and novel in its form; and they went
to sleep with the fond anticipation that
their children would enjoy the blessings
which il conferred. II had cost them
life, and blood and reasure to secure it,
and they priced it as costly things alone
are prized. Their children, although
loving it, took it as a too cheap an in
heritance. We are not apt to give the
same care to those things which costus
little that we give to those which cost US
much. From that planting by our faith
ers our great Tree Of Liberty sprung up;
carefully, while they existed, was it
preserved and nourished; but when they
had gone to their sleep it began to be
marred, its growth was gradually neg
lected, and in time its culture almost
abandoned, till we saw it 60 down lit
orally in an ocean Of blood, whose
waves obscured and almost hid it from
u gaze. But, thanks to the Great
Ruler of nations, we saw It spring up
again with new roots stuck deep into
the depths of that ocean and raise its
o~utspreading branches till they seem
ample enough to overshadow all the in
habitants of the earth. This has result
ed from the conflicts of war-the ques-
tions of freedom and of slavery, and Of
the right of secession, werc taken from
the forum of the nation to arbitramen'
on the red fields of war, and then the
friends of liberty sprang up, from the
frigid zones to the tropics, till they
were numbered by the million, and they
threw life, honor and treasure, into the
scale against treason.
| had the pleasure of seeing the i'm
mortal Baker-[grcat cheering]-mar.
shalling his troops for the fearful and
fatal encounter, and | had the honor Of
receiving at New York the battalion
from this State under command of Ma.
jor Thompson. welcomed o then
than | could welcome now, and the new
made graves on a hundred battle-felds
would answer me why. From the fiery
valley of the Shenandoah and the hotly
contested fields around Richmond, the
living have returned, and the heroic
dead are not forgotten. They will be
honored by the tablet and the monu'
mental pile, and the memory Of theii
deeds will never fade from the hearts Of
q great people.
He alluded to the complimentary terms
in which Mr.. Rankin had spoken of him,
He had been chosen by the people Of
Nevada to 60 up to the Capitol, and to
take part in the great civil contest Of
the time. He felt that he appreciated
the responsibility Of the position, and
should endeavor to meet \ with frmness
and prudence. I have, said he, no ia.
vors to ask from those who disagree
with me, nor will l ever give anything
to them. [Great applausc.1 Only a
few months ago treason appeared to be
wholly crushed and Frustrated in the
dust. In the course Of the long wal
which led to that result, the rebels
claimed to DO, and we treated them as
belligerents. We triumphed over them
and nothing in tho policy of nations is
better settled than that triumphant bel.
ligerents have a right to fix the status
of the defeated. In the days of chivalry
the vanquished knight surrendered his
horse and equipage to his adversary
but our rebels Of the South not only in.
sist upon keeping their horses, but they
claim ours also. [Great applause and
laughter.1 In the name Of victorious
but afflicted loyalty-in the name Of
liberty and humanity protest these
people ought not to be given the victory
over us. But some say we must be
merciful. We have been merciful. Since
the day when the plan of salvation wal
revealed to man, no such exhibition OF
magnanimity has been made as that
made by the loyal people of this nation
in their dealing with the rebels at the
close of their war. With the leaders OF
the rebellion I have no settlement to
make. There is a precedent for them
in the case Of their prototype, when ne
raised his arm against the majesty OF
Heaven. Davis, since the time when
his hair was black as the ravens wing,
to the present, has been rolling treason
under his tongue as a sweet morsel.
What principle of mercy can we invoked
What mercy does Breckenridge deserve
a man who, in swearing to support the
Constitution which he was laboring con
stantly to destroy, committed perjury
black as hell2 [Oheers.1 Satan, when
he rebelled and was vanquished, was
hurled over the b%attlements of Heaven
to the depths below; and we have the
authority of Milton for saying that When