The New Orleans crescent. [volume] (New Orleans, La.) 1866-1869, 1868-09-24

Louis were thronged with fair women and gallant
men. The band was employed till supper time
in playing marches. and the company prone
naded. conversed, or sat tete a tete. When sup
per was announced, Gen. Harry T. Hays, took
his place at the head of the principal table, at
which were seated the guests from St. Louis.
The other tables were all filed by ladies and their
escorts, from the city. the State, and the neigh
boring States. The spread was excellent. There
was feast of potes brgfes, of bone turkey, sal
ads, and every other dish culinary ingenuity
could devise. There was also an overt wi g
abundance of the choicest wines.
After the company had satisfied their appetite,
Gen. Bays proposed sentiment in honor of the
St. Louis delegation. This was rapturously ap-
plauded. Capt. George Ford. the well-known and
faVorte steamboat captain, was called on to re-
ply. and he did reply most felicitously aud elo-
quently. He considered brevity the soul Of wit,
and his speech was an epigram:
IL body 5rsvit Sy, and wit it's soul
Gen. Hays then gave the health of Missouri's
favorite son-Frsncis Preston Blair. The cheer
ing here was uproarious-the ladies' joining 10.
Gen. Sieedman was called to respond. The
brave and genial veteran rose and all were atten.
tive to his words. He said that it was with 10
ordinary feelings that he replied for comrsde in
arms. He had served with General Blair in the
United States army through several dreary years
| of hardship and danger, and had learned to love
| and to honor him. When the true history of the
late contest shall be written, no name will
| figure more gloriously in its pages than that Of
Blair. AS soldier Gen. Blair had never oppressed
the weak the poor, and had never appropriated
the spoils of war to his ewn use. Gen. Steedmsn
exhorted the st. Louis delegation, both ladies and
IN N hair NJ hal thau
home that if the Inhabitants of Missouri have suf
cred under Radical msrule to the verge of human
endurance, the citizens of Louisiana have wept
| blood. LOUiSidRidnS intend 10 rOte in November.
notwithstanding what the accidental majority in
our Legislature may attempt to dictate to u.s.
Like our ancestors of '76, if an attempt is made
to crush out the expression of popular will and
the freedom of speech. we shall arise in our
might, and publish and adhere to another
Declaration of Independence.
This is but feeble repetition of the eloquence
of our gallant champion. His remarks were fire.
quently inaudible from the enthusiastic applause
with which every sentence was greeted.
Gen. Hays then toasted the great State of Mis-
souri,, the sentiment being replied to by Mr..
Bogy, a distinguished and able citizen of st.
Louis, in the words following:
New orleans:
The occasion which has brought my associates
and myself from our distant homes ON the Dor
der of the same great river which washes the
shores Of your own city is peculiar as well as
q very important one. The citizens of st. Louis,
knowing, approaching and feeling deeply your
sad political condition. have thought ii an act Of
fraternal duty TO send us here to present to you
this beautiful banner, which now is so gracefully
| aud msjesucally upheld before you. In discharg-
ing this agreeable duty, permit me to indulge in
few reflections suggested by the peculiar pc
litica condition of your section Of country, and,
| TO some extent, by my own personal relations to
| 1t also. Missouri was once known by the name
| of Upper Louisiana, While that portion of coun-
| try now embraced within the State of Louisiana
| was designated by the name Of Lower
Louisiana. Tn, Sc names were used in all
the early acts of Congress having refer.
epce to these sections. Upper and Lower
| Louisiana formed part of that vast domain &C.
| CURED from France by the treaty of 1903 The
sane political event which made upper Louisiana
| a part of the great family of American States
made yours also. The treaty negotiated by the
| great President Thomas Jefferson provided in its
Sd article that The inhabitants of the ceded ter
| ritory shall be incorporated in the Unijn of the
| UnitC States, and admitted as soon as possible
according TO the principles Of the federal CJnsti
tuition, 10 the erjoyments of all the rights, a1van-
| tsges and immunities Of citizens of the United
| States, and in The meantime they shall be main.
tanned and protected in the full enjoyment of their
liberty, property and the religion which they pro-
fess." In due course of time your Safe aud mine
were admitted into the Union as States with all
| the rights advantages and mmunities of the older
States.
As sisters of the American family of States,
We both acted our respective parts with as much
devotion and fidelity to the great principles Of
| ee government as any Of the older States,
whether North or South. The introduction of a
new element composed of a different nationality,
| different language and different religion, although
much opposed by wise and patriotic Northern
| statesmen, because of the apprehended antagon-
ism, proved as predicted by Jefferson, to be per-
| feet success. Indeed new strength was derived
from the new element, as il exhibited to the
world the sdaptability Of free institutions to the
| most enlarged order of political condition. For
| upwards of hslt century, Missouri and Louisi
ana were no less distinguished by their devotion
| to the Uuion than by the distinguished statesmen
| each sent TO the Congress Of the United States.
| Both were free and happy, and enjoyed pros
| perity Lnheard of in the history of the world
before. The new element had in the mean.
time become completely Amercanized, and
| furnished its full quota of distinguished men
to the bar, legislative halls commerce. aud,
/ indeed, many characters in all the diff
ferent pursuits of life. This in brief was
our condition. But, fellow citizens, how changed
and different is the present order of affairs to what
| IL was then In your own sectiOn-ours not beng
| much better than yours. This is neither the time
nor the occasion TO speak of the | tie war, OF the
| causes which led to it. The event is past, aud is
already recorded on the tablets of history, and,
however partial and unjust contemporaneous
| opinions and assertions may be, posterty will
have the means of judging, and will judge justly,
because impartially. The great principles under
| lying the conflict the mode of carrying 1t on,
and the system of legislation adopted since the
cessation of hosttes, will all be judged by that
| great tribunal, and to that judgment whatever il
| may be, all must submit. Il is proper however
that this the great truth should be understood and
particularly in this section of country where has
heretofore, and perhaps yet, not been adequately
| appreciated.
The idea Of an enduring and indiseoluble Union
| was deep seated in the American breast Whether
| an indissolube Union was in accordance with our
| system, or in direct conflict with the well-known
views of Jefferson, was not a question for dis
| cussion. The spirit of the age being extremely
| material, it was only as a question of material
| power-of commerce and financial prosperity,
that the question was understood and discussed by
our generation. And, indeed, it Gao be said that
| thousands of the purest hearts, and of the most
enlarged patriotism, could not, and would not,
| under any possible circumstances, give up the
idea Of the Union Of the American States. Il was
| indeed a noble idea. Here was a new nation with
new Institutions, in q new world, with a future
glorious, powerful, and prosperous. Such spec
tacle had not before been In the history of the
world. We were indeed the admiration of the world,