The Kenosha telegraph. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1860-1888, 1873-05-01
FAMOUS SPEECH BY FISHER
s. AMES. a

tnat saved IL Was,as tradition reports,
Fisher Ames of Massachusetts,, whose
speech in IFS defense, delivered to
concourse of people, lived in the
memory of that generation as the
greatest achievement of elouuence
which the American Parliament had
yet exhibited. He was just the man
to plead for such treaty; for he was
a conservative by the nature of his
mind, and the pulmonary disease
which was to terminate his existence
twelve years after had already over
spread his face with pallor and ting
ed his mind with gloom. A man 50
gifted as he was, if in robust and
joyous health. might have been
brought to vote for the treaty, but he
could not have defended it with such
warmth aud pathos.
His appearance, as he rose to speak
was that of a man with one foot
In the grave, and his first words gave
the impression to the audience that
were assisting at scene like those
IN which Chatham, swathed in flannel
had risen in the House of Lords to
speak for the rights of Englishmen
violated in America or to rebuke the
employment of savages in war upon
brethren, 81 entertain the hope,''
he faltered, perhaps rash one, that
my strength will hold me out to
speak few minutes" He was not
however, as near death as he looked;
and as he went on, speaking in
peculiar reserved tone, low but solemn
weighty, and penetrating, he gather
ed stength, and spoke for an hour in
in a manner which enthtalled every
nearer. Toward the close occurred
the famous tomanawk passage, in
which he foretold the consequences
to the posts by the English. On
reaching this subject the orator WAS
no longer an invalid. He was trans
inquired. his words semed fraught
with passionate apprehension, and
drew tears from the eyes'not of wom-
en- only, but of Judges grown gray
on the bench. Such poor sentences
as these fell from his lips in tones
that disguised their poverty and
irrelevancy:
''By rejecting the posts, we light
the savage fire, we bind the victims.
This day we undertake to render &C.
count to the widows and orphans
whom our decision may maze, to the
wretches that will be roasted at the
stake, to our country, and, | do not
deem it too serious to say, to consci-
ence and to God. The voice of
humanity issues from the shade of
the wilderness. 1t exclaims that
while one hand is held up to reject
this treaty, the other grasps toma-
hawk. | can fancy that [ listen to
the yells of savage vengeance, and
the shrieks of torture; already they
seen to sigh, in the western wind,
aIrea dy they mingle with every echo
from the mountains. This treaty,
like a rainbow on ths edge of the
cloud. marked to our eyes the space
where the storm was raging, and
afforded at the same time the sure
prognostic of far weather, If we
reject it the vivid colors will be a
baleful meteor portending tempast
and war"
When by such appeals as these he
had wrought upon the feelings and
the fears of his auditors, he again.
by stroke of the orators art, drew
attention to himself. Il have, " said
he, las little personal interest in the
event as any one here. There is. 7
believe, mo member who will not
think his chance to be witness of
the consequences greater than mine.
Ii, however, the vote should mass
to reject, and spirit should arise.
as 1t will, with the public disorders
to make confusion worse COMPOUNDED
even |, slender and almost broken as
my hold on life is, may outIiye the
Government and Constitution Of nv
country"
This last stroke complied the !;
subjugation Of his audience. ..Myl
G 70 II exclaimed 3;lrrle Irish Judge Iredell