Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1878-12-28
speech of senator Blaine at the
Dinner of the New England So
ciety of New York, Dec. 2:}d,
1879.

The President of the Society. Mr.. d. F
Appleton called on Senator Blaine to re-
spond to the following toast, introducing
him, not as native, but as as Representa-
tive man from New England. New Eng
land Character-Adapted to every reqire
ment, it fits her sons not only To fill, but to
adorn every station
Mr.. Blaine said ''The President has
kindly relieved me of a personal explanation
| am only brother-in-law. Laugtcr,
And hrothers-in-law are useful in families, re-
ncwed laughter dina New England family
where modcsty is the prevailing fault and
where YOU can rarely get one ofthc direct blood
and descent to say anythiuginpraisco fhis race
il j.. perhaps. meet and proper that. uncm-
barrasscd hv any consideration of personal
pruderv, can speak NV mind freely about
Won all never saw New England till | was
Il man grown. but ! have lived more than
half nv life on its soil and have six chill
drcn who represent the ninth generation in
descent from the old Massachusetts c0lonists.
And am not ashamed to say. Mr.. President
in any presence. rccollectng, as ! always do.
with pride. my PENNSYLVANIA birth and my
Scotch and ScOtch-lrish ancestry am not
Afra1N or HNll1llltu 10 SHN III any Uldt
in the settlement of this continent and the
shaping and moulding of its institutions the
leading place. the chief merit belongs to New
England. Applause. Why. every chapter
of its history is weighty with momentous
events. 4 small number came in 1920;
there was no immigration to speak of till
1880: there was none after 1910. And the
u 900 men that came in those brief years are
the progentors of n race that embraces one
third of the people of the United States of
America They are the progenitors of race
of people twice as numerous as spoke the
English language in the world when they
came to these shores.
The tvrannical father of Frederick the Great
said to his tutor. Instruct this Young hoy in
history: do not dwell much on the ancients. but
let him know everything that has happencdn
the last lJ0vears" And submit to you, Mr.
President. that the great event which has hap
pened in the last ljOyears-not togo back to
1920 the cause of which was planted then
has been the progress of Ike Angl0Saxon
rabe in the world As have said not seven
millions of people spoke the tongue when the
Pilgrim fathers landed mt Plymouth not
teen millions spoke it when the American
Revolution was born. In this 100 years
mark it well-great has been the progress
with other nations. The German empire has
been reformed. and is stronger and trmcr
than it e.er existed before; Russia. springing
from semi-barbarism, has come to be great
and tirst-class power; Italy has been born
again, and promises something of its ancient
grandeur; France has fallen and risen again,
and fallen and again risen under the aid and
inspiration of republican energy and patriot
ism. And yet, with all this progress Of all
these countries the one great fact of the last
hundred wears is that when the revolution of
the American colonies was fought. not 5000
600 spoke the English tongue. and to-day
100. 600, 900 speak il. Another fact-excuse
my reviewing history. We are in the habit
of dcploring the hardships of the men who
settled Few England. and in deporing their
hardships we are in the habit of alluding to
them a> a poor and triendess and downcast
race of men. They were anything else.
They had the nerve and courage to endure
hardship. But they were a class of men, the
like of which never before and never since
emgratcd from any land They were men
of intelligence and learning: they were men
of property. The 81 900 men that came to
New England and settled the five colonies of
Plymouth Massachusetts, Bay, New Haven.
Connecticut, and Providence. brought with
them according to authentic history, five hun
dred thousand pounds-twoand "A half million
of our dollars and reckoning money as worth
then six times what it is now, the
property they brought with them represents if
teen millions of our money of to-day. Show
me any other2l 900 emigrants in this world that
ever carried fifteen millions of property with
them-anywhere Show me any town in the
United States of II 900 people that represents
more than 5000. 600 of property to-day
They were men as | have already said of
property and education and large expert
4 on in affairs. thay n, Wbn had
in the literature of that day Milton and
Locke and Lighttoot; they were men who
| had in the ministry of which our distinguished
and eloquent friend has spoken, John Robin
son. and Brewster and Davenport they were
men who had in craftsmanship Cromwell and
| Iiampden, and Pym they were men who,
! in all the great departments of civil polity
and in all the great features of person
al and individual CHARACTER at that day
led the van in the English race. And when
we wonder AT what has been done in New
England we wonder without knowledge for
| those men brought with them all the elements
| of success that has since crowned their ef-
forts. And they brought with them one thing
which has stuck pretty well to the end with
| them and their descendants, and that was the
belief that if you set a principle that is found
ed on truth in motion it will go through.
| Applause. They believed. in the language
l
of one of their most eloquent men, that an
army of principles will penetrate where an
army of men cannot antcr. The Rhine can
not stop it nor the ocean arrest its progress.
1t will march to the horizon of the world. and
it will conquer. Great and prolonged APP
plause.
Well that this race has been abused and
| reviled, is of course, inevitable. You re-
member the old gentleman in the Lon
don club, when he was fumbling with his
watch chain, somebody compli-
mcntng him on its strength. said 'Oi
course it is strong There is nary pick
pocket in London that hasn't taken a tug at
it in his day" There is hardly anybody who
has not taken Il hand in abusing the Yankee
race. never heard it abused in quite so elo-
qucnt "A manner as by our friend of the Cen
trail Railroad this evening. Laughter. !
Now, in enjoying the dinner of the New Eng
land Society of New York-and | almost
catch my breath when say the New England
Society of New York-you do not know how
we regard it in New England There are a
great many men in New England who aspire
to get into Congress, first the House, and then
the Senate and then the Cabinet, and then
under the inspiration of the strong air and the
mountain scenery of Vermont aspire still
higher. turning round to Mr.. Evarts-a