Buchanan County bulletin. [volume] (Independence, Iowa) 1869-1891, 1878-02-08
CHOATE AS AN ORATOR.

a Famous Speech. IA Portion of Which ha
Hitherto Remained Unpublished.
Alexander H. Stephens writes in the
Baltimore Gazette: | entered Congress
in 1913, when | was of the age of thirty
one years, when the second generation
OF the great statesmen were still on the
boards, tapping the Revolutionary age
They were then in the full vigor of in
tellect, and still figuring prominently on
the public stage. John Quincy Adams
was a member of the House of Repre-
sentatives Calhoun, Clay and Web
ster were the three great leaders of DO.
litical ideas.
They were known as the great Amer.
lean trio of their respective schools
One of the first deep impressions made
on my min! was by Rufus Choatc, of
MASSACHUSETTS,. Early in my first ses-
sion | had gone into the Senate to see
Mr. Berrien, of Georgia. While | was
about leaving the Senate Chamber, the
order of the day was called, and before
| reached the door the tones of voice of
a speaker attracted my attention.
turned in the direction of the orator
and saw before me a remarkable looking
man OF medium height, with raven locks,
striking black eye pallid cheek. a
bearing as if fully charged with his sub
ject, and his hand trembling as with
electricity The chair had announced
the gentleman from Massachusetts,. and
in an instant | knew it must be Rufus
Choate.
! soon became very much interested
in his speaking. His matter and style
were grand, and became more so as he
progressed. Every one was enraptured
with his eloquencc. He was replying to
a speech made by Mr. Buchanan on a
resolution to give notice to the English
Government OF termination of the
JOINT occupancy OF Oregon. Mr.. Bu-
chanan had taken the extreme view, cal
culated to arouse war feeling. He
spoke of a deep-seated enmity in the
breasts OF our people over the wrongs
inflicted by England in former days, and
that ill-blood and hate existed in this
country In consequence of these wrongs.
The Globe of 1913, in reporting the re-
ply OF MIR. Choate, says it cannot finish
the report of the speech owing to the
sudden indisposition of it's reporter. |
can repeat the omitted portion even at
this distance of time, so profound was
the impression made upon me. When
MIR. Choate came to this part of Bu-
chanan's speech he seemed to rise to a
majesty that impressed his audience
more deeply than | had ever witnessed
any orator accomplish on like occasion.
After quoting these expressions of MIR.
Buchanan, Mr.. Choate said:
How is this? Is it so? Is it so,
that there are anything like deep-seated
feelings of hate or enmity toward Eng
land? Sir! In behalf of my country
men, | deny the allegation | protest
against the statement that they indulge
in any sentiment so immoral; so unchiv-
alrous, so unchristian and so unworthy
of good and gallant men. Let us dis
criminate. said he. THAT there is an
intense feeling INDUCED in by them of
eXultation over their independence, |
admit. That they cherish an intense
sentiment of consciousness of this indie
pendence, and of high, grand destiny
we are to fulfill in our race with the
mother country and with the foremost
nations of the earth in all that tends to
elevate, adorn, and ennoble civilization
| grant. But l deny there is any senti,
ment akin to enmity or hate toward any
of her rivals in this race toward the
goal of true national renown. No, sir
No, sir! We are above all this Envy
malice, hate and revenge are passions
which have no existence or abiding
place in this land. Let the Highland
clansman, half naked, half civilized, hall
blinded by the peat smoke of his cabin
have his hereditary cnmity, and keel
his keen, deep and hereditary posses
sions unhealed, set on the fire of hell,
alive in his breast; let the North Amer.
ican Indian, driven to the Pacific shore
and looking back upon the lands of his
forcfathers, indulge in feelings of hate fol
unavenged wrongs that have been done
him, but never let it be said that such
passions dwell in American breasts
Are we moping over the wrongs of the
stamp act or tea tax, or subsequent
wrongs? Why, sir, were not all these
settled by the glorious deeds of our an
cestors in the bloody struggle of the
Revolution and in the second war? Die
we not come out of these struggles with
glory rather than shame? Were not all
these wrongs righted? Was not oul
honor as well as our rights amply vindi,
Gated? Did we leave the battle fields
of Saratoga, Monmouth, Yorktown
Lundy's Lane, or New Orleans sulky, OF
with feelings that our wrongs were no,
righted? No, Sir! No, Sir! In the