Worcester morning daily spy., 1898-03-26

its novelty, took place in the old hal
one evening, after the east end addition
was made and when the speakers plat
form was at the east end with gal
lery at the opposite or west end. IL
was the occasion Of a political discus
sion, when there was some difference OF
opinion shown, and the chairman,
though a man Of intelligence and note,
would not claim that his forte lay in
his qualities as a presiding officer In
the war of words on the question be-
fore the house an excited occupant of
the west end gallery, named McVey, not
wholly sound in his mental makeup,
tried to air his views, adding greatly TO
the embarrassment Of the meeting. The
chairman asked him to take mis- seat, as
only one person could be heard at a
time. Instead of doing this, however,
McVey continued his remarks coolly
telling the chairman at the east end to
take care of his own end of the hall
and he would take care of his.
Many of the most famous men and ell
oquent speakers in the country, political
and literary, have made the walls Of the
old city hall, from time to time, echo
with their speeches, but among them all
there We're two representing the highest
types of American ideas.
One of these speakers was Charles
Sumner, the idol Of the old Bay State in
the days Of her sublime devotion to the
principles of "free soil, free men, free
speech and free land" and the other
was John P. Hale, whose steadfast adj
herence to the right in his political ca
reer was as enduring and firm as his
native granite hills.
The speech of Sumner to which al
lusion is here made, was the one he
delivered in our city hall, at the re-
publican state convention held here
Sept. z, 1S5Ethe first great speech he
made in Worcester after his election as
senator; and tine speech of John P,
Hale, referred to, was the one he made
in our city hall on the evening Of Oct.
13, 1S46, the first address he made here
after his election as United States SEN
ator, the result of the most memorable
political campaign ever held in that
state, when, under Hale's lead, the old
time Pierce pro-slavery democracy,
which had ruled the state as with rod
Of iron, was overthrown. Mr.. Hale had
always belonged to the old democratic
party and had been nominated for re-
election as a member of congress by q
regular state convention of the New
Hampshire democracy in 1874, on a gen
eraI ticket with others, but because OF
his vote in congress against the annexa-
ton of Texas, which measure had then
Just been adopted as tine test of the
ruling pro-slavery Pierce democracy Of
the time, the state committee of the
party, at the dictation of Pierce, got
together and struck Hales name from
the ticket, substituting in his place a
fit tool Of the slave power
The democratic state ticket was, OF
course, elected, and Hale was left out
but that was not the end of the matter
Hale and his friends and the friends
of liberty in the state generally, made
vigorous and successful fight before
the people at large, carrying the ques-
ton into the next legislature Of the
state, of which Mr.. Hale was chosen q
member and made speaker of the house
and later chosen United States senator
in a place OF a tool Of the slave power
then filling that position. This was q
much more exalted victory over the
foes of liberty than any had dared tc
bring about; and, Of course, most es
pecially gratifying to Mr.. Hale, to look
down from his senatorial triumph, with
the whole of New Hampshire at his