The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1899-11-27
Tom Corwin and tho Bloody Hands.

Tom Corwin ana tho Bloody HANDS.
At the weekly prayer meeting OF Ply
mouth Church last Friday night the Rev.
NEWELL DWIGHT HILLS strayed from his
wonted walks in the beaten paths OF liter
airy quotation and stumbled into politics.
His genius being eminently discursive, he
was easily led from his subject, which was
the forgiveness OF enemies, to Tom Cor
WIN OF Ohio. He said that Mr.. Cor
WIN had expressed wish in Congress
that "the American army would be
welcomed to hospitable graves In Mex
CO. Mr.. HILLS told the Plymouth
brethren that as a consequence OF this
phrase Mr.. CoRwIN retired from public
life and died practically unknown man.
The iron that entered his soul was never
removed" Then the Hon. THOMAS GAS
xKLL SHEARMAN leaped up and began to
throw pepper with all his habitual briskness.
Gently but firmly he corrected Mr. HILLS,
whose speciality Is literature. not history,
and explained to him that Mr.. CoRwIN did
not become unhonored and unsung in con-
sequence OF the bloody hands, but was after
ward Secretary OF the Treasury. Repre-
sentative In Congress and Minister to
Mexico. Before Mr.. SHEARMAS ended his
remarks the bee in his bonnet was buzzng
tremendously. II think this war OF ours
against the Filipinos Is a wicked and out
rageous one" he cried, and he held up Tom
CoRwIN-his idea OF Tom CoRwIS, that is
as pattern to young men.
Then arose the Hon. STEPHEN YER
oISaEToRx WHITE and swatted Ton
SHEARMAN Justify and defended Tom Cor
WIN. who in lsis supported the hero OF
Buena Vista for Pr sdcnt "ardcntly and
faithfully" In the meeting the excite
ment was almost breathlcss. Applause
tingled in the hands and trcmbled in the
feet Of the auditors. By directing that
two stanzas OF the hymn "Son OF Ny Soul"
be sung. Mr.. HILLS reduced the temp ,ra-
ture and recalled the congregation from
politics to religion. But wc are not now
concerned with Mr.. HILLS or Mr.. SHEAR
MAN or Mr.. WHITE. or even. primarily,
with TON CoRwIS, but with the poor
abused quotation from famous speech OF
the last. Mr.. HILLIss version OF this we
have given. Mr.. SHEARMAN's was this:
"what TON ConwIs did say was that no hoped that
che American army would be welcomed with bloody
hands to hospitable graves"
The bloody hands and hospitabls graves
are found In a speech made by Mr.. CoRwIN
In the Senate. Feb. II. ls47. on the bill
making further appropriations to bring the
existing war with Mexico to speedy and
honorable conclusion. We give the context
FOR the better explanation OF tho word
room" in the familiar and always errone-
ously quoted quotation. The Senator
from Michigan" was Gen. CAss:
"sir look at this picture Of want Of room. with
twenty millions Of people, you have about one
thousand millions Of OF land snviting settle.
mont by every conceivable argument, bringing
thsm down to q quarter OF n dollar an acre and
allowing every man To squat where he pleases
But the Senator from Michigan says we will be
two hundred millions in q few years and wo want
room. II were Mexican I would tell you
'HAys you not room in your own country to bury
your dead menf II you come into mine We will
greet you with bio ldy hands and welcome you to
hospitabie graves"
This was an imitation OF Lord CHATHAM
with some famboyant, redundant rhetoric
thrown In. "IIospitable Is clearly I'M
necessary after welcome" but the pas
sage Is striking and had great echo
Presumably the popular idea OF the SD acch
in ls47 was the same as It Is to-day, viz.
American and not as poetical Mexican.
At any rate. there was great hullabaloo
although there must be some humorous
eIaggeration in Mr. CoRwIN's remark that
the speech had "caused him to be burned in
efigy in every village from Maine to Texas
that had sent soldier to fight against
Mexico"
1t must be remembered that Mr., Cor
WIN, a great-hearted and patriotic man.
was as far as possible from being an At
kinson. He had voted for previous supply
bills for the support of the war. He had
favored land bounties to the soldiers OF
that war He was opposed to the war and
expansion simply because he feared that
the addition of new territory would mean
the extension Of slavery new bitterness
between North and South and tho ultimate
dissolution Of the Union. How Is i.
with the SOUTH" nc asked. Can it