Year: 1874




of the evening began with an address Of welcome
which was delivered by the Hon. Joseph III. ChOate,


ADDRESS OF JOSEPH II. CHOATE.


GENTLEMEN OF THE UNION LEAGUE CLUB
AND OUR HoN0RED FRIENDS: Before presenting TO you
the very eminent gentleman who has kindly consented
TO be our guest this evening 1t may not be out OF place
for me to state very briefly the motives which have
impellcd to extend to him hOspitalitles In this
unusual manner, and summon TO meet him so goodly
company OF the representative men OF the city OF all
parties and professions, whom see about me- and
among them am happy to ace some OF our oldtme
political adversaries, who believe now for the hrst
time Interchange these civtes with ~. GAppiausel
We have met within these halls before to receive our
successful generals returning In triumph from tue


field, aud the civilians Of the great party with whom
have sympathzed. but this believe Is the first lime
when We have enjoyed the opportunity OF welcoming
o sta tes from foreign country and OF expressing,
far may presume TO do IT, the respect and the
gratitude which this city aud community entertain for
the faithful friendship and the devoted services which
rendered country IN the most critical period
OF its history fApplausc.l think IL may fairly be
said that II the tragea e9ents which called this CluD
into being had not Happened five had had no Rebellion
and no civil war, and II Slavery had still held its foul
clutch upon the throat OF our Government we should
still have found D Mr. Forster most firm and steadfast
u
that the original Anti Slavery onhe other side OF
the Atlantic and this, I mean those who hated
Slavery for its own sake and from an
Unborn love OF liberty in the abstract,
we're the truest friends that we as slaveholding
people ever had. and In that view those Engllslmen
who like dstinS Suished guest OF this evening were
by birth and educstion fuDloodcd and thoroughbred
Apti-savery men, deserved well OF our Republic, and
understood and promoted its interests tApplauseJ
But when the last compromise with slavery nad peeh
tried and had failed aud our deadly conflict came ana
civil war; with all It's horrors, found our Government
unpepared realize OF cope with II, and all tbose
frghtful disasters upon that made up the his
tory OF first year Of the Rebellion then was that
our National distress the tombstone that tested the
fidelity Of all true friends America and Of liberty and
1t Is because the Oeral statesmen OF England OF whom
Mr. Forster is the leading representative from hat day
forward the end, believed, and acted as II they be-


eyed that the United States IN spite OF all her woes
and calamities, still great nation and wcud IN
time surely emerge from her troubles and because they
understood and insisted that the highest and best pocF
OF England was that she should 30 triumph that We
mold them In grateful remembrance. IAppauscl


believe that the time Is coming. and coming very
soon when all Americans In the South as well az In the
North will agree that tho true interest not only OF our
country WHOLE but OF every part and section or IT,
absolutely demands that the should end as II did
end IN the absolute triumph Of the Government, and all
Engshmen also will agree that those statesmen VINO
stood by them and lab1red that end were the best
friends Of their country well ours But, as IN the
earlier historical part OF our Revolutionary periou'
those men who stood 10 Parliament called always Tor
Justice to America and insisted that she coud never
be conquered except by the united voice OF
their knsmen, the true patriots OF that age are In
this period those kindred spirits who stood In the
sape places and demanded justice for America and that
we should have fair chance TO try the great struggle
that was upon u.s. will receive n history the same meed
OF praise. [Applause Now, gentlemen, you are all 80
familiar with the events OF those days. ana Win the
mart which our distinguished guest took In them oil.
that 1t is not necessary for to detail especially in
his presence that he said and did In regard to Amer
can affairs; but t attery to that. from the be-
Ginning to the end he acted as the true, steadfast
friend OF his country as well as ours and shall
content myself with citing one or Two Instances OF bis
conduct


You will remember early IN the year 1867. when an
attempt mado TO persuade the British Government
10 the blockade by which our naval FORCES nad


already successfully vaded Southern ports and dis
puted In the House Of Commons the alleged ineciency
OF the blockade, and demonstrated by the facts ana
arguments that had been brought TO bear against IL
that 1t had been from the beginning nearly
effective, he insisted that fair play TO America
"A we'll as tho true interest Of England de-
manded that our Government shouh be let
alone and should be allowed to maintain that blockade
In the Of that debate he said strict observance
on the part Of England OF neutrality was all that
could her from war that would be more deplora-
bile any other in which she could engage. war; ~
uss his own words, ain which she would have TO hight
for slavery and against her own kinsmen" Happily
that view prevailed. The Government rejected the
proposition. and England was saved from great
in,u stce from disaster that would have
been irreparabie. Later on In the same year, when
defeat and disaster had covered our army and
Washington was certainly IN quite as great
danger Richmond, when the commerce OF his
country was invaded and the great cotton mills OF En-
Gland we're stopped BY progress OF the war, bold
attempt was made IN Parliament to induce the Govern
ment to offer It's mediation between the contendinR
parte He then insisted that such oner on the part
Of England would Justly be expected as friend OF our
that real nerest Of England was that
tho war should poasible aud that such
An offer her part would only tend 70 embittes and
prolong He oontendd contrary to all the sspersons
that were upon to our moves In that Rrcat
struggle, that Slavery was tho true cause Of tho
war, and announced his firm conviction in July.
1884, that o. Il had neen the cause Of the war; tho
war would eventually result In its determination 1t 10
not little remarkable gentlemen. that when this pro
pbsuc made the other side OF the At
utic our Government, though the next In turn.
was yet quite In purpose TO its realsaton
slmos day thAs this prophecy was uttered
nv Mr. Forster on sbs noos Of the Housc of Commons