KOSSUTH IN NEW ENGLAND. 93

ifthese verycontradictorychargeswere not giving

me

thesatisfaction to feel that I stand just where it is

my

duty^to stand, on a

truly

American

_ground.

"I

must _beg leave tosay a fewwords inthat respect; the more, because I could not escapevehementattacksfornot committingmyself evenin that respect, withwhatever interior

partyquestion. I claim therightfor

my

people ^to regulate^its

own

domesticconcerns. I claim thisas alaw of_nations,

common

toall humanity; and^because

common

to_all, I claim tosee

them

_{protected by} theUnited _{States, not only} because they have the power^todefend what _despots dare _offend, but alsobecause itisthe _necessityoftheir position^tobeapOAveron _earth, which_theywould not_{be, if}the lawofnationscan be changed, and the general ^{conditionof the}world_altered, without theirvote.

Now,

^that being

my

^{position and}

my

^{cause, itwould bethemost absurd}

incon-sistency, ^if I would offend that principlewhich I claim and which I advocate.

"And

0,

my

God, have ^{I not}enough ^sorrowsand carestobearon these poor shoulders^{1 Isit} notastonishing that the moral power^of

duties, and the iron willof

my

heart, sustain yet^{this shattered}frame? thatI

am

desired yet ^totake

up

^{additional cares? If the causeI} plead bejust, ifitbeworthy^t>f your sympathy, and^{at the}sametime consistent with the _impartial considerations of your

own

moral and material_interests, which a_patriotnever should _disregard, not even outofphilanthropy, then

why

^notweigh^{thatcausewith the scaleof}

its

own

value, and not witha _foreign one?

9

Have

I not difficulties

enough ^{tocontendwith, that I}

am

desired to increase them _{yet with}

my ^own

^{hands? Father}

^Mathew

^goeson preaching temperance, and he

may

be opposed ^or supported on his

own

_ground; but

who

ever imaginedopposition ^to

him

because, at thesame_time,hetakes notinto hishands topreachfortitude orcharity?

And,

indeed,^tooppose ^orto abandonthe cause I _plead, only because I

mix

not with the _agitation ofaninterior question,^isa greater injustice yet,becausetodiscussthe questionof _{foreign policy}I have a_right.

My

^{nationis an} objectof that policy^;

we

are interested in it_; butto mixwith interior party movements I haveno _right, not being a^citizenofthe United States.

"

The

third_difficultywhich_{I meet,}^{so faras} I

am

_told, isthe oppo-sition of the commercial interest. I have the _agreeableduty^tosay that this opposition, orratherindifference,^is onlypartial. I have met several testimonialsof the most _generous sympathy from gentlemen of commerce.

But

_{if, upon} the _whole, it should be _reallytrue that

there is more coolness, or even opposition, in that quarter than in others, then I

may

say ^{that there is}an entire misapprehension of the truecommercial interests init. I_{could say}thatitwould _{be strange} to see commerce, andchiefly thecommerceof a_republic, indifferent to the spread of liberal institutions. That would be a sad

experience, teeming withincalculable misfortunes, reserved to the nineteenth cen-tury. Until now. _historyhas recordedthat ^'commercehasbeenthe most powerful locomotive of principles, and the mostfruitful allyof civilization, intelligence, and of _liberty.' It was merchants whose names areshining with immortal ^lustre from themost _{glorious pages} of the golden books of Venice, Genoa, &c. Commerce, republican commerce, ^raisedsingle^citiestothe_positionofmighty powers on^earth, and maintained theminthat proudposition^forcenturies: and_surelyit

was neither indifference nor _opposition to republican principles

by

which_theyhave thusennobled thehistoryofcommerce andof

human-ity. I

know

full well_that,sincethetreasuresofcommercetooktheir

way

^{intothe coffersof} despotism, ⁱⁿ the shape of ^eternal loans, and capital began ^to speculate upon ^the oppression of _nations, a great change has occurred inthat respect.

"But,

^thankstoGod, ^thecommerce of America is notengaged ⁱⁿ that _direction,hated

by

^{millions,cursed}

by

humanity^!

Her

commerce

is still whatitwasin former _times, thebeneficent instrumentalityof making mankind partake of ^all thefruits and comforts of the_earth, and of

human

_industry.

Here

^it is no _paper

speculation upon ^the changes of despotism^; and, therefore, ^if the commercial interests of republican America are considered with that foresighted sagacity, without which there is no future and no _security in them, I feel entirelysure thatno _particular interestcan bemore ambitioustosee absolutism checked andfreedom anddemocraticinstitutions developed inEurope ^thanthe commerceof republican America. ^Itisno ques-tionof more or less profit^{; it is} a question ^{of life} and deathtoit.

Commerce

is the heel of _Achilles, the vulnerable _pointof America.

Thither _will, thither

must

beaimed the first blow of victorious abso-lutism_; the instinctofself-preservationwould lead absolutismto strike that blow, ^{if its} hatred and indignationwould notlead toit. Airis

notmore indispensable^tolife, than freedom andconstitutional

govern-ment

ⁱⁿ_Europe^to thecommerceof America.

''

Though many

things which I have seen_have, upon calm

reflec-tion, induced

me

toraisean humble word of warning against materi-alism, ^still I believe therewas more _patriotic solicitudethan _realityin

KOSSUTH

IN

NEW ENGLAND. 95

the fact that "Washington and

John Adams,

^{attheheadof the} war department, complainedofa predominating materialism (theystyled^it avarice), which threatened the ruinof America. Ibelieve that com-plaint would, even_to-day, not be

more

founded than it was in the infantage ofyourrepublic^; still, ifthere beany^{motiveforthat} com-plaintof yourpurestandbest

patriots, ^ifthe commerceofAmerica would know, indeed, no better guiding ^star than only ^the

momentary

profitofa cargojustfloatingoverthe Atlantic, Iwouldbeeven then ataloss

how

else to accountfor the indifferenceof the commerce of America in the cause of European liberty, than

by

assuming ^thatit

is believed the present degraded ^conditionof Europe

may

endure, ^if only ^the popular agitations aredeprived of material meanstodisturb thatwhichissatiricallycalledtranquillity.

"

But

sucha suppositionwould, indeed, be the most obnoxious, the most_{dangerous fallacy.}

As

theoldphilosopher, being questioned

how

he could provethe existenceofGod, answered,

'

by

opening ^theeyes;'

just^so, nothing ^isnecessary but ^to open^the eyes, ⁱⁿ order that

men

ofthe most_ordinary

common

sense become aware of _it, that the pres-ent condition of Europe ^{is too} unnatural, too contrary^to the vital interests ofthecountless _millions, to endureevenfor ashort time.

A

crisis isinevitable

; no individual influence can checkit

; no indiffer-enceoroppositioncan prevent^it.

Even men

likemyself,concentrating theexpectationsandconfidenceof oppressedmillions in themselves,have onlyjustenoughpower, ^ifprovided with^therequisite means, ^to keep the currentⁱⁿasound_direction,sothat initsinevitableeruption^it

may

notbecome_dangerousto socialorder,whichisindispensable^tothe secu-rityof person and_property,withoutwhich_especiallyno commercehas any ^futureatall.

And

thatbeing the unsophisticated conditionofthe world, andacrisisbeing inevitable,I indeedcannot imagine

how

those

who

^desire nothing but peaceandtranquillitycan withholdtheir help-ing hands, that the inevitablecrisisshould not only be keptⁱⁿasound

direction, but also carried

down

toa happyissue, capable^toprevent the worldfrom_boilingcontinually, ^likea volcano, and_insuringa last-ingpeaceand a_lastingtranquillity,never_possiblesolong^as the great majorityof nations are oppressed, but suresosoonas the nationsare content, and content they can only be

when

_theyarefree.

"

Indeed, ^ifreasonablelogichas not yet forsaken the world, ^itisthe

men

_{of peace,} it is the

men

of commerce, ^to the support^of

whom

^I have a_right to look. Others

may

support

my

^{cause out}of generosity, thesemust_support

me

outof considerateinterest: others

may

oppose

me

out of egotism, American commerce, ⁱⁿ opposing me, would commit suicide.

"Gentlemen, ^{of such} narrow nature are the considerations which oppose

my

^cause.

^Of

equally narrow, inconsistent scope ^{are all} the rest, withtheenumerationof which Iwillnot abuse your^kind indul-gence.

Compare

^{with themthe broad basisof} loftyprinciples upon which the commonwealthof Massachusetts took its standinbestowin^O the important^benefitof its support^to

my

^cause; and you ^cannot for-bearto feel proudly^thatthe _spirit of old Massachusetts is stillalive, entitled to claim that right in the councils of the united _republic which it had in the _glorious days when, ^amidst dangers, wavering resolutions and _partial despondency, Massachusetts took

boldly ^the leadtofreedom andindependence.

"Those men

of immortal memory,

who

within these very ^walls lighted withthe heavenly spark of^their inspiration the torch of

free-dom

in America, avowedfortheir objectthe welfareofmankind

; and,

when you

^raisedthe

monument

of

Bunker

_Hill, itwasthe genius of freedom_thrilling through the^heartof Massachusetts which

made

one of yourdistinguished orators say^that the days ofyour^ancient glory willcontinueto rain influenceon the destinies of mankind totheend of time. Itisupon^thisinspiration I_rely, in the

name

of

my

down-trodden_country, to-daythemartyr^ofmankind,^to-morrowthe

battle-field ofits destiny.

"

Time

draws_nigh

when

^eitherthe influenceof Americans mustbe

feltthroughout the world, orthe _positionabandoned towhich you ^rose with_{giganticvitality}out of the blood ofyour martyrs.

"I

haveseen the genius of those glorious days spreading^its fiery wings ofinspiration overthepeople ^ofMassachusetts. Ifeel the_spirit of olden times moving through^{Faneuil Hall.} Let

me

cutshort

my

stammering words^{; let}

me

leave yourhearts alonewiththeinspiration of _history; let

me

bear with

me

the heart-strengthening ^conviction that I have seen Boston still a _{radiating sun, as} itwas of yore, but risen so highon mankind's sky^{as to}spread ^its warming rays of ele-vated _patriotismfarover the waves. American_patriotism ofto-day^is philanthropy ^{forthe world.}

"

Gentlemen, I^{trust in}God, I^{trust in thedestinies of} humanity, and intrustthehopes^of oppressed Europe^{totheconsistent}energy^of Massachusetts."

Kossuth took his seat amidst repeated rounds ^of applause, andhis

KOSSUTH

IN

NEW ENGLAND.

₉₇ Excellency, the chairman, announcedthatthemeetingwas _adjourned.

After _giving afew hearty cheers ^for Hungary, ^{the audience} quietly dispersed.

In document NEW ENGLAND: (Pldal 109-113)