Reminiscences of Sixty Years in Public Affairs, Vol. 1Boutwell, George S. (George Sewall)
History
Reminiscences of Sixty Years in Public Affairs, Vol. 1
Boutwell, George S. (George Sewall)
Boutwell, George S. (George Sewall), 1818-1905; United States -- Politics and government
Through all his speeches the thought of the universality of liberty,
and the doctrine that there is a community in man's destiny, can be
discerned. His later speeches, and especially his speeches made after
his tour through the South, indicate a loss of confidence in the
disposition of the country to give substantial aid to the cause of
Hungary, and thenceforward the loss of hope was apparent in his
conversation and speeches. Indeed, before he left the country, his
thoughts were directed most largely to the care of his mother, wife
and sisters, who, like himself, were exiles and destitute of the means
of subsistence. It is not probable that he anticipated at any time
any other assistance than that which might follow an official
announcement by the national authorities of an opinion adverse to
interference by any state in the affairs of other states. His visit
to Washington satisfied him that no such expression of opinion would
be made by Congress, or by the administration of President Fillmore.
On the thirtieth day of April, 1852, Kossuth closed a speech in
Faneuil Hall, which had occupied two hours and a half in its delivery,
with these words: "I cannot better express my thanks than to pledge my
word, relying, as I have said on another occasion of deep interest,
upon the justice of our cause, the blessing of God, iron wills, stout
arms and good swords, and upon your generous sympathy, to do all in my
power with my people, for my country, and for humanity." Thus, as he
approached the end of his career in America, he abandoned the thought
of securing active interference, or, indeed, of official support in
behalf of Hungary, whatever might have been his hopes when he landed
in the United States.
During the period of Kossuth's visit, from December, 1851, to June,
1852, the attention of the country was directed to the approaching
Presidential election, and in public speeches and in conversations
he attributed his failure to secure the endorsement of Congress and of
legislative assemblies to that circumstance. In his first speech in
Faneuil Hall he said, "Would it had been possible for me to have come
to America either before that contest was engaged, or after it will be
decided! I came, unhappily, in a bad hour." That Kossuth attributed
too much importance to that circumstance, there can be no doubt.
Other, deeper-seated and more adverse causes were at work. The advice
and instructions of Washington as to the danger of entangling foreign
alliances were accepted as authority by many, and as binding traditions
by all. Consequently, there was not, and could not have been, any time
in the century when his appeal would have been answered by an
aggressive step, or even by an official declaration in behalf of his
cause.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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