217
WRITINGS OF SAM HOUSTON, 1855
to foreigners, and our country to foreign influences. I am opposed to that; decidedly opposed. If it is unpopular, I cannot help it. Are not Democratic politicians and statesmen catering to foreign influence and endeavoring to secure the votes of the foreigners? Look at Kossuth when he came to the United States; I saw a servile Senate trailing at the heels of this demagogue and un- principled renegade, who deserted Hungary after he had involved her in a bloody and cruel war. I saw him step in the footsteps of Washington, with his arms on his person, in defiance of our institutions and our laws (cries of Shame! Shame!) . Washing- ton never presented himself in the face of a legislative assembly of this people with his arms on, but to surrender them to Con- gress-a sword with which he had carved a way to the independ- ence of his country. But the renegade and the deserter of his country repaid the United States for their distinguished courtesy extended to him by advising the Germans in this country to make themselves felt at the polls, and if they had power sufficient to give direction to the policy of this government in order to involve it in a system of interven- tion with the affairs of other nations. This was the return the American people received for their distinguished hospitality to- wards this unprincipled renegade. I saw the popular politician, General Cass, making speeches of laudation of Hungary's fallen hero and it is said that Mr. Douglass also joined in the patriotic service. I did not make any speeches. I am not a very good speech maker at any time, though it is very agreeable, I expect, to great men. All joined in praise of Hungary's hero. The people thought him a great orator and a great man. He always has his speeches printed before he makes them, and his reading of them appears very nice, and was thought to be extremely beautiful; he was thought to be a remarkable man; and so he was. I will tell an anecdote relating to his departure from this country. A few days after Kossuth's departure for Europe, I met Mr. Bodisco, the representative of the Emperor of Russia to our gov- ernment, whose master Kossuth had abused very much. I re- marked to him ironically, that our friend Kossuth had quit the shores of America. "Yes, sore," he replied, "I told Messieur Webster before he come here zadt he were one vary ingenus law- yer, one vary capable editor, and one vary magn?'.fic scoundrel (laughter). Now, sore, you see zadt just what I tell Me~sieur Webster bafore." I am merely showing you the proclivities we have to cater to foreign influence, illegitimate to the true interests.
Powered by FlippingBook