From HON. GEO. W. JONES, late U. S. Senator, Iowa. DUBUQUE, IOWA, Oct. 10, 1875. I am very clearly of the opinion that a republication of the "Principles and Acts of the American Revolution," as compiled by your distinguished and learned grandfather, the late Hezekiah Niles, Esq., would not only be of advantage to the young, but to old, and every person in our country who has left one spark of amor patriæ" in his heart. Republish it by all means, and set me down for at least one copy for myself and one for each of my three sons. From JAMES F. HARRISON, M. D., Chairman of the Faculty. UNIVERSITY Of Virginia, Chairman's OFFICE, October 8, 1875. I have read the preface to the "Principles and Acts of the American Revolution," and I entertain the opinion that the republication of the work, and its reading during the Centennial Celebration, would be highly advantageous to the rising generation of young men of our country. In fact, I do not know of a work whose perusal during the time of the Centennial Anniversary would so largely contribute to the advantage and benefit of our young men generally as the one in question. From HON. W. W. CORCORAN, WASHINGTON, September 20, 1875. The proposed republication of the "Principles and Acts of the American Revolution," compiled by your grandfather, in my judgment, will prove of great advantage to the young men of the country. I entertain the belief that the present, and, indeed, the next generation, would be materially benefited by a more extensive circulation of these valuable documents. From the HON. Columbus DeLANO, late Secretary of the Interior. DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR, WASHINGTON, September 18, 1875. I have the honor to acknowledge the receipt of your note of the 13th instant, enclosing the title page of the "Principles and Acts of the Revolution," a work dedicated by your grandfather, Hezekiah Niles, in 1822, to the young men of the United States, which you propose to republish during the Centennial Anniversary of our Independence. In response to your request for my opinion, touching the benefit that the young men of our country would derive from its perusal, I will remark that a more familiar knowledge of the history of the American Revolution to be derived from said publication, cannot fail to be of great advantage to the class of readers for whom it is especially intended. From the HON. JOHN M. BRODHEAD, late Second Comptroller, U. S. Treasury. TREASURY Department, Second Comptroller's OFFICE, Sept. 18, 1875. In my opinion, there is no work connected with American history the republication of which would be more interesting and advantageous to the young men of our country than this production of Hezekiah Niles, one of the most eminent and accurate journalists of the age. He was "primus inter pares: his judgment in selections, and the careful way in which he sifted facts, with his regard for the exact truth made his publications an authority that did not mislead, as I have had occasion to prove by frequent reference. I hope the compilation may be republished in time for the Centennial. From the HON. Samuel S. Cox, Representative in Congress from New York. NEW YORK CITY, September 17, 1875. My father, who was an editor in the early days, used Niles' Register as a mechanic-the very tools of his trade. As a public man, anxious for truths and facts, I have been familiar with its pages. Your proposition to reproduce the "Principles and Acts of the Revolution" is eminently wise. I commend it from my limited standpoint, and wish your enterprise success. From the REV. W. PINKNEY, Bishop Episcopal Church, Maryland. WASHINGTON, D. C., September 16, 1875. The publication you propose would be peculiarly appropriate at this time, and I fully appreciate its value to the young men of the country, who need to be carried back to the elder years of the Republicits truly golden era. I shall hail the republication with pleasure. From HON. WARD HUNT, Judge Supreme Court, U. S. UTICA, N. Y., September 25, 1875. I am of the opinion that the republication of the "Principles and Acts of the American Revolution" will be wise and timely. I possess the "Weekly Register," by Mr. Niles, and should be much pleased to obtain a copy of the work you propose to republish to place beside it. 1 From GENERAL FITZHUGH LEE, late of the Confederate Army. RICHLAND, STAFFORD CO., VA., September 25, 1875. I sincerely hope you may carry out your purpose, and republish your grandfather's "Principles and Acts of the Revolution." Mr. Benjamin Elliott, of Charleston, S. C., in writing to him in November, 1816, used these words in urging its first publication: "The present is a most propitious period, the feelings and solemnities of '76 were never so prevalent as at present. The moment and opportunity may pass and not immediately return. Let us, then, avail ourselves of the circumstance to make some deep impression. What better impression can we make than by rendering the opinions and conduct of our fathers familiar?" Is it possible to do more than to recall the present applicability of Mr. Elliott's words to the grandfather to the grandson? From GENERAL E. D. TOWNSEND, Adjutant General United States Army. WASHINGTON, September 20, 1875. I take pleasure in saying I think it highly desirable on many accounts that the work should be republished. The people of this country are beginning to realize that we have some antiquity as a nation. Great pains are taken to collect and to exhibit any relics of the past, and a growing interest is centering around such relics. Whatever contributes to such a taste, certainly will not diminish the love of country which just now we are all so anxious to develop. I really think your proposed contribution to this stock of relics will prove of inestimable value. It is a pity such a work should be suffered to lie hidden from view. From COMMODORE SAMUEL BARRON, late Confederate States Navy. LORETTA, ESSEX Co., VA., Oct 11, 1875. Your design to republish the Principles and Acts of the Revolution I think most highly of, and believe that you could not present a more acceptable offering to the present and rising generation of the country. From the HON. CHARLES FRANCIS ADAMS. QUINCY, MASS., September 23, 1875. I know of no single volume (the "Principles and Acts of the Revolution," edited by your grand. father more than fifty years ago) which contains a more curious and interesting collection of early papers not readily to be found in these days without much search anywhere else. For the young people of the present generation, having their curiosity raised by the recurrence of the Centennial next year, I should think it a very excellent fund of instruction. From HON. GEORGE W. WILLIAMS, late Attorney General of the United States. WASHINGTON, September 28, 1875. Your proposed republication of the "Principles and Acts of the Revolution" will be a valuable con tribution to the literature of the times. Our approaching Centennial Anniversary is intended, among other things, to revive for our guidance and instruction the examples and events of the early days of the Republic. Your proposed work, in this point of view, will be interesting and useful. From the HON. JOSEPH SEGAR, late Member of Congress from Virginia. WASHINGTON, November 23, 1875. I have not a doubt that the whole American people will hail with lively satisfaction the republication of the "Principles and Acts of the Revolution," gathered half a century ago by your distinguished grandfather, and all must agree that the Centennial Anniversary of our Independence is the most befitting occasion for the reissue of these liberty-inspiring productions of our patriot fathers. It was an immortal sentiment of one of the great statesmen of our revolutionary era, George Mason, of Virginia, whose statesmanship illumines many a page of the volume proposed to be republished, that no free government, or the blessings of liberty can be preserved to any people but by frequent recurrence to fundamental principles." If this be so, how unexpressibly valuable will be the reproduction of the "Principles and Acts of the Revolution " you propose to reprint. Where else can we find so bright expositions of the fundamental principles of free government. That great people, the English, recur all the time to "Runnymede," and take counsel of the old barons that there laid down liberty's law, and announced to the people of England the fundamental principles of civil liberty; and it is this "ever and anon" worship at that holy altar that makes that people practically as free as any on the earth, and that renders it impossible for any man or set of men to encroach a hair's breadth upon the liberties of England. If we would continue imbued with the genuine spirit of freedom, and remain steadfast in our reverence of constitutional liberty, we must go back often to the revolutionary sources: in the language of your patriotic ancestor, we must "catch a spark from the altar of '76, and enter into the spirit of past times." From the HON. WM. M. EVARTS, late Attorney General, United States. It seems to me that it would be a timely contribution to the Centennial memories of the next year, and would have a beneficial and extensive influence upon the opinions and sentiments of the young men of the country, for whom it was especially prepared, and to whom the original publication was dedicated. From HON. MATT. H. CARPENTER, late U. S. Senator from Wisconsin. MILWAUKEE, WIS., Sept. 18, 1875. I have received the title page of the "Principles and Acts of the American Revolution," compiled by your grandfather, Hezekiah Niles, editor of the "Weekly Register," which you propose to republish as a contribution to the Centennial Celebration of that glorious event. I cannot refrain from expressing my satisfaction at your determination to publish this work. As far as reason excels physical force, so far the “principles” of the Revolution ought to be exalted above its mere material events. The young men of the country cannot fail to derive benefit from perusing this work, and they must be dull indeed if they do not draw therefrom a new inspiration in favor of liberty and government founded upon free principles. From the HON. GEORGE M. ROBESON, Secretary of the Navy. NAVY DEPARTMENT, WASHINGTON, Sept. 20, 1875. I have received your letter enclosing the prospectus of your proposed work. I need not say that I heartily approve of the idea, and am sure it will be a most valuable contribution to the literature of our Centennial time, most instructive to the young, and of interest to the more mature. It is only by frequent comparison of the opinions of the past with the sentiment of the present that we are able to realize the full extent to which progress has come, and reminiscences of this character, at once comprehensive and unimpeachable, mark most accurately the real path of our history and teach its lessons most truly. From CHIEF JUSTICE WAITE, Supreme Court of the United States. WASHINGTON, D. C., Oct. 19, 1875. The coming Centennial ought to furnish, as it undoubtedly will, many students of the "Principles and Acts of the Revolution," and the republication now of your grandfather's book with that title would certainly be most timely. No one could have better opportunities for compiling revolutionary papers, speeches, etc., than the editor of "Niles' Register," and few, if any, have been better fitted for such a work. From GEN. S. V. BENET, Chief of Ordnance. WASHINGTON, September 30, 1875. The republication of the "Principles and Acts of the American Revolution," compiled by the distin guished editor of the "Weekly Register," during the Centennial anniversary of our Independence, will, I am sure, be received with great satisfaction by the whole country. I am profoundly impressed with the value of the work as a means of educating our youth in the principles that actuated the Revolutionary Fathers, and impressing upon them the necessity of so acting as to perpetuate the blessings we enjoy to the latest posterity. From HON. D. W. VOORHEES, late Member of Congress from Indiana. TERRE HAUTE, IND., December 10, 1875. I can imagine nothing more appropriate, and few things as useful at this time, as the publication you contemplate. I place myself at your service in any way that I can aid you in the undertaking. From HON. A. G. THURMAN, United States Senator, Ohio. WASHINGTON, December 18, 1875. In my opinion, the republication of Niles' "Principles and Acts of the Revolution" would be a very valuable contribution to the public and private libraries in the United States; and I am glad to learn that you contemplate such republication. From GENERAL GEO. WASHINGTON CUSTIS LEE, President of "Washington and Lee University," Lexington, Va. PRESIDENT'S OFFICE, LEXINGTON, VA., March 27, 1876. I venture the opinion that the republication of the "Principles and Acts of the Revolution in America," published in 1822 by the late Hezekiah Niles, editor of the "Weekly Register," and dedicated to the young men of the United States, will prove a valuable and acceptable addition to the literary productions of 1876. OF THE REVOLUTION IN AMERICA: OR, AN ATTEMPT TO COLLECT AND PRESERVE SOME OF THE SPEECHES, ORATIONS, & PROCEEDINGS, WITH SKETCHES AND REMARKS ON MEN AND THINGS, AND OTHER FUGITIVE OR NEGLECTED PIECES, BELONGING TO THE REVOLUTIONARY PERIOD IN THE UNITED STATES; WHICH, HAPPILY, TERMINATED IN THE ESTABLISHMENT OF THEIR LIBERTIES: WITH A VIEW TO REPRESENT THE FEELINGS THAT PREVAILED IN THE "TIMES THAT TRIED DEDICATED TO THE YOUNG MEN OF THE UNITED STATES. BY H. NILES. "Collecta revirescunt." BALTIMORE: PRINTED AND PUBLISHED FOR THE EDITOR, BY WILLIAM OGDEN NILES. 1822. ΤΟ THE YOUNG MEN OF THE UNITED STATES, THIS VOLUME OF REVOLUTIONARY PAPERS, SPEECHES, &c., IS, RESPECTFULLY, DEDICATED; IN THE HOPE That they may be encouraged to adhere to the simplicity of Truth, And our Republic forever continue to be the pride of Humanity, and an Asylum for the OPPRESSED OF ALL NATIONS: BY THEIR sincere friend, Baltimore, April, 1822. H. NILES. |