Governments rest on the consent of the governed, and that it is the right of the people to alter or abolish them at will whenever they become destructive of the ends for which they were established.

Obstacles may retard, but they cannot long prevent the progress of a movement sanctified by its justice, and sustained by a virtuous people .

Without doing injustice to the living, it may safely be asserted that our loss is irreparable; and that among the shining hosts of the great and good who now cluster around the banner of the country, there exists no purer spirit, no more heroic soul, than that of the illustrious man whose death I join you in lamenting.

God forbid that the day should ever come when to be true to my constituents is to be hostile to the Union.

It is a duty we owe to posterity to see that our children shall know the virtues, and rise worthy of their sires.

Upon my weary heart was showered smiles, plaudits and flowers, but beyond them I saw troubles and thorns innumerable.

Nothing fills me with deeper sadness than to see a Southerner apologizing for the defense we made of our inheritance.