d an
oration to be delivered on the platform. It contained some passages of a
political nature, insisting on the duty of a representative to obey the
will of his constituents. Political parties were at that time much
exasperated against each other, and Dr. Wilson of the College, to whom the
oration was submitted, acting it was thought at the suggestion of Dr. John
Mason, the eloquent divine, who was then Provost of the College, struck
out the passages in question and directed that they should be omitted in
the delivery. Stevenson spoke them notwithstanding, and was then privately
informed by one of the professors that his degree would be denied him.
Yet, when the diplomas were delivered, he mounted the platform with the
other graduates and demanded the degree of Dr. Mason. It was refused
because of his disobedience. Mr. Hugh Maxwell, afterwards eminent as an
advocate, sprang upon the platform and appealed to the audience against
this denial of what he claimed to be the right of Stevenson. Great
confusion followed, shouts, applauses and hisses, in the midst of which
Verplanck appeared on the platform saying: "The reasons are not
satisfactory; Mr. Maxwell must be supported," and then he moved "that the
thanks of the audience be given to Mr. Maxwell for his spirited defence of
an injured man." It was some time before the tumult could be allayed, the
audience taking part with the disturbers; but the result was that Maxwell,
Verplanck, and several others were prosecuted for riot in the Mayor's
Court. DeWitt Clinton was then Mayor of New York. In his charge to the
jury he inveighed with great severity against the accused, particularly
Verplanck, of whose conduct he spoke as a piece of matchless impudence,
and declared the disturbance to be one of the grossest and most shameless
outrages he had ever known. They were found guilty; Maxwell, Verplanck,
and Stevenson were fined two hundred dollars each, and several others
less. An appeal was entered by the accused but afterwards withdrawn. I
have heard one of our judges express a doubt whether this disturbance
could properly be considered as a riot, but they did not choose to avail
themselves of the doubt, if there was any, and submitted.

There is this extenuation of the rashness of these young men, that Dr.
Mason, to whom was attributed the attempt to suppress certain passages in
Stevenson's oration, was himself in the habit of giving free expression to
his political sentiments i