Edwardsville spectator. [volume] (Edwardsville, Ill.) 1819-1826, 1823-05-31

dered and matured plot, in connection with
| the famous II ENRY of Castlereagh memory, for
dismembering this happy confederacy, and
yielding up part, 10 the controul and do
minion of Great Britain, then our open and
mortal enemy.
Will our readers believe it, that this same
Hon. Daniel We6ster, is the gentleman, who
| could, during the period to which We have
referred, insolently proclaim on the floor of
Congress, that the Eastern states would
separate from the Union, if the nation persist
ed in the war against Great Britain PEACE
ABLY IF THEY COULD, BUT FoRcIBLY IF THEY
MUST" Who that heard of this infamous de-
claIation, at that hour, when the nation was
struggling i'll the unequal contest, with the
conquerors, OF the conqueror of Europe, and
felt the least spark of patriotism burn within
his bosom, but what was ready to eXcaim sis
there no chosen curse, no hidden thunder, red
with uncommonw wrath, to blast this wretch who
seeks his country's ruin"
These are the men who, in that day, held up
Great Britain, as the bulwark of our religion,
and stigmatized the contest, in which we were
then engaged, as unjust, ruinous and impoh-
tic.
We shall be asked, no doubt, BY the editor
OF the Spectator, what has this to do with the
question Softly, sir he who could plot civil
war, turn traitor to his country, and stand
ready to imbrile his hands in the blood of his
felloW-citzens, nav, his father, BROTHER or son,
is not proper authority on any question, al
though he might reiterate, what all the world
had already conceded. The slow moving
finger of scorn, should be pointed at hin-the
execratons of every honest American follow
nd tba o,,A IF h.,
| world overwhelm him."
That this distinguished gentleman should be
the horrid monster here described, we think
too incredible for belief. That such man
should at this day, be honored with the con-
tidence of such large portion of the enlight-
ened citizens of Massachusetts,, we cannot Gre
dit He must, however, be we.known by the
citizens of various parts of the Union. They
may be better able to Judge than ourselves,
whether he merits the opprobrium which Mr..
Smith has so lavishly endeavored to heap upon
him. If he do not, the public can be at no loss
to appreciate, as they deserve, the provocation,
the apology, and the motive, TO- thus OBTAINING
him. We do not pretend to be intimately ac
quainted with the political course of Mr.. Web
ster. We know enough, however, of the po-
litical occurrences of our country, to be fully
satisfied that some Of the imputations cast upon
him, are entirely unwarranted. But supposing
him to be obnoxious to all the charges which
Mr. Smith alleges against him, how does this
weaken the force of sentiments which were
quoted for their own intrinsic merits2 Would
MIR. Smith have the public to reject every
thing contained in Paine's political works, be-
cause he wrote his i" Age of Reason :" Or
does he mean to contend that the principles
of justice, humanity, and religion, are to be re-
ceived with the less favor, because they have
found some of their ablest and most eloquent
advocates, in men of whom he does not an
prove lisa sentiment the less worthy of being
inculcated upon the public mind, because it
has extorted the appreciation of bad, as well as
good menu For our part, we are inclined to
think, the concurrence of the most enlighten-
ed men of adverse parties, very strong corro-
boraton of the intrinsic merits of any sent.
ment in which they agree; and we would now,
in corroboration of Mr.. Webster's sentiments
we are not sure that it might not provoke an
| attack upon that venerable patriot.