Litchfield enquirer., 1847-05-20
Sprssh of MT. Webster at Richmond.


 Mir. WEBSTER rose and said Before l proceed to make any remarks in answer 10 the sentiment that has been given, you will allow me to say that am for the first time hoping to make visit among my fellow citizens of the Southern Siaies.- Owi1E to the circumstance that at the sea~ sons suitable for such a visit. my duties have confined me elsewhere, have been 70 trave!er in my own ceuntry. When
 pass the James river shall ke beyond all
 my previous journeyings and undertake
 ings. l am dcsirous to endeavor tS see d
 portion of ,he country have never yet seen; to travel, 10 sea the people in the
 most unceremuniOuS, frsrst manner, in
 which tcllew citizens may meet and in
 tcrchanse eivilitins. It is not my purpose to make any tour for addressing multi>
 tudes, or discussing political quesiions.- There is but little of me, that little IS well known. I have no new lights, and don't belong to the school of New Lights 1 am pleased to meet so many persons in this growing and beautiful aity, to see their faces and show mine, and exchange
 with them the sentiments and feelings
 that belong to men of the same genera
 ton and the same cOun'ry.
 After the complimentary alluSien of tho
 President, allow me 10 say, in the whole
 course of my public life. acknowledge
 with pride, and avow, that l have looked
 to the institutions of this country, and t0
 that first and chief of them all, the Con-
 >titution of the United States us tie great
 production of the age that preceded us.
 I nnor as much as any man the military achievements Of the men of the revolution
 It was bold revolution. Fhey trusted 70 tho hazards of fortune. They haz;Rd< cd every thing fer the independence of ,he old thirteen States. Bu' what at last, are military achievements I: is true, they have fixed the fate of nations, turned the tide of human affairs. But, af1er ali. what is their end but to establish free go. vernment and promote public prosperity ? Beyond that, there is Ho rational, Eo chris tian object in civil warfare. Its only just object is to establish civil and religious
 liberty, to raise uan 10 the standard of
 human rights. If these be not their ob-
 jects then military achievements are un~
 worthy of human regard.
 From the constitution itself, have look> ed to the era of the constitution, the peri> cd when the country threw off it's depen> dence, (which it is true it accomplished by military auAhievcmeHts) We look 10 narrow part of the theatre in which we are acting, if we think the constitution d matter of isolated interest. Let us lock back to the period of l775. What was there then that exhibited the prncticai utility of such a constitution? Was itt thc existence of large, growing. eonfeaeratcd, free republics? There was nowhere such a republic. There was indeed the con- sti,utional monarchy of England. There
 was the incorporation in il of certain i'm
 portant principles favorable to liberty, and grea, limitations upon the p:eroga- tive of the federal sovereign. But one need no, saY-cvery body knsws--that there was no government founded on the efincipIcs of representative liberty-no ec cvernmenl of any extent, responsibility, or i'm ~orlance. Whilst, ihcrefo' e, I hon- or, ns m,' ':h as any man, the other works of our ances'ors, have always consider ed the establish .aasn, of the constitution in l7sS. their grca,e... and noblest achieve- mrnt. When consider the :i'ne of it's formation, it's excellent .+sbric' ana am e instantly more convinced 'hat u IS wise constitution, sannot avo.1 oelieV ing that il was founded in ProviSen''ai With all the new ligh.s oI our ngtss give us one whc can say that wt' could make such a constitution desire to thank Almighty Providence that it was not left to our day 10 make it. IL evin- ces deep reflection, deep study of the na- lure of human government. Let us take it as an inheritaEce come down te Us trcm men at least nS wise as ourselves, und acting under circumstances mere favor l ahie fhaR ours.
 Two obvious views may be taken of this W0 are so prosperous, so happy, every interest is SO well preserv> rd, wo are apt to be regardless of that human cause 10 which these blessings are due. Had we gone on under ths old what would Virginia and Nj Massachusetts now be Who would Blu: when the constitution was adopted when that "e pluribus unum" spread over them all, il gives them new character, a new destiny. Who nsw asks whether a man is tro's Virginia, New York, Ala bama, or Texas! IL is enough to say he is citizen of tho United States ot Amc- rica. The constitution gave our country what the lawyers call standing in couri," a right to be heard in the tribu> nals ot the world. An American is not sai to live on Massa ehusstts Bay or James River, but he is citizen ot this great Republican Government.
 What, then, has given this momentum 10 Ihe prosperity of the country! We can find no human cause but our united government. It is true, in party strifes, errors may have been committed, and the national progress retarded: hu, let us look ,~ the aggregate result. Let us gn hack for sixey years, or to the time of the rev olut,on. Since that period, in other parts of the world, thrones have trembled, tot> tered and falleR eonvulsions shaken na ,ions; blood tlowed-but have not proper ty and liberty in this country been secu> red! Has tyrannous power trampled on uur rights! Property, life, liberty, have been us W, Il secured as in the best Gov> ernme,,s of Europe. It may be said. we are the 2, cut un,ared among nations. Our Government has not been an expensive government. A few thousa sands, or huns dred thousands, may have been impro>