Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1848-09-08
spercB OF DANIEL WEBSTER AT THE WHie
GATHERING IN NARsHFIELD, Sept /, ls4s.

extracts from the speech of Mr.. webster. Inc
first may be regarded as The platform OF the
speech. He says:
| "Ot the Interesting subjects over which the
person who shall be SO selected must necessarily,
from his position, exercise more or less conHoi,
there are three OF great and paramount import
| ance.
ain the first place, the honor and happiness of
the country imperatiVely require that the Chief
Magistrate elect shall not plunge Us into any tur-
ther wars OF ambition and conquest.
ain the next place, the interests OF the country,
| and the feelings OF vast majority OF the people
of The country, require that the President OF the
United States, 10 be elected, shall not use his Of.
| fetal power to promote, shall not entertain
| feeling in his heart to promote the extension OF
slavery or any further influence oil the institution
| OF slavery in our public councils.
"Ard, in The third place, il is my settled convic.
ton il any judgment Of mine, or any experience
of mine in public affairs, an experience not now
| short, can enable me TO know anything about the
nater-ii is, lsay, my deliberate opinion that the
state OF me county requires an essential reform
in The existing system Of revenue and finance,
with view 10 the protection of the industry, and
the fostering OF the labor OF The people.
aThese are The three great and essential topics
now before the country. There are Others but
| these three are The principal.
"Nuw, gentlemen, there are three candidates
presented for the choice OF the American people.
General Taylor, The candidate oil the Wing
| party, sta nding upon the nomination of the
Wing Convention held al Philadelphia
raj Cas- the Candidate Of The opposing and now
dominant pary-and, third Mr.. Van Buren,,
standing upon the nomination OF the late Con.
venlion at Buffalo, whose object, or whose main
object, as !! appears 10 me, is centered in one
| only OF these considerations | have mentioned
the prevention namely, OF any further increase
OF slavery or OF the increase Of slave power. An
object gentlemen, in which need hardly say
you and / entirely concur"
We deny that our country has been plunged
into war for ambition and conquest" and il the
vote upon this question could be taken, there
would be an overwhelming majority who would
render verdict that our country was right first,
right last, aud right all the lime touching the
war Mexico forced upon US. The second branch
| OF his platform will End no supporters from any
quarter at the South, where loyalty TO the South
and jus. regard for The Constitution has not
been los, sight OF; nor does it find supporters from
those in the non.saveholding States who rally
under The banner of the brave ''old volunteer" in
support OF The Constitution and justice TO The
South The third branch of the platform we meet
by calling the attention of all TO The widespread
prosperity OF our country under the present glo.
rious Democratic Administration. The Wings
here dare not cry "change," for fear of having
their wou predictions in 1914 read in judgment
against them, 10 say nothing of having slice Of
l..z hr.,d snh0nDodD them We han
thing 10 say against the fact presented ty Mr..
Webster, lba, in regard TO the "slave power" his
party in the North stands upon the same platform
on which the Van Buren,, Adams, Abolition par
~ stand. We have no desire 10 shove them off,
though Hale, Root. and Giddinss may wish to do
so. no, because Mr. Webster does no. state the
fact but because it would weaken the chances OF
tsir candidates. Our wish is 10 see those TWO
par,ies running neck and neck upon the abomi
nable platform they are nov conendlng for with
such fiery, fanalcal zeal.
In presenting the next extract, We beg our
readers to bear in mind that il is net Democrat
who spoke thus but the greatest Wing OF them
all, save and except the Immortal Harry OF the
West" Mr.. Webster does not menloo GLORIOUS
old Hickory" bu, when he says that "Mis case
therefore, stands BY itself ,0ithout precedent in
our previous hisiory," he fully comedies civil as
we'll a, military ability to General Jackson.
Hear "lhe God-like:"
ave know, gentlemen, that however respect
able and distinguished in the line OF his own pro-
fession, or however estimable as citizen, &C.
neral Taylor 10 a military man merely. He has
had no training in civil affairs-he has had no
participation in the councils of the Republic
he IS kaotcn only by his brilliant achievements at
the head OF an American army. Now the
Wings of Massachusetts, aud ] among them
are OF the opinion that 1t Sos not Diss, not dis
Greet to 90 to the army for our candidate Tor the
Presidency. This IS the first instance in the his
tory of the Government of the United States
that any g,srs military man has been proposed
for thai office. Washington was an eminent
military man. but far greater in bis civil char
acter-be was employed in the service Of the
country from the earliest dawn Of the American
Revolution-he was a member Of the Continen-
tai Congress-and in that body established for
himself great reputation for civil judgment,
wisdom aud ability. After the war, as you
know, be was one Of The Convention which
formed the Constitution Of the United States,
paid 10 him that he should have been selected by
the wise men who composed that Convention,
10 preside over their deliberations. And his
name stands first aud foremost appended to the
Constitution under which we live. President
Harrison was bred a soldier, and rendered his
country important military services. But &C.
neral Harrison, nevertheless, was for a much
greater part of his life in civil than in military
for hor ha
Governor of a Territory, Member of Con-
ere... or Minister abroad. And be performed
S;s duties in all these stations to the satisfaction
of tho people.
"This case, therefore, stands by itself, with
out precedent in our previous history. And
it is on this account principally, imagine, that
the Wings of Massachusetts feel dissatisfied al
the nomination. There are other reasons of
less Importance, and moro easily to be answer
ed
From The following we infer (ths italics being
MIR. Websters) that his opinion, if expressed,
would be in accordance with that of the Junior
embodiment" as we'll az many other talented and
distinguished Wings, that Aat slot OF "availihi.
li,yn killed more "coons" than "locoiocos." He
says:
nBut. gentlemen, the ruth is, and no one can
avoid seeing it-unless, as is sometimes the case,
the object is brought too near the eye 10 De dis'
cerned-that these Wing meetings, aud this Phil
adelphia Convention proceeded exactly according
10 this reason; that, believing Genera Taylor TO
be Wing, they thought he could be elected more
easily than any other Wing. That wasthe whole
OF it. That sagaetous, v.se, far .seeing doctrine
IF arail,bttay lies althe bol!om OF the whole mat
ter"
Hear how he "dgs" into the Buffalonians: ~
know tha, the enthusiasm OF newly formed par
y-new formed in name, but not in idea, having,
in fact no idea pha.eper." And in The same breath
he saws: az have read, gentlemen, the Baffalo
platform. and although there are some rotten
part. about, / can stand on it pretty vsa." Thi,
Ia, Isl al