Vermont watchman and State journal. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1836-1883, 1850-03-28
Mr.. Webster's Speech.

The reader will find the remainder of Mr.
Webster's speech in this paper, together witt
The colloquy which ensued between Mr.. Webster
and Mr.. Calhoun. To tins we have annexed al
abstract of Mr.. Stewards speech, which is gen
orally regarded as at least fully making up fol
all the short comlngs of Mr.. Webster.
As to Mr. Websters speech: it has been bet
ter praised by his enemies and better condemn
ed by his friends than any speech ever before
made BY any statesman of his standing. The
Boston Post and the Boston Atlas pretty fairly
represent both classes the Post praising and
the Atlas condemning the speech. The Wing:
of the North, as party, condemn the speech
some of them with u severity quite as unmeas
ured as that of the organs of the coalition. a
minority, we think, in the Wing party of the
North, to crate the speech, and few defend it
At the South, moderate men of all parties ad-
mire it: the three leading pnpers at Washing
ton the Ineligencer, the Union, and the Re
public unite in commentator OF it.
The condemnaiiyn Of both the Wing presses
and the coalition presses of the North IS doubt
less in part chargeabe to political considerations
growing out of Mr. Webstcrs connection with
the Wing party. rhe Wing presses are unwil-
ling to tolerate any departure from genuine Wing
free soil principles even though it be in MIR.
Webster himself Tie coalitionists are re Idy
enough to claim that Mr.. Webster is a Wing
ergo, if he is unsonnd The UhIg party Is unsound,
and the defenders Of the true Wing free sol
agree with either of these two sorts as to Mr..
Websters political position. At no time since
the Harrison cabinet, with ole memorable ex-
cepton, qlit ] ohm Tyler, has the Wing party
been justly or fairly responsible for yr. Web
sters course: or, 10 reverse the form OF express
sion, at no period since that has ar. Webster
been responsible to the Wing party. With age,
experience, and great talents enough 10 warrant
the step, Mr.. Webster then Sc, up for himself y
as we think is made pretty evident by his
course then, and in 1874, and IN 1918. He Is TO
the Wing party what Col. Benton is to the loco
loco pary-in the main he Is a Wing, as Col.
Is nton is in tne nain ocofoco yet bo.i have
outgrown the party harness = both dare to act
upon their own responsibility. Thus it is that
Mr. Benton has of late gone so far towads free
soilisn as to be denounced by pro slavery men
as traitor: thus it is that MI. Webster has ia
ken his stand upon the identical ground of Mr..
Benton on this subject; and anti slavery men
denounce Mr. Webster as d traitor. 1t is fact,
too, and ludicrons fact, that while the South
denounces Benton, it praises Webster-and
while Northern men most savagely denounce
Mr. " ebster, they are almost ready 10 run B n
ton for the next Presidency and ali this at the
very moment when both Benton and Webster
well agree with each other upon the exciting
questions IN dispute between the North aud The
South-to wit, as to slavery in Texas as to the
extradtion of slaves, as TO the Wimot proviso,
and as to the admission of California. Perhaps
some of the very ardent co llltionists, who de-
nounce Mr. Webster for abandoning the Will
mot Proviso in the case Of New Mexico are en-
trely oblivious of the fact that Mr.. Webster has
but followed Mr.. Benton's lead On The 9Th Of
February Mr.. Benton showed very conclusiyey
tina, slavery had been abolished by Mexico, and
said:
'fhe practical application which | make of
this exposition otlaw is, tina Tie prociso OF which
we have heard SO much, is Of 40 force tohateUer
unnecessary IN any point Of rieic and Of no
more effect, u passed, than niece Of blank paper
pasted on The statute book. Cong. Giobe, iIarch
|, 1850, page 332.
Eight days after that declaration Mr.. Web
ster made his 81 cech, which our readers have
before them: certainly they DO not ind in it any
language more pointed and decisive than that of
MIR. Benton: yet Mr. " ebster is thoroughly a.
bused by The coalition organs. Mr.. Benton, for
aught any thing we have yet seen, is still in full
feather with these discriminating critics.
As we have said, we do not think the Wing
party at all reponsibIe for Mr. WehSter'- sPeoch
in no sense can it be be called party speech;
it is Webster's speech. and nobody's else-an
Fer our own part, The first impression which we
expressed has been confirmed by reading the
entire speech, and tie subsequent course OF Mr.
Webster That impression was, that he had sac
rificed no great principle, that he had made a
grea. blunder. We maintain tn, truth of the
assertion = not its modesty. 1he speech shows
that Mr.. Webster has reaffirmed, word for word
the principles formerly ayowed on the subject OF
slavery generally. and particularly against the
extension OF slavery and in favor of excluding
IT by restrictions whenever restrictions are re-
qulrcd. In the three positions, that The sentiment
of the country against slavery at the time
of TIE adoption of the Constitutional Con-
gress then used its power TO prevent its extern
sion and that the trainers of the Constitution
left slavery in the states solely under the con-
troll of each state as d state institution Mr.. |
Webster completely justifes the premises of the
last Vermont resolutions, which have been SO
bitterly denounced by tae advocates of slavery.
These principles are certainly anli-savery en-
ough-they are Identical, indeed, with the SEN
ments of Northern anti slavery men. The great
blunder is that Mr.. Webster did not take the &C.
casion, eminently proper as it was, to follow out
these principles to the legitimate deductions ia
vorable to Freedom and did on the other hand