The national era. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1847-1860, 1850-04-18
PierrePom Manor, Mem York.
For the National Era.
TO THE HON. DANIEL WEBSTER.

not propose TO consider il as q rhetorical effort
but 10 confine myself TO sentiments and principles,
must deny myself the pleasure of dwelling upol
the force, Transparency, brevity, unfrequent bu
startling imagery unity, logic powerful in ex
haustingn statement of premises sarcasm NOR
cutting from IT'S partial magnanimity, and othe
marked peculiarities which characterize your ut
terance
| Wise moderate, patriotic and healing doc
| trinen become not only Senator's but all men
Wise, patriotic, and healing" are good words
at all times, especially in troublous times But
| " moderate" have very little respect for What
| little consideration it once had among men has
been lost by its unfortunate associations 1t has
not kept good company for many long years, t
ny certain knowledge 1t has 80 long followed
upon tame-spirited men, that it is now regarded
~ almost coward and has been courted somUay
by time-serving divines, and office-seeking poll
ticians, who are too yielding by half to what may
be the popular will, that its motives are more thai
half suspected For my part, avow hate tn,
word for its own sake. Like many good Eel
low it is liberal out of other peoples pockets
| forgetting to be jut before being generous. TIL,
| Southern man who reaps all the benefits of slave
| ry can afford to be "moder0eD The Northern
man who deems himself millionaire only in con
sequence Of slave-grown and slave growing cot
! ton, can afford to be "modcratsn The divin,
| whose cushioned pews are filled only with slave
holders can afford to be " moderateD The politi
clan who knows the power of wealthy crime eve
rywhere is exceedingly moderaten at all times
but upon this subject of slavery the word does
not convey the idea. | do not desire to be often
sve; forbear substitute But what are the
three millions of "pceled Africans to think OF
the compliment "mOde7ation of these magnani-
nous compromiSerS" of principle! What are we
the five millions of non-slayeholders of the South
to think of those "moderate" gentlemen whose
"courtly complaisanceD subjects US to an almost
equal servtude!
| beg of you, then, to spare your admirers the
pain of this suspicious companion; leave it,
pray you to the dodgers Of great but announcement,
questions, whom God in his equal benefcence has
given to the poor and obscure, to reconcile them
to their apparently hard lot, by showing what ex-
quisite meanness Of character is sometimes found
in the high places of earth
To the graphic and brief, though comprehen-
sive, summary of the causes which hive precipi-
tated the country to the present great struggle,
do not particularly object. Still, think that you
overrate your powers, as great as they are If you
suppose that you, with the aid your eloquence can
bring to your stand ard, can restore the country
to 'quiet and harmony" which God has made
the minstering angels that wait upon the good
only, and which the determined perpetrators OF
wrong can never know
i venture to assert, also, that you have not
looked steadily into "the profoundest depths "
which the storm discloses. Yes, deny that there
is, has not been, or ever can be, any genuine
"PEAcE," until one of the great contending powers
is reduced to unconditional submission, or death
The war began with the Constitution or, rather
the war began before the Constituton-which il
at best interpreted now, but truce, not treaty
of peace
Were it not too serious subject for diversion
| would draw you a picture, whose absurdity
would make me mailman, were not facts to come
to my help, and place the cap and bells upon more
illustrious heads
| imagine you and Mr. Calhoun amid "the
storm y and you have both laid hands upon that
fragment of a wreck which is only large enough
by a struggle with the raging elements and, by
lying quietly, your noses are kept above water
Mutual safety dictates a truce. As your strength
revives, you see that one or the other must AT
last master the plank. Mr. Calhoun quietly takes
out his knife and cuts off one of your fingers
You affect not to be aggrieve1 but in turn cut of
on of his toes! "Allow me, my dear sir to take
off your ear" says Mr.. Calhoun; and he suits the
action to the word! "With your permission,
brother" you respond {" will cut off your nose y
Then comes an arm-then leg-and at last, the
death struggle!
Such is the game of slavery and freedom. One
or the other must die
Give me Alabama, says the South. Strengthen
me with Maine, says the North Give me Flori-
da, give me Louisiana, give me Texas, says Sla-
very Give me Ohio, and Michigan, and Oregon,
says Freedom.
SO far, they are only taking breath, and pre-
pairing the knife "Now, give me leave to cut off
part of California; mere finger Let me sever
from your body New Mexico; it is but an arm J"
Yes sir the parties have taken breath-have
long since begun to cut The North was CIT,
when she assented to limited term of the slave
trade! She was em, when she set FIVE slaves, in
equality of representation, with three Northern
freemen She was cut, when she agreed to play
Cuba bloodhound, and slave-catcher for the
South She was cat, when the first new slave
State was admitted into the Union! She was cut,
yet deeper, when by mere resolution Of Con-
gress, in violation Of the treaty making power,
"new slave States of Texas birth were agreed
to be admitted into the Union She was cat, when
her sons for nearly half a century bowed down
into the very dust to pick up the scattered crumbs
which fell from the table of a slaveholdng Gov.
eminent! She was cut, when the mail was pros
tituted to slaveholding surveillance! She was
cut, when by the {" Southern common law" her
sons were hung for exercising the liberty OF
were imprisoned for addressing through the press
the whites Of the South She was eut, when she
was plunged into the slave hunt of Florida! She
was ct, when began the Executive war Of Texas
for the acquisition of slave territory She was
chr, yes cm to the vitals, when the ambassadors OF
Massachusetts, were driven with ruffisn force from
the vindicaton of her rights in the GLORIOUS
Union by your "Southern brethren" CM, sir
disgracefully cut whilst free citizen Of the
North lies for a moment Of time in prison Of
Charleston or New Orleans without crime, or
without redress!
And at last, sir, when the arrogant and infa-
nous demand is made, to em you off from Cali.
fornia, concerning which you will have some
thing to say hereafter when everybody else has
done with sayng) you are fatty told that the
truce Is annulled the " Union" dissolved un-
less you submit duly to that cutting ?-no but TO
some indefinite cutting, which shall reduce your
strength-which, in spite Of all Southern trim.
ming of limbs, is likely TO prove an overmatch for
the peculiar institution
| think, sir, your moderation" is above all
admiration could have pardoned something
like wry face-a suppressed twitch Of the mus
oles-an ill-concealed groan Yes, sir, even a
lion might have been moved to "roar you, as
gently" at least as any sucking dove" or god
to have hurled once more his stolen "thunder'
recovered
Your historical review is rather singular.
have given you credit for mpy, in your orations
now you have either violated your usual artistic
skill, or else you stand the apoogist of slavery
IL is true that the argument, that thing has al
ways existed, and therefore is right, seems ex-
ceedingly silly, to any but Shareholders But Just
as much reason exists to justify murder murder