Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1851-04-03
For the Freeman.

naperS, and | nave never ooseiNeu IL NoNtl"uiN-
fed. that the late Honorable Daniel Webster, as
nm inducement for his consentihg to 60 into the
Tinted States Senate, had pledged to him, and
has been, and is, receiving the interest of one
hundred thousand dollars and that this was
contributed by certain capitalists in and about
BOSTON. What class of capitalists, whether
manufacturers or not, | do not r%ecollect' Lately
to oppose Mr.. Webster's being intlusted with
discussing the money soon coming due to Mex
leo upon the treaty, Mr., Allen, of Massachu-
sets exhibited a charge that Mr.. Webster, to
induce him to accept of his present elevated o.
flee Of Secretary Of State, was offered, from In
diyiduals or companies in New York and Boston,
and had received some forty or fifty thousand
dollars. Although this was contemptuously de-
MED by Mr.. Ashmun, in a speech so rough and
uucouth, that, if | knew him to be an intempe-
rate man, | should presume his flow of words to
be the fumes of Alchohol: yet, when Mr.. Allen
offered to produce the proof of his assertions,
the privilege was denied him by the House,
Moreover, the gift, and the acceptance of 1t BY
Mr.. Webster, is fully approved and attempted
to be justified, by papers whose editors are
friendly to him. While matters remain thus
situated. the facts will be believed whether they
be iustifable or not. Probably the common
sense of mankind, the moral part of them at
least, will condemn this as incorrect, if not i'm
moral. If certain matters which may arise,
should arise for his deliberation decision and &C.
ton, his position would be critical indeed, and
excite in a portion of community, a suspicion Of
his being blinded by the gift, which would tend
to mislead the understanding, and stlfie the NOR
al tendencies of his conscience.
1t is recorded of Chief Justice Hale in Eng
land, that a wealthy agriculturallst made him a
present of a s%hecp-a valuable buck-which he
gratefully accepted. Some two or three years
afterwards, a cause came on for trial In Court,
in which one of the parties bore the same name
as the man who had made him a present OF the
buck. The Chief Justice, sitting upon the
Bench, made careful enquiry about the identity
of the persons of that name and fully ascer'
tanned that the party to the suit aud the donor o.
the buck were one and the same parties The
Judge then said he would not sit in judgment il
the cause, till that buck was gone from him ant
returned to the donor. He would not trust him
self to act under circumstances so liable to ere
ate a prejudice.
The United States Constitution, (See articl
LIST, sec. T., in express terms prohibits any per
son holding Office under the United States, Ell
Their of profit or Of trust, from receiving any pres
ent or emolument from any King, Prince, c
Foreign State. The fiamers Of the Constitutio
knew something of the deceptive character
the human heart. They probably prohted b
reading that good book, which Mr.. Webster POI
sibly may have read, when very young. In th'
book there is good instruction. See Exodus 2
8: thou shOlt take no gift, for the gI
blindeth the wise,a and perverteth the words of tn
righteous" Also, Deuteronomy, l6: 10: "Tho
shalt not respect persons, neither take a gif
for a gift doth blind the eyes of the wise, an
pervert the words of the righteous" Also, 2
Chronicles, 10: z: "Wherefore now let the fee
of the Lord be upon you, take heed and do ii
for there is no iniquity with the Lord our Coz
nor respect of persons, nor taking of gifts
Also, Ecclesiastes, z: Z: "Surely oppressic
maketh a wise man mad, and a gift destroyed
the heart"
Now, if Mr.. Webster has accepted the Office
of United States Senator, and Secretary Of Stat
under the indu cements of such gifts such pre-
ents, if you please, he must either have know
but little of his own heart, or must have felt We
sure that it was case hardened against tho
temptations that frequently overpower the mil
and conscience. A man going into the Ur
ted States Senate, should not voluntarily O
sume a position that forbids a totally impart
investigation and decision upon all the vario
interests, national, and local, which requires p
lection. Suppose a Senator should receive
present of twenty thousand dollars from
manufacturing capitalists twenty thousand fir
the managers in Wall Street-from those
the Banking and Specializing interests a
twenty thousand from the iron dealers IN Pei
%sylvania; and suppose this Senator sustains
character of an honest man who in the Al
cultural interest could feel much confidence
such a Senator, in framing a tariff which VIC
affect those several interests The quota
from the Constitution was inserted to guard
rights from a foreign interest creeping IN
o%rously. But the trait in the human heart W
made that provision necessary or proper, ma
reached by gifts and presents, destroy the
mony of our domestic local interests.
Moreover, great cxeTtions, and great eX
ditures, don't often proceed without some
tive. Were these donors SO partial to Mr..
did they possess so high an estimate of his
tai powers, that they believed him the only
who could preserve the general interests o
United States; and were they 50 patriotic
be wiling to lavish upon him such thousan'
enlist him in this great and good work
that from their own purses, without any &c
contributions; and, SO few of them, too,
expect it kept dark? The the thing is pr
ferrous. It contradicts the whole system G
man motives. If such donations were ma
Mr.. Webster, of which | know nothing
what is now before the Nation, as a part o
National history, there was INDUCED in I'll
nors, a hope at least, that it would result
ably to some particular or local interest
common to the people in general.
If such a monied intercourse between
and rulers, or men in office, is creeping
practice, it argues poorly for the stabilit
perpetuity of our Republican Institutions
must view it as a step-stone to direct bride
corruption, and the warning of that boast'
tue of the people, on which our Liberties
1t is worthy of the consideration Of the pei
the United States, whether their interests a
IL. .nLnn nnLri,ntnl with IndnalrlOn