Richmond daily times. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1853, 1851-06-05
SPEECH OF THE HON. DANIEL WEBSTER,


AT 3 O'Clock Nh Webster was conducted by Mes
sieurs Rice and Porter oil the Committee oil Young Men
10 the platform which had been erected in the court
yard OF Congress hall, and, having seated himself
| cheers, long and loud, were given by the assembled
multitude. The Hon. J. C. Spencer standing on the
piazza OF the hotel, Immediately behind the staging
erected or the speaker announced that at the request
OF the inhabitants OF this city, the Hon. Daniel Web
had consented address them on the present con-
dilion OF the country and public affairs He knew he
would receive patient and cheerful attention This
announcement was received with renewed cheering
Mr.. Webster then rose and said
FeHow Catiscns:-I owe the honor of this occasion
| and esteem it an uncommon and ordinary
honor-to the young men Of this city of Albany; and
1t IS my lIfs duty to express to these young men my
grateful thanks for the respect they have manifested
toward me- ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS young men
| OF Albany, do not mistake you, or your object or
| your purpose. am proud to take myself whatever
may properly belong to me, token OF personal and
| polilca regard from You TO me. But J. know, young
men OF Albany, it Is not |, but the cause-it is not
but your own generous attachments to your country.
it is not !, but the constitution oihe Union, which has
hound together your ancestors and mine, and all OF u.s.
| for more tlsn half century II is this that has
brought you here to-day testify yonr regard toward
one Who to the best OF his humble ability has sustained
that cause before The country. tCheers) Go 90,
| young men OF albany Go young Of the United
States! Early manhood is the chief prop and support
this reliance and hopeAfor the preservation of public
liberty and the institutions of the land Early manhood
IS INGENIOUS generous, just Il looks forward long
lie OF honor or dlshonor-and it means, by the bles-
sings OF GOD, that shall be life of honor of useful
ness, and success in all the professions and pursuits of
lie; and that 1t shall cosewhen close it mrs--wth
some clam to the gratitude of the country. Go on
then--uphod the institutions to which you were born
Y GU are manly fearless, bold. You fear nothing but
to do wrong-dread nothing but 10 be found recreant
| TO patriotism ana to your country.
Gentlemen, cer ainly had expectation of appear
ing IN such an assemblage this to-day 1t pro-
6abe, tor much timeo come-a long time to comethat
may again address any large assembage ofmy fellow
citizens. IT should not and if this were the last or 10
be among the last OF all the occasions in which am to
appear before any great number of the people ofthe
country shall not regret that that appearance here.
find myself in the political capital OF The greatest most
commercial, most powerful state of the Union. find
myself Invited here by persons of the highest respeca
ollty, without distinction OF party. consider the
caslon as somewhat august. know that among those
who now listen to me there are such as are of the
wisest the best the most patriotic and the expe-
Tenced pubic and private men in the state OF New ork
Here are governors and exgovernors, here judges
ana ex Judges OF high character and high station and
here are persons from all the walks of professional and
private ME stlpgulshed for talent and virtue and emf
nence. Feilow-cilIZens, before such assembage,
and on such an invitation, feel bound guard every
opinion and every expression-to speak with precision
such sentiments as advance, and to be careful all
that cay, that may not be appehended or msre-
presented am requested, feow-eitizens, by those
who invited me hither, without distinction of party to
signify my sentiments the of public affairs in
| fore us. n
Tins proves, gentlemen, that in the opinion of those
VINO invited me mere, there questions sometimes
arising which range above all party and all the in1u-
epces, and considerations, and interests of party. 1t
proves more 1t proves that in their Judgment whose
request now stand before YOU this is time in which
puoc affairs do rise in Importance above the of
party, ana dtaw to them an interest paramount to all
party considerations. Ii that be not so, l am here
without object, and you listening for no pur-
pose whatever. Then, gentlemen, what is the cond-
x,h ,rI,
per Tor men to meet and confer together Oh the state of
the country What are The questions which are over
riding, subduing, and overwhelming party-unng hon.
est, we'll meaning persons 10 lay party asdeto
and confer Tor the general public veal? | shall, OF
course, citizens not enter at length into many of
these questonsnor into any heightened discussion OF
the state OF public afairsbut shall endeavor state
what that condiion s-what these questions are-ard
to pronounce conscientious judgment of my up
on the whole.
The last Congress- ellow.czens passed laws called
adjustment measures, settlement measures-laws
tended to put end certain internal ard domestic
controversies which existed in the country, and some
OF them Tor long time. These laws were passed BY
the constitutional maorities oil both houses ofConaress
They received the constitutional appreciation Of the
President They are the laws OF the land To some,
all OF them,-indeed to all of ther-at the time OF
their passage there existed warm and violent opposition
None OF them passed without heated discussion Gov
ernment was established in each Of the territories OF
New Mexico and Utah, but not without opposition
The boundary OF Texas was 10 be settled by compro
mise with that State, but without determined and
violent opposition. These laws all pas ed and az thew
have become from the nature OF the case irrepeaj-
abe is not necessary that should detan you by dis
cIsslng their merits and dement's. Nevertheless gen.
emen, desire on this and all public OCCASIONS in
the most emphatic and clear manner to declare, that
hold some OF these laws-and especially that which
provided tor the adjustment of the controversy with
Iexas--s have been essential to The preservation OF
the public peace.
viii moi argue that point, nor lay before you
at large the circumstances which existed at that time
the peculiar situation OF things in so many OF the Sou
hern states, or the tact that many OF those states mad
adopted measures for the separation OF the Unon-the
nct that Texas preparing her rights to ter
riory which New Mexico thought was hers by right
and hathundreds and thousands OF men, tired otfe Or
binary pursuits OF private life ready to rise and
unite in any enterprise that might open itself to them
even at the risk OF direct conflict with the authority
OF this Governments say, therefore, without going in
to the argument with any Details that in March of
1850, when found it my duty to address Congress on
these important topics, it my conscientious belief
still unshaken-ever since confrmed-that if the
troversy With Texas had not been amicably adjusted
there must have been civil war and civil blood
shed, and in the contemplation of such prospect
II was OF little consequence which standard victory
should perch; although in such contest we took it for
granted that no opposition could arise to the authority OF
The United States that would not be suppressed But
what OF that l was net anxious about the military
consequences OF thngs-l looked to the civil and pot-
ica safe OF things and their results and inquired what
would be the condition OF The country, fin this
agtaed state OF lhngs-it in this vastly extended
though not generally pervading feeling at the Sou,h
war should break out and bloodshed should ensue in
that extreme OF the Union: That was enough for me
to enquire and regard and it the chances had been but
one in thousand that such would have been The result
should still have iet that that one ,housandh chance
should be guarded against by any reasonable sacrifice
because, gentlemen, sanguine ! am for the future
prosperity otth counry-strongly as | believe now
after what has passed, and especially after those mea-
sures to wch have referred that it likely to hold to.
gethel yet believe firmly that this union once broken
Is utterly incapable, according TO all human experience
OF being reconstructed in its original characer-of be-
ing reconstructed by any chemistry or art, or et-
irt, or skill OF man. Then gentlemen, let us pass
from those measures which now accomplished and
settled California is in the Union and cannot be got ou
the Texas boundary is settled ard cannot be disturbed
of law according to accustomed usage in former eases
land these things may Re regarded settled But
then there another subject equally agitarng and
equally irritating which In Its NATURE aust always be
subject TO consideration proposed amendment and
that the fugitive slave law of 1850, passed at the
r.