The Middlebury register. [volume] (Middlebury, Vt.) 1850-1882, 1852-11-03

the tariff question: his objection not be |
ing to a protective tariff as has been al |
legged, but against certain of its details,
and on the ground of its incxpcdiency
generally. The bill however, became a
law.
During the second session of the eigh-
teenth Congress Mr.. Webster was chair
man of the Judiciary committee of the
House, and in that capacity framed and
introduced the act of March Sd 1925,
''more effectually to provide for the pun
ishment of certain crimes against the u
ntcd States, and for other purposes"
very properly regarded to this day as
one of the most important laws on the
statute-book.
4, In the summer of 1926, Mr. Webster
delivered his discourse in commenora-
tion of the lives and services of John
Adams and Jefferson. In the previous
year the address was made on the laying
of the corner stone of the Bunker Hill
monument.
To the nineteenth Congress Mr.. Web.
ster was elected by nearly unanimous
vote. During this session came up the
subject of the Congress of Panama
Mr.. Webster's speech in the House OH
that subject, Mr. Everett justly says,was
by far the ablcst of those published, and
i" raised the question from the wretched
level of party politics to the elevation
of real craftsmanship" In June 1927 3,
Daniel Webster was elected, by large
majority Of both Houses of the Massa
chusetts Legislature, to the Senate Of
the United States, in place of Elijah
Mills,who retired OIL account of i'll health
| The revision of the tariff was the great
question before the twentieth Congress
The proposed bill, though pressing heav-
| lily opon the leading states of New Eng
land, received Mr. Websters support, he
earnestly pointing out however, objec-
tions to its details
, On occount of his Legislative duties,
Mr.. Webster had been obliged to re
Z linquish large portion of his practice
1 but he was retained in number of I'M
portant suits, particularly such as were
to be finally disposed of in the Supreme
Court of the United States. Among
these was the famous steamboat case OF
Gibsoa VS. Ogden argued in the Supreme
r Court in | lS24, when the constitutional
power of Congress TO regulate commerce
as q sole an Il crcluSirc poorer. was in
sisted upon al d triumphantly cstall she'd
, by Mr.. Webster, the judgement of the
Court, as pronounced by Chief Justice
Marshall, following closely the line Of
his argument
Towards the close of 1927 great af-
: Fiction fell upon Mr. Webster in the de-
cease Of his wife. He was Oh his way
| to Washington when she died, and her
, illness and subsequent death prevented
him from taking his seat in the Senate
l until January, 1928.
t The first session of the twenty first
: Congress was an cventfui period in Mr.
: Webster public and political life. 1t
j. was during that session that he made
t what has generally been considered his
ablest speech, in reply to Senator Hayne
= of South Carolina That emphatically
great speech will live as long as the En-
T. glish language. The glow of patriotism
t and the brilliancy of peerless intellect
S made even its severe logic warm and
vital, while some portions of it are un-
C surpassed in massivencss of thought
S and majesty of intellect From that
c day Daniel Webster justly became the
= idol of New England, and began to rear
: the first frnits Of the wide perennial fame
S whose richer gifts went on accumulatine
5 to the end of his life. On the evening Of
c the day on which the debate closed. Mr.
y Webster and Mr.. Hayne met at a friends
5 house, and forgot the excitement of tho
S debate in mutual civilities. From this
J. time Mr. Wcbsters history intimately
d blended with that of the republic.
: In the tweniy-sccond Congress the
S bank question became a prom mt sub
y ject, Dir. Dallas introducing bill whicl
: passed both Houses, being support ed by
d Mr.. Webster in the Senate,to renew tho
l. banks charter The reader needs not tC
t be told that it was vetoed by President
d jackson. Next came up the question
d of notification, the right of which wa.
r supported by Mr. Calhoun, but utterl,
l. ovcrthrown by Mr. Webster, in hi,
: speech of the 10Th of February, 1898
: 4 letter from James Madison first pub
e lshed in the recent edition of Mr. Web
y ster's Works, shows how powerful wa.
o the impression made upon that states
l. mans mind by the powerful reasoning O.
S the Senator from Massachusetts. In the
: circumstances connected with that de
c bate, Mr.. Webster showed how truly h,
d could rise above all personal or party
l. considerations when great national oi
y constitutional issues were involved. Sub
J. sequently Mr.. Clay offered resolution
d which, after amendment, was adopted
e condemning the removal of deposits from
IS the United States Bank. This led to
If formal protest from the President, which
c was communicated to the Senate on tho
l. 18th of April, 1884 . This protest Mr..
J. Webster considered as an encroachment
l. on the rights of the Senate. and den
s. ial TO that body of the freedom of ac
= tion which the President earnestly claim
l. ed for himself; and on the 9TH of May
he addressed the Senate in reply, in q
Z speech of rare ability, in which the con
c stitutional rights of the Senate were sci
: forth and defended by unanswerable ar
l. guments and in most forcible. language
4, Chancellor Kent described that speech
r as worth millions to our liberties" +"
C At the session of Congress, held il
@ September 1887, by special proclama
l. tion of MIR. Van Burcn, the plan of f
n nance, known as the sub-treasury system
C and recommended by the Government
e engaged the attention of the Senate
n Mr.. Webster opposed tho scheme from