The Kalida venture. [volume] (Kalida, Ohio) 1841-1865, 1852-12-17


pdflicalarto The speech IN 1880, against
Mr. Hayne, and the speech in 1888,
agalns. Mr. Calhoun. }fEva
The first Of these is the great political
speech Of Daniel Webster. 4 do NOT
mean TO say tina, il is the jusies, in iis
political ethics, or the deepest in the
metaphysics Of politics, or the far,hest.
sighted in iis political providence. |
only mean to say, that i, surpasses all
EotheTs in the massive intellectual power
Of statements Mr.. Webster was then
Ssiglk6ad.fufty years old. He defended
Nsw.England against Mr.. Hayney be
defended the Constitution Of the United
States against South Carolina. His
speeches are full Of splendid eloquence,
he reached high and put the capsione on
his fame, whose triple foundation he had
laid At Plymouth, at Bunker Hill, and at
Faneuil Hall. q 'as5sl
While Secretary State, he performed
the great &C, ofehis public lfe-ihe cue
deed on which his fame as a political
officer will settle down and rest--the
Ashburon Treaty in 1912. The matter
was difficult; the claims ihtricaie. -
There werc four parties to pacIfy- Eng
land, the United States, Massachusetts
and Maine; nay, il is whispered, that
there was 6fih party--the Government
a. the time. The difficulty was almost
sixty years old.~ Many political doctors
had laid their hands on The immedcable
wound, which only smarted sorer undef
their touch. The British Government
sent an honorable representative, and
America an honorable Secreta ry; the
two trustworthy men settled the difficulty,
honestly, fairly, and aboVe-boasd. lam
not niegard Of my praise; but think this
the one great deed Of Mr.. Webster =
Perhaps no other man in America could
hayedone SO we'll, and drawn the thunder
.ou, Of the gathered cloud. am no
Judge Of. that. You all remember the
anxiety Of America and Of England, the
apprehension of war, and the delight
when these Two countries shook hands as
the work was done. Then we oil fel,
that there was only one English nation
the English Brilon and the English
American that Webster and Ashbunon
were fsllow-ciiizens Yea, were brothers
in the same great Anglo-Saxon tribe.
His lstter, on the Right Of Search
and the British claim to impress seamen
from American ships-would have done
honor 10 any statesman in the world.
He refused TO England the right 10 visit
and search our ships on the plea OF their
being engaged in the slave trade. /
always thought he was righ, in this
matter.
On the other side, his celebrated letter
to Lord Ashburion inthe Creole case,
seems 10 me most eminently unjust, false
in law, and wicked in morality. II is
the one stain on that negotiation, and II
ia wonderful to me that, in lS46, Mr..
Webster could himself declare that he
thought that letter was the most irium-
phant production from his pen in all that
correspondence.
After the conclusion Of the treaty, Mr..
Webster came to Boston. You remem-
ber the speech in lS42, in Faneuil Hall.
He was then sixty years old. He had
done the great deed Of life. He still
held high station. He scorped, or
affected 10 scorn, the li.ileness Of party
and its narrow platform, aud claimed 10
represent the people Of the United
States. Everybody knew the importance
Of his speech. Icounted sixteen report
ers Of the New-England and Northern
press at that meeting. It was a proud
day for him, and also stormy day.
Other than friends wore about him. He
had lust scattered the thunder which
Iimpended over the nation; the sullen
cloud still hung over his own head. He
lhundered his eloquenco into that cloud
The great ground lightning Of his
Olympian mind. / always thought thai
on that occasion Daniel Webster was in
the right, and his opponents in tie wrong; ;
and | grieved at the reproach which
public newspapers heaped on him. and
the obloquy which the Convention Of
Massachusetts poured upon bis head.
What was bis sius He bad faliered in
The tariff, and did not declare that money
was The great object Of government, and
the manufacture Of cotton the chief end
Of God ii the creation Of man! N a'i9
AT first, he opposed the annexation OF
Texas; he was man against It in 1887.
He prepared some resolutions which were
passed in the anti4Texas Convention in
1915. But as some Of the leading Wings
of the North opposed than meeting, and
favored annexation, he did not appear at
|ihc Convention, but went off To New
York. In l645 he voted against annex
aiion. He had felt /. be his duty stead
lily, uniformly and zealously 70 oppose Il.
He did not wish America 10 be possessed
BY the spirit Of aggrandizemens. He
objected TO the annexation. chiefly be-
cause il was q Slave State. Here he
stood with Adams, but against him was
Calhoun, Clay, and almost ak the Demo-
sctata Van Nurnn tvaa than On his side: