The primitive Republican. (Columbus, Miss.) 18??-1852, 1852-07-29
Nh websteFs Reception at Boston,

"oIe HOG LeSS IMAM thirty thousand persons
gathered on the Common, who vehemently
cheered the great statesman as he reached
the platform. ThereupOn Mr.. Webster was
welcomed by j. Thomas Stevenson, esq, in
an appropriate and eloquent address, to
which Mr.. Webster responded as follows:
Mr.. STEVENSON AND Fellow CITIZENS
This honor which you confer on me as much
exceedsall my expectations as feel that it
exceeds my merits. Cries of No. mo. II
l owe it all to your kindness, to your friend
ship, and to your constant regard. l re-
jOice in it; l am proud of it. Nothing on
earth can be more gratifying to me than to-
come to the bosom of acOmmunity in which
have lived for so many years, and which for
so many years l have endeavored to serve to
the best of my ability, and find that am
not disOwned. [Cries Of No. NO
Gentlemen, the hour of the afternoon will
ALLOW me to address to you but few remarks,
but will, out of the abundance of the heart,
speak to you. ["Good."] am known of
lyou l have lived among you more than
half of my life; have been honored by the
concurrent power of the citizens of Boston
and the Legislature of Massachusetts, and
with all humility and all modesty, before
you, am ready to account for the manner
in which have discharged the duties which
their kindness devolved upon me. TCheers. ]
1t is now, gentlemen, thirty years since
T. cameto this city of Boston. In my early man.
n hood l had had some, hut not much, expe-
rience in political affairs I had left the
world of politics, as l thought, forever, and
h / came here to pursue my profession, to earn
my living, and to maintain and educate my
children. From my brethren of the bar
received most cordial welcome. From all
y the citizens of this then town, now city, the
kindest reception. 1t was enough for me.
and fulfilled all my expectations in life, that
I. l should be able moderately to provide fol
my own necessities by my professional la
bors, and enjoy the pleasures of the intellect
ual and agreeable society of the town o
Boston. remained here, gentlemen, some
years pursuit of these private objects, Meth
err looking for nor desiring any change in my
: position.
But no man knows his own destiny-a
least did not know mine As l was sit
- ting in my office, porting over Mansfield AM
Blackstone, in the year 1923, in the mont
Of October, there came a committee to me
r They did not look like clients Laughter.
did not believe they had any law suits -
Thos. IL. Perkins was chairman. AnothG
us IF the members is now living-Mr. WilliaI
Sturgis; and they stood up straight in m
presence. threw downmy law books; an
they said, ''Sir, we have come TO tell va
r. i CIV, lo
. .r books. WecometO tell you that Monday ne.
you will be chosen to represent the city
- Boston in the Congress of the United State
We come to make no request; we come
or. enter into nodiscussion; we take no answer
'ite and Col. Perkins made graceful bow, al
ro with his committee went off
Well, gentlemen, l submitted to what
supposed to be the will of the good people
d, Boston and although it has interferred wi
u private purposes and private emOluments,
do not regret it, but rejoice at it. And il
may feel this day that my conduct in tt
capacity, and in the capacity in which
forwards served as Senator, be satisfactc
to this great and ancient and glorious St;
la. of ssachusetts-whether in riches or
ART poverty, or in health or in Sickness
rewarded. [Cries of "Good," and 10
n of cheers.
our Now, gentlemen, must be allowed to
o o.es to you that from my earliest age-from
aiy moment when l began to read and understa
political matters and political history,
the political history of Massachusetts had b,
aus us a sort of beau ideal to me. have stud
it from my earliest youth, and loved it {
honored it always and l wish to say
- you tonight what was Massachusetts, wi
[ became member of Congress at the
ding of the people of Boston. What
M. she To answer this question must
" back to her history. The great history
z Massachusetts bigins with the revolution
=, struggle of the country; and what was Il
n,Ty For what did Massachusetts struggle?
this what did she offer to pour out her blood
ltion water, and exhaust her treasures as t
were worthless, and run all the risk of '
and civil strife, and the gallows, and of
seys cutiOn as traitors? What did she do it
AIDES, for! Why, depend on it, gentlemen, it
lick not any narrow principle, any local obi
any sectional concern of her own She
not brook the power of England for s
of land of fifty miles width between Con
ticut and New Hampshire. She did no
it even to protect this glorious bay be
us, so beautiful, and studded and gem
with so many islands and islets. No,
Sts no; Massachusetts struck for the liberty
continent. TCries of "Good, good"
loud cheers. 1t is her everlasting glor
everlasting unless she terminates it her
["Yes."1 That war was the first effort
'O"S' made by man to separate America from
rOpean dominion. [Applause.) That
vast and comprehensive We look back.
on 1t now, and well may we wonder at
Note great extent of mind, and genius, and
cards Paclty, which influenced the men of the
olution.
no Oh Gentlemen, friends, fellow-citizens, let
tell you that Massachusetts, had all Anne
/. in her heart when she summoned her vi
with strength into her army and gave blow
uuai- the liberty of the American world re-
Of "GOOd, !" and hearty cheers1 ItwasL =
5 and ing less than that; it was nothing less /
'ntry' that. Warren did not die for Massachu,
R, only. T"No"] Her soil is honored b,
ID. ceiving his bloOd-but the world is not !
enough to circumscribe his fame. An
- generations Of mankind upon this conti
,1l44 will never be able to recompense for his
Nv votion to republican institutions and
- death in the cause Of liberty.