Worcester daily spy. [volume] (Worcester [Mass.]) 1850-1888, 1852-11-05

party permanently committed that side. These |
were minor tests, aud he bore them well. The Anti
Slavery question greater st;-tco great for
him at first. Yet, compare his position on that
point, with that Of other influential politicians
and he stood well, John G. Whittier once told me /
Of conversation with Mr. Rantoul, held fifteen years /
ago, in which he told him frankly, that the Anti |
Slavery principles we're right, and he would advo-
cate them, but that he thought them mpraeticahle
sBu," said he, "il do moi do this my self, never
tuu denoUnce those tpho do;'' and so far as know,
unlike the rest oil his party, he did He took
office, and kept silence; but he did denounce or
ndcule those, whom he felt at hear, to be right
In lS4S, he so far sympatMssa with the Free Soil
movement to say openly, that>Ahe would support
its candidate, il he believed it possible to elect him.
And what he has done since, you kn0W.
Some men are sincere when they doNvroug, and
others sincere when they do right; thinlAMs Ran
toul of the latter class. He never MoessefI1
than he fulfilled. Some say, it was am Atie
which made this last change in him. Was il
At the time Of the Fugitive Slave case, in Bostzly
had a conversation with Mr. Rantoul, which il in
teress me to recolect. had gone TO his Office on
an errand for the Vigilance Committee. They were
attempting obtain the execution Of civil process
upon Thomas Sims, thus to take him from the United
States officers, and release him upon bail; and thew
wished to obtain, from the Governor, the appoint.
meqt Of high sheriff, who would do his duty to the
Commonwealth, and serve the process, If the exist.
ing sheriff would MIR RantouI approved the
proceeding, aud promised his Influence. This mat.
ter dismissed, he proceeded to some words about
himself, having apparently been just annoyed by some
fresh attacks upon him. ''They saw said he
''that am governed by ambition, in the course
am taking. DO they not know what l am sacri-
ficing2 To defend this slave case, will cos, ME
$4,000, in the time it takes, its interference with
all my other business, and the great loss Of profes.
sional friends and patronage. Thea, as to Congress,
cannot afford TO give up my practice and 90 10
WaShnpfon and mvi friends il Thao I
am ambitious for a place in Congress, when every
leading Wing in my district. knows that might
have been there years ago, if had chosen to desert
my party. II am not acting from principle in this
matter, | am acting the part Of a fool, aud even my
opponents know that"
You must Judge for yourselves how far this is ex-
aggerated. Men exaggerate from excitement, some.
tunes, well as from policy. Un1uestionaby Mr.
Rantoul had equal in his district, for Statesman
like qualities and requirements, and in policy had
skill in manoeuvering, which was even drawback
upon his real greatness and, in one two cases,
upon his later usefulness to freedom. These he
might have brou hit 10 hear for the benefit of the
majority in his district If he had chosen instead of
the minority. lie did not, and was reserved to EN-.
ploy them in better than that of either. /
am told that no man ever made great an impress
sion at Washington in short time, and can un-
dei stand it. The House Of Representatives is not
place OF great men, and he had great knowledge,
great readiness, great industry, no corrupt habits.
and, will add, accomplished wife who aced as
his Secretary, and acquainted with the details
al all public questions in which he was interested -
Though not an original thinker, nor man of the
highest eioquence, nothing could yet have prevented
him from great public distinction, if he had lived -
His anti slavery position, such as it was would not
have been sufficient 10 prevent this The want
which the Democratic party has felt for wears of a
Northern man with Northern principles and equal 10
It's leadership. was supplied in him. No public sta.
ton would have beel beyond his easonable ambition
if he had lived.
II he had lived! the one essential condition of all
action; and the one which all men forget. "Who
are We that say, will go 10 such city and buy and
sell; whereas We know not what shall be on the
morrow" There has been such solemn warning
to ambition IN our time as the death of Mr. Rantou
ii men felt such warnings hut they do not Mr.
Rantoul died; in moment that stroke came His
death was felt widely Observation-Disclosures shall saw
II dare not say. There not much said a
great deal was felt The streets did not 90 into
mourning; but some hearts did. Public bodies did
not express regret; some perhaps rejoiced; not that
this is inconsistent with the other. We do not
know, in this case, what felt; we know what
not said. The Boston Bar, never backward TO
notice the death OF its most insignificant members,
made aiuson to the death Of one of its most dis.
tipgushed ones who had been its District Attorney:
fact, which, if remembered in connection with him,
will be remembered as Cato wished like circun
stance to be- when h said that he would rather neo
those placed in the Market-pIace!" than s.Wby was
s il therea''
He died, and since then, different death has ia
ken in mems minds, the place Of his, SO That, even
his, seems long while ago.
in the Scripture stJry ii is recorded that there
were two men, Of whom one said 81 90 sir ,, bu,
went not; and the other, 81 60 not sr'' but after
wards he repented and went. Ii has seemed to me,
that Mr. Rantou well represented the lastof the two
men. Will il be the verdict Of posterity that the
nth nuhlic xUht,
concentrating, represented the other?
And here, let me pause to lament that undscrmi-
mating and unmany spirit OF adulation, which holds
that death should wipe out the pernness of truth,
and substitute tmid falsehood in its place. can
pardon silence, concerning the memory of a sinful
and imperfect fellow beng, but | cannot pardon
tasehood. TO blame, is serious and solemn re-
sponsiby, know but go it is, TO praise; and they
should not be separated. The grave should bury
personal and partzan feelings; but not moral dis
tincons, for they are more venerable than any man,
and more precious than any personal services Let
say nothing, or the truth. Dr.. Charming we'll
said, that, il a man could not bear hat the truth
should be told of his character, light and shadow,
just il was-beer pass Iby'' This alternative,
should wish for ourselves, and this we should
give 10 another. But is too late to say nothing
The streets Of this nation full Of memorials Of
virtues, attributed the great departed. "The
star Of the world" s'the sum of all human great
ness" Jesus Of Nazareth had no such epitaphs as
these.
Speak from thine unknown sphere, oh powerful
hut errins human spirit, and say this idle adula
lion; silence, or truth!
hardly feel free to comment at length, upon the
position aud character Of Mr.. Web-ter; not because
of his greatness, only; for he was a weak mortal,
aud what less are we? but for other reasons. Moth
ing is hard as for person TO do justice TO the
characters, services, aud circumstances, of those
about half century his elders Taey are too near,
and yet far away. Just too near to be criticised
as historical characters, for the personal feeling has
not had time subside; just FAR off 10 be under
stood as contemporaries. l must have the scales Of
Justice in elder hands, at this time, and for younger
hands by and by, and say but little, and that eau
tously and hunlbly.
Let me pass hastily over the lower standards by
which Mr. Webster is to be tried; his intellectual
claims as a statesman, lawyer, and an orator.
1t is a maxim, that the rest Of statesman, Of
general, lies in his plans, but in their
Tried by his standard, Nj Webster tailed. He
early advocated free trade, unsuccessiuly; he then
advocated a tariff. under tremendous fire Of re-
proach for his change, and unsuccessluly he
cessluly defended the U. S. Bank, and lived pro.
nounce il an obsolete idea He aimed, successfully,
10 prevent war with England, the boundary
question. Was this great success! doubt Is
not the slave power sufficient guarantee against
war with England by which it has nothing 10 gain?
l.