New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1859-01-20

,.o, xi,h the natnr- Al nece ssify II that grest
sork: that he woud have risen ~ the utmost u'su'
Of the great Argument, srd that on 'he Piu>Ls
foundation stores Of tpAt Consultation which ne nese
read on the little pocket Handkerchief his name DIS
wisdom, toe, would now be found chiseuei deep!;
Bet he was east the thid sge Of cur history, ana
low was bis ps,t acted there
In tbjs class theu let me s,y further Of the fore
u1ost Of great American STATE l say there Nas
never ore of any q our perods-l shsu not eASe
the highest o. the first period OF more Nue'1
love otour Amertcq and Of ne Nhoe % ~ 81 go
ceeper. brosder sense Of what the Farewell Adde'S
GALS The Unity Of Goverpment-i,s natGfe-s ping;
recessiiy srd The means Of securing tor Woo sAl
more ard cid more 70 sink i; eeep IN the Amerleaa
besr OftLe relations of the States 70 our system, "t
their powers their ghts, their quasi sovereignty he
sad less-uot because he thought less or knew less
but because he there was less necessity ior ~
But the Upon-ihe Coustituton-the nationh leu
erAl Efe-the American nsme-E PIunous Inuh-
these hled his hesrt-these dwell IN his haoiaA
'iThi. tlink, exactly was his speoislty. To THIS
master passion and master sentaent DIS wh0le ne
vss subOrdiDated carefully.
He was t0rtas IN t!iS. 80 Al,
He began bis publ, course in opposition TO the
party which had the General Goyernnnnti snu ae
dearly loved Ner-EnglsDd; but he hal rothlns 10
" 80 with the Hartford Convention.
He drew his fret breath IN a Northern State, ana a
north, m ecion: his opinions shaped am cored
by that birthplace and by that plsce of rs3ldence
the local interests be po~erfuy adNoesed ior tlA'
a.
But ii was b.csuse he thought he saS--sni q 80
far IA he saw-that the local interest was lieulcA
With the rational Interest," aud that that advocacy Sas
advocacy for the whole, and that policy was American
policy that he espOused Il.
Some ssed cleigymsn has been reported To have
said that the serInon-whatsver the theooty-sha'-
ever the kblitywss essentially defective, " u dh u
leave on the hearer the impression thN the PREACHER
loved his soul and that cd and the Saver l'Tsd IT,
never heard him make speech q great sp.sch-
WI ateyer were the topic, or the tune, thst INA not
leave the impression that he loved noihing, hesIed
nothing so mucn as the good snd glory OF America
that he knew no North and S nth; that he ODD not
seem TO summon around him the whole brotherhood OF
States ana men, and held them al TO his heart.
This gave freshness aud energy 10 all his speech.
This set the tune to the universal harmony.
Even his studies revealed this passion.
He knew American history by heart, as states
mar not as sn anqusry, should know H.. the PLATO,
noble men, the hign aims and hard fortunes OF me
Colonial time the sgony aud the ory OF the ksvol-
tonsry War ard of the age of the Constitution, were
all familiar TO him; but chiefly he loved 10 msrk ~"
the spirit Of national life evolving itself all the
while; how the Colonies grew II regard one another
81 the children Of the same mother aud therefore ira
ternsly; how the common danger, the common op
preston of the differentiation and revou louary
period served TO fuse them into one; how the Consul
tuition msde the M formslly one; and how the gram
ana sweet imperial tment OF united n7tion At ue
came at last to penetrate ard warm that whole vost
and various mass, ana move IL as soul.
spiritu. intu, alit totamque infuss per artu,
M.us agitat noleu ct mssno &c corpore INSECT
In this master sentiment fad the key 10 all his
earlier and all his later policy and opinions Through
his Whole lifetime, tins is the central principle tnht
runs through oil. accounts for all, recodclles all.
In the department of mere adventurous and orgl-
eating policy do not think he desired 10 distinguish
himself In the department OF restless ana arrogant
and cIauOrous reform, | knog he did not visa To
distinguish himself. The general tendency OF aus
mind the general scope Of his politics, were toward
conservation. .c
eminent continued to exist and this national lite
continued to be kept and II thess States were held IN
peace together the growth OF 1t, the splendid future
Of il certain as the courses OF the seasons
He thought it wiser therefore, always that we snoud
grow great uoder the UnOo, than that We should be
forced to grow great by legislation. He Thought
wiser, therefore at hrst-locd opinion may nave, or
may not have little influenced this-,o let America
grow into a Manufacturing people, than that she
should be forced TO become so.
But when that policy was adopted, and millions had
been invested under it, and vast, delicate and pre-
cious interest had grown up, then 1t seemed to him
that iust 70 much had been added to our American
life, that for much had gone forward IN our
giant course, and he would guard it ana kept:
He old not favor premature and unprinclpled e1-
psnsion VI TerTitOry-thOugh he saw and reOlced to
see that If America continued just and conti1ued
brave, and the Union lasted, how Sidely-to what
Pacific ard what tropic she must spread and how
conspicuous fame OF extent was spread out before
her. But when the Annexation was made, ans the
line drawn and the treaty signed then he went Tor
her. however " butted and bouni ed," then be kept
steady to the compact of annexaton-theo there was
date small, no line 30 remote, that he would not
plant on the ensign all radiant that foreign sg
gresson hight come! Here you hare ne te6ste'iaHsm
Of Webster.
cannot trace this great central principle and this
master sentiment and tat which Is the characteristic
of his whole politics. through the last years OF his fo
without awakening eehDgs-some feelings tnsuted 10
the time. believe you believe, the country and his
tory will believe that all he said and all re aid, he
said and did out q full heart for the Constitution
and that the "sustsre glory Of That crisis of his
America an1 Of himself will shine bis brightest glory
When some years have passed away, If not yet that
civil courage tn wisdom which combines, constructs
and recOncles which discerns tnag la tue political
world ID our political world especially, theory AMI
no idea may be pressed 10 its extree, aud taat com
mon seDse, good temper, good netufe, and not the
pedaItry Of logical abstraction ana the canOr at IN
temperate sectional zaDsbips are the goiios Of
lfe and that deemed gloomy foolshtess, rented
whole history that because IN tins cluster OF States
there are different Institutions, ofvfent type Of H.
dustry different moral estimates they cannot live
together AMI grow tOe ether 10 common Lafonaity
by foIb.orsnce ana reason; that honest just sni
well.pnDcipled patriotism is a higher moral vrtde
thar virnent and noisy philanthropy aa1 that ~
build and keep this nation is the true ~ny To serve
God and serve mAD-these traits and tbsee opiLions
will be remembered the n0best specimen OF the
genius and wisdom Of Webster. Better than any
other passage any other catastrophe tDese VIII be
thought most happily ~ have CONCLUDED toe great
epic vi DIS me- Ieer you ioi Ineh M W l- iu'-
mortal volumes lasting az the granite Of our m,un-
ains astiIg the pillars Of our capitol aud our Con-
titutiOn.
They say he WAS ambitions Yes; as Ames said Of
Hamilton 4" there il no doubt that he desired glory;
" ard thai feeling bis force, he onged to deck
" his brow with the wreath Of Immortality" Bat
believe he would have yielded bis arm-hls frame u
be burned before he would have sought u grasp tue
the bglest prize Of earth by any means by aDy o.
gsnization, by any tactics, by any sp>sco, wheh 10
the esst degree endangered the harmony VI the
system.