The Portland daily press., 1881-01-29
boston Advertiser.l
"ahctor M

From Boston to the Aroostook our Demo
| cratic contemporaries are happy over the dis
covery of resemblance between Daniel Web
ster and their one eve lamb, Governor Plais.
ted. The Post is especially hilarious and
holds up the image of its favorite governor
side by side with detached fragment of the
statesman, and bids us
| Look here upon this picture, and on this.
Inc counterfeit presentment of two brothers
| What Governor Plaisted said was this.
Universal suffrage and great landed estates
cannot long exist together, for either the own
ers OF the estate must restrict the right of suf-
frage, or that right OF suffrage will in the end
divide their estates" Now it appears that
sixty years ago. in his first Plymouth Grafton
Webster said something like it and won i'm
perishable fame by it,. The parallel extract is
as follows:
The freest government, if it could exist vould
not be long acceptable if the tendency of the laws
were to create rapid accumulation OF property in
few hands, and to render the great mass of 'the
population dependent and penniless In such
case, the popular power would be likely to break
OF property to limit aud control the exercise of pop
ular power. Universal suffrage for example could
great iae9uaty Of * TnsTe hG there was
would be obliged, In snch case, in sons way to re-
strain the right OF suffrage or else such right
suffrage would before long divide the property
1t is hopeful sign that our long-benirhteS
friends are turning their attention to the foun-
tain of light and wisdom from which this ex
tract is taken. 1t is full to overiowing with
the true New England spirit and is vindica-
uon, through and through, OF the laws and In
stitutions, which then were. and are now.
much more than then. the pillars of public or
der and prosperity. Mr.. Webster was con-
trasting the New England theory of govern
ment respecting property with that Of other
nations-Great Britain and France especially
and in that connection he uttered the senti-
ments above quoted. He was speaking FOR
New England and showing how strong aad se-
cure her institutions were, because their ten
dency was, not to create large accumulations
OF property in few hands. but to make its fire.
quent distribution certain, through laws so
regulating its transmission and alienation 20
TO interest the great majority of society in the
support OF the government. Governor Plaisted,
repeating the sentiment in weakened form,
used 1t AGAINST New England; and with match
less impudence his friends are now hawking
about this extract from Webster, out of its
connection, as justification of such perversi-
ty. What Webster himself thought was stated
in the sentences Immediately following those
quoted, and we commend them to the prayer-
full consideration of the Boston Post, the Port
land Argus, the Bangor Commercial and all
others who have been struck by the resem-
blance:
"With property divided as we have 1t. no other
government than that of republic could be main
tanned, even were we foolish enough to desire it,
There is reason therefore, to expect long contin
uance. of our system Party and pas ,ion doubtless
may prevail at times, and much temporary mis-
ch1ef be done. Even modes and forms NAV be
changed, and perhaps for the worse, But a
great revolution in regard to property must take
place before our governments can ba moved from
their republican basis, unless they be violently
struck off by military power The people possess he
property more enphaficdtLy than IL comid ever be
said Of the people Of auy other country and then can
hare no interest to ouertun government phick pro.
tects That property By equal laacs.' -
Mr.. Webster expressed the sentiment as
casual illustration of what might happen with
laws and usages entirely different from ours.
Governor Plaisted borrowed the idea without
the condition, and used it as an assertion Of
what must" and "will'' be done in another
situation which is assumed to exist In Web
ster's oration, as the context shows, the idea
was eulogy OF laws rather less liberal than
those OF to-day in regard to property, and q
warning OF the peril Of revolution as
result OF unequal laws. Plaisted's idea, as the
context shows, is that the laws are unequal,
the evidence being great landed estates''-
heid for the most part by men who began life
without penny-and he sets out to alarm the
poor by telling them that the owners Of es-
tates Will IN some unexplained way deprive
them OF their political rights; and to startle the
rich by telling them that men who have been
less fortunate in life will band together and di-
vide their estates. The spirit of the one is
that of the typical American statesman, the
spirit of the other it is wholly unnecessary to
characterize.