Daily Kennebec journal., 1881-01-29
From the Boston Advertiser.
Webster No Communist.

cratic contemporaries are happy over the dis
covery of a resemblance between Daniel
Webster and their own eve lamb, Governor
Plaissed. The Post is especially hilarious,
and holds up the image Of its favorite Gov
ernor side by side with detached fragment
of the statesman, and bids us
Look here. upon thi. picture, and on this.
The counterfeit presentment Of two brothers
What Governor Plaisted said was this !:
'.Universai suffrage and great landed estates
''cannot long exist together. for either the
"owners Of the estate must restrict the right
'of suffrage or the right Of suffrage will IN
''the end divide their estates" Now it ap-
pears that sixty years ago. in his first Ply
mouth oraiion, Webster .aid something like
it, and won imperishable fame by it. The
parallel extract is as follows:
The freest government. if it could exist.
''would not be long acceptable if the renden-
'.cy Of the laws were to create a rapid accu-
emulation Of property in few hands, and TO
''render the grea. mass Of the population de-
.'pendent and penniless. In such a ease. the
''popular power would be likely to break in
upon the rights of property. or else the in
''huence of property to limit and control the
''exercise Of popular power. Universal suf-
.sfrage for example could net long exist in a
community where there was great inequai-
ssity Of property. The holders OF estates
''would be obliged. in such case, in some way
.'to restrain the right Of suffrage. or else such
fright of suffrage would before long divide
''the property"
1t is hopeful sign that our long benight-
ed friends are turning their attention 10 the
this extract is taken. II IS fol 10 over
flowing With the true New England spirit,
and is a vindication, through aud through, OF
the laws and institutions, which then were,
and are now, much more than then. the pill
lars of public order and prosperity. Mr..
Webster wa. contrasting the New England
theory of government respecting property
with that Of other nations-Great Britain
and France especially,-and in that connec-
ton he uttered the sentiments above quoted.
He was speaking for New England and show
ing how strong and secure her institu-
tions were, because their tendency was,
property in few hands, but to make its fire.
quent distribution certain, through laws so
regulating its transmission and alienation as
to interest the great majority of society in
support of the government. Governor
Plaisted. repeating the sentiment in a weak
ened form, used it AGAINST New England
and with matchless imprudence his friends
are now hawking about this extract from
Webster, out of Its connection, as justitica-
ton of such pervcrsitv What Webster him
self thought was stated in the sentences I'M
medately following those quoted, and We
commend them to the prayerful considera-
zion of the Boston Post, the Portland Argus.
the Bangor Commercial, and all others who
have been struck by the resemblance -
"With property divided as we have it, no
"other government than that of 4 republic
''conld be maintained, even were we foolish
''enough to desire il. There is reason, there
"fore. to expect a long continuance of our
system. Party and passion doubtless, may
.'prevail at times, and much temporary mis-
"chief be done. Even modes and forms may
''be changed, and for the worse. But great
revolution in regard to property must take
"place before Onr governments can be moved
''from their republican basis. unless they he
evidently struck off by military power.
"The people possess the property. NOR, en-
"phaticaHy than IL could erer be said of the
''peopie of any other country, and they can
share no iateresi TO ore,tpyn a government
"nhieh protects that property by equal ians. y
Mr.. Webster expressed the sentiment as a
casual illustration of what might happen with
laws and usages entirely different from ours
Governor Paistcd borrowed the idea without
the condition. and used it as an assertion OF
what .'must" aud will" be done in another
situation which ia assumed to exist. Ir
Websters Grafton. as the context shows. the
idea was a eulogy of laws rather less liberal
than those of to-day in regard to property
and warning of the peril of revolution as a
result of unequal laws. Plaisted's idea. a.
the context shows, is that the laws are un
equal. the evidence being great landed es-
tates. held for the most part, by the way
BY men who began life without a penny
and he sets out to alarm the poor by telling
them that the owners of estates will in some
unexplained wav deprive them of their po
litical rights and to starlc the rich by tell
ing them that men who have heen less for.
tunate in life will band together and divide
their estates. The spirit of the one is that Of
the typical American statesman, the spirit o.
the other ii is wholly unnecessary to charac
terize.