Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1882-08-27
WEBSTER AND THE SOUTH.
The God-Like Daniel Defended From
the misrepresentation or His
Enemies.

General Scott by the Wing convention which
met at Baltimore in 1852, insul,ed a delega-
ton ef Southsrners who called to pay their
respects 10 him at the Aston House, New
York, his friend and biographer, George
Ticknor Curtis, comes TO his defense and
says in letter to the Boston Advertiser:
1t was at once apparent to me that this
story could not be true, nor did / believe
that Mr.. Ssetson was In the remotest degree
responsible for it. Mr.. Webster was not at
Marshfield, but he was in Washington when
the Wing convention assembled at Balti-
mere. The conventions met on the 18th of
June, 1852, and was in session until the 22i
There were ffty-three ballotings for a presi-
Dental candidate. The number of votes
necessary to a choice was 147. On the fifty
third ballot Scott had 159 votes, Fillmore
| liz, and Webster q. Laie in the evening
OF the 22d, when the result was known in
Washington, General Scott was serensded at
his residence. The crowd then moved to
Mr.. Webster's house, and in response to their
call he addressed them from the window of
his chamber. In my Life of Mr.. Webster,
volume 2, page 322, printed brief report
OF his remarks, as given BY telegraph in the
newspapers OF the time. II was not a full
version of the speech. The following cor
rected report was furnished TO me By
friend long after the publication of my
work, and it will be inserted in the next
| edition:
| friendly and respectful call. 1 very glad
TO see you. Some OF you have been engaged
in an arduous public duty at Baltimore, the
object OF your meeting being the selection Of
a lit person to be supported for the Office OF
president of the United States. Others of
| you take an interest in the result of the de-
| alterations OF that assembly of Wings. 1t so
happened that my name, among others, was
presented on that occasion; another candi-
| date, however, was preferred. / have only
| to say, gentlemen, that the convention did,
doubt not, what it thought best, and exer-
cised lis discretion in the important matter
committed to it. The result has caused me
no personal feeling VIII atever, nor any change
| OF conduct or purpose. WHAT have been |
am, in principle and in character, and what
| am l hope to continue to be. Circum-
| staHces or opponents may triumph over my
| fortunes, but they will not triumph over my
! temper or my self-respset. Gentlemen, this
is serene and beautiful night. Ten thou
sand thousand of the lights of heaven illu-
inmate the armament. They rule the night.
A few hours heRcs their glory will be extin-
| guished:
We stars that glitter in the skies
And gaily dance before mine eyes
What ale ye when the sun shall riser
| Gentlemen, there is not one among you who
\ will sleep better to night than 1 shall. If L
wake l shall learn the hour from the con-
stellations, and l shall rise in the morning,
| God willing, with the lark; and though the
| lark is a better songster than i am, yet he
will not leave the dew and the daisies.
and spring up and greet the purpling east
| with a more biithe and jocund spirit than
possess. Gentlemen, l again repeat my
thanks for this mark of your respect, and
commend you to the enjoyment of a quiet
| and satisfactory repose. May God bless
you ALL"
On the day following the delivery of this
h. al
State of Mississippi called upon Mr.. Web
ster al his house in Washington, when, 10
response to an address made to him by one
of their number, he said that che regretted
that their policy had appeared to be neces-
sary, only because it would write a false
chapter in the history of the country. BY
the record 1t appeared that in all the nu-
merous ballotings the Southern delegates
had failed TO cast their votes his favor, even
after the hope OF success for their fayorite
candidate had been abandoned; but the
causes that prevented them from coming to |
his support were not OF record. He sup
posed he would be compelled 10 submit |
quietly to this apparent reflection upon his |
public life; but still knowing the circum- |
stances that influenced them, it did not in |
the slightest degree affect his feelings to- |
wards his Southern friends"
Not only was this the uniform tone in |
which Mr.. Webster spoke OF the result of the |
Baltimore convention publicly aud privately,
but it was physically impossible that he |
should have been at the Aston House at the |
time when "the Southern delegation" are
said to have went up to his quarters at mid
night. He was received in Boston on the
9th OF July by great public demonstration,
and made a speech on the Common, which
can be found in the work above referred to.
l was one of the committee by whom the ar
rangements for that reception were made,
and know that Mr.. Webster could not have
been at the Astor House after the 22d of
June and before the 9TH of July. He ar
rived in Boston at a very early hour on the
morning of the 9th, snd was taken in a car
riage out to the house of the late Hon.
Samuel III. Valley, in Roxbury, in order
that he committee might accompany him
from that place TO the head of the procession,
which rested on the city line upon
"the Neck" With all these facts full in
my recollection, you may judge that
was somewhat astonished by the audacity
OF this fiction, putting into MIR. Webster's |
uttered, and making, or seeming 10 make, !
Mr.. Steson responsible for the story. New
ertheIess, although 1 did not believe that Mr..
Stetson had ever authorized this story, /
thought it well to obtain his disclaimer. l i
should not have troubled him at this period
Of his domestic sorrow if had not believed I
that he would feel, as / do, that il is a duty !
Mr.. Webster'5 utterances. List evening / I
receive from Mr.. Stetson the following note; /
WooDsIDE, SwAMPscoTT August Is, 1882.
Hon. George I. Curtis: .
DEAR s1ft-I have not seen the Transcript. There
was an article printed in the New York Herold, in
with te death of my son Charles. 8
during the past week...-...It detailed meeting .
with Southerners. No such ever occurred; to |
my knowledge. 1t has been my custom never to | Q
relate incidents in which Mr. Webster bore part.
For instance, those important letters loaned to
Tou were never seen except by I. Weed and my
eldest son, now in Colorado. Once gave an |
item to -, who spread 1t so thin that the de-
lghtful favor was lost. Interviewers and-'s
Without number have begged me to please them.
some cried out "Stand aud deliverl'' When at | y
Mr.. Webster's, in Washington, at Marshfield. or =
lot speak of him as he lived in his familiar inter-
ourle ''Silence beyond" were words each Z
loor Only on one point did 1 ever speak with
mercy. that was to dispute and allay the vile \
candal of his Glove of drink have never seen
he TTdRscTipt The article in the New York
Yerd'd is too absurd to deserve notice With great
egard for you, remain yours truly,
There have been of late 20 many revivals n
f the effort to represent Mr.. Webster's 7th
f March speech as bid to gain Southern i
Import for the presidency, and so much a
olson has been prepared for the minds of a
that did not know him, that r
blink it proper to nail this last coinage to =
he counter.
APT. sbsw's Visit TO the United States. S
Captain E. NJ. Shaw, chief of the London Ii
ire Brigade, arrived on the White-Star