Arizona weekly enterprise., 1882-09-02
Lo1r Johu's Story,

III IttFtl ftCANi G tN--AtlNO VI OOHu Wentworth, of Chicago, describes how Daniel Webster ''raised a storm' in Congress:
 Mir. Webster won my lasting gratitude by his assistance in the passage of the River and Harbor bill in 18i6. The bill had passed the House and been referred to the Committee on Commerce. ma iority of whom were of the ''strict con- struction" school, believing that Con- gress could improve a natural harbor, but not make one. I went before the committee to defend the appropriation for harbor at Little Fort, now called Waukegan. 1 found 1 had no friends there but Senator Reverdy Johnson, of Maryland. The committee recommend cd that the appropriation be struck out. Senator John A. Dix, of New York, led the opposition. He had been 8 grad uate of West Point, was Q good engi- neer, had brought the map of survey into the Senate, and was having great iIsiUence against it. Twas seated in the lofraF directly behind Col. Thomas H. Benton, and Webster was upon his usual walk. He gave me nod of recogni- tion and passed on. Gen. Dix kept up his fire and 1 felt it. Our Senators, Sid nev Breese and James Semple, were both from the southern part of the State and had no personal knowledge of the merits of the case. The Indiana Sena- tors were similarly situated. Wiscon- sin had no Senators. As Webster was tray cling to and fro past me the thought occurred to me that, as he was "a lib- eral constructionist," he was just the man to rectify all the damage that Gen. Dix was doing. But it was small mat ter for so great a man. Besides, knew that his colleague, Senator John Davis, was taking the side of Senator Dix. Every time Webster passed me l re- solved that the next time he came l would speak to him. But my courage would forsake me when ] reflected that he was Whig and was Democrat. wanted some excuse to speak to him. He had known my father. He was a son of New Hampshire and a graduate of the same college with myself. But my heart failed me; and yet it was all the time signing, ''Webster, Webster, do but speak to me-" At length came his voice, in deep, sepulchral tone. Wentworth, what is Dix making all this ado about?" Promptly the answer came: MT. Webster, since your trir around the lakes from Chicago in 183i we have had but few appropriations fol old hsrbors, and none for new ones This place is halfway between Chicago and Milwaukee and we want harbol of refuge there" Il see the point, see the point" says Webster, and a once went to his scat upon the Senate floor.
 When Gen. Dix had concluded, Mir Webster observed that he could ado nothing to the conclusive argument 0 the Senator from New York in favor o the appropriation. He thought he hat satisfied all the Senators that there wa no harbor at the place, and so the Hous must have thought when it made tn appropriation to construct one there 1 Upon what did the Senator from Ney 1 York found his doctrine that, whel | God created the world, or even Lax Michigan, he left nothing for man t do? The curse pronounced upon ou first parents for their transgression wa in entire conflict with any such doc | Urine. He did not believe that the Con stitution of the United States was sue narrowly contracted instrument tha it would not permit the construction c 8 harbor where the necessities of com merce required. He then foreshadowe the growth of the West, it's abundan products, it's gigantic commerce, ii numerous people. He started a steame for Chicago laden to the guards wit freight and passengers. He then de scribed a storm in a manner that n man but Webster could describe. Hi flight of eloquence equaled his best 2 Bunker Hill or Plymouth Rock. To could hear the flashing waves, th whistling winds, the creaking timber and the shrieking passengers, and, g
 all on board, he exclaimed: ''Wh'
 but merciful Providence saved IT
 from such catastrophe when passe
 over Lake Michigan in 1837?' At sue
 a dire disaster could the Senator fror
 New York derive any consolation fror
 the reflection that his narrow interprt
 tation of the constitution has been mair
 tained? As Webster closed, Col Bel
 ton turned to me and said: "That
 the greatest speech upon so small
 matter that I ever heard" Reverd
 Johnson came up and said, "Now don
 you abuse the Wings any more" An
 Senator Breese said, "Now you can z
 back to the House. That speech save
 us." The bill passed without anent
 ment But alas! President Polk vetoe
 it. And out of his veto grew that wol
 derful event in the history of Chicag
 the River and Harbor Convention
 1S47, a vast assemblage composed
 the most talented, enterprising, wealth
 and influential men of all parts of u
 country. At the laying of the corne
 stone ci the Douglas monument Ge Dix was here as the principal orato While others were speaking, I callt
 his attention to our magnificent harb works. After experimenting them hig
 ly he said, They ought to protect yt
 from any storm-even from such a ol
 as Webster manufactured for you in u Senate in lS46."