Knoxville daily chronicle. [volume] (Knoxville, Tenn.) 1870-1882, 1882-02-10
FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 10, 1882.
DANIEL WEBSTER.


We have lately republished some
articles width reflect with more or
less severity upon the memory Of the
great New England statesman, It
is noteworthy that these articles are
Of New England origin, and are
referable TO Mr.. Webs er's speech in
the Senate the 7th OF March, 1850.
That speech, though hailed with a
feeling Of unspeakable relief by the
country at large, gave deep ofense
to some of his neighbors, who pursued
him with burning hatred to the
grave, and who still delight in de-
tracing from his fame.
So many illusions have been made
to the speech, that we have carefully
re-read it after many years. 1t is to
be found in the fifth volume of his
works. Standing by the light of the
thirty years since its delivery, with
the war as bloody commentary, it
looms up before the mind as by far
the grandest and most impressive eff
fort of his whole life The reply to
Hayne was masterpiece Of
oratory. This speech rises
far above oratory into the
high region of solemn appeal. It
sounds like the words of a Hebrew
prophet laden with an inspiration of
woe. He was already verging on
the allotted three-score and ten.
The summit of life gave him mystical lore,
And coming events cast their shadows
before.
When delivered, the speech seem
ed timely IN its admonition; now it is
wonderful for its wisdom, a wisdom
which ought to have saved the land
from years of devastation.
We hope our readers will
indulge us in two extracts,
since to many of the younger they
will be quite new. A Senator from
Louisiana had made a disparaging
comparison between the slave labor
of the South and the free labor of
the North. Mr.. Webster, in few
words, defended the latter as it was
never defended before or since:
why, who are the laboring people Of
the North? They are the whole North
They are the people who till their own
farms with their own hands; freeholders,
educated men, independent men. Let me
say, sir, that 1ive-sixths of the whole prop
erty OF the North IS in the hands OF
the laDOrers Of the North they cultivate
their farms, they educate their children,
they provide the means of independence.
If they are not freeholders, they earn wages
these wages accumulate, are turned into
CAPITAL, into new Freeholde, and small CAPT.
talists are created. Such is the case, and
such the course Of things, among the indus
trious and frugal And what can these
people think when SO respectable and
worthy a gentleman as the. mem
Der from Louisiana undertakes to
prove that the absolute ignorance
and the abject slavery of the South are moro
in conformity with the high purposes and
destiny of immortal, rational human beings,
than the educated, the independent free Ia
Dor of the North p
This picture of secession eleven
years before the war, is now living
history:
-~'I hear with distress and anguish, the
word secession especially when it falls
from the lips of those who are patriotic, and
known to tho country, and known all over
the world, for their political services. Sc
cession. Peaceable secession! Sir, your
ewes and mine are never destined to see that
miracle. The ACKNOWLEDGMENT of this vast
country without CONFUSION The break
ing up of the fountains of the great deep
without ruffiing the surface Who is SO
foolish, beg everybody's pardon, as to ex-
pect to see any such thing? Sir, he who
sees these States, now revolving around a
common centre, and expects to see them quit
their places and fly off without convulsion,
may look the next hour to see the heavenly
bodies rush from their spheres and jostle
against each other in the realms of space,
without causing the wreck of the universe.