Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1894-12-20


commemorate. The granite state Justly
claims much in prescribing Webster and
Stark as her sons, but they Will be greeted
With equal homage and affection by the
whole nation.
A Boston critic once stated that 1.-THE
principal wealth of New Hampshire Is
great men and water power, hut instead OF
keeping them herself. SIZE Squanders them
on Massachusetts. and Webster was one
Of these free gifts" The CRITIC should have
added that no state can better afford to
permit another stats to replevy what right
ly belongs to it than Massachusetts,.
The number of American statesmen and
heroes already represented in that superb
and venerated hall, with the long list of
worthless sure to find place there, but still
held in reserve by states embarrassed by
too large a number entitled to selection, or
by worthless not yet fully ripe, are suf-
ficient>to give abundant assurance that this
large assemblage of statues will be of UNI
rivaled public interest, distinctive honor
to the several states, and wholly worthy OF
the republic.
The Majestic Form of Webster.
The majestic form of Daniel Webster has
been so frequently presented In bronze and
marble, and his life and character so often
grandly portrayed by those who best knew
his intellect al endowments, and were best
qualified to appreciate him as a lawyer and
as an orator, or as a statesman and cabi-
net minister that efor me 1T is a dubious
TASK TO ada WOrQ 10 Wnat mas Deen more
fifty spoken long ago, or that will be by
others here today.
Probably only small number Of those
present today ever saw or heard Mr..
Webster speak in either branch of Con-
gress, but no man who ever looked upon
him would fail to discover that he was
man OF no common mold, and 1t would be
safe to say that, in the prese nee of any
sea of upturned faces of Americans, his
intellectual primacy would not be con-
tested
1t was my fortune to listen to political
speech of Mr.. Webster in 1910, at Balu-
more, the same year at Oxford, N. H., and
years after in Faneul Hall. Again, being
in Boston, and learning that an important
patent case was to be on trial in the Unit
ed States district court, where Mr.. Choate
was the counsel on one side and Mr.. Web
ster on the other, l lost no time in secur-
ing a seat in the court house. Different in
manner, might be supposed that of
Achilles and Ulysses would be- both great
ly interested me, as both appeared to be
eXerting their utmost professional skill to
win the case. To me the treat seemed
worth a journey across the continent.
/ was in Washington in 1886, 1910, 1S4S
and 1852, and, of course. saw Mr.. Webster,
but never hearc him speak at any length In
the Senate. l may, however, be pardoned
for mentioning Gle or two occurrences that
came under my observation more than for
ty years ago, though of little Importance,
and will trench very little upon your time.
Personal "Reminiscences.
On one of these early Washington visits
/ was present at an all-night session of the
Senate in the old Senate chamber. AS the
hours grew late all got tired, and Mr.. Web
ster bent his head over his DESK with his
face pillowed on his hands, while another
Senator in a rambling speech, and sud
denly enthused with rapturous admiration
for Mr.. Webster. pronounced him the
statesman! the historian! the philosopher!
the poet!'-when Mr.. Webster, halfway
raising his head, in gruff voice ejacu-
lated, Enough! enoVghv Senator Butler
of South Carolina evidently thought so too.
but had some difficulty in persuading the
jubilant member to take his seat.
A day or two in advance of the meeting
of the wing national convention in Balti-
more in 1852, to which / was delegate, to
nominate presidential candidate. visited
Washington, and was invited, With others.
by MIR. Webster, then Secretary Of State,
to dinner AS it was not my intention to
support Mr.. Webster in the convention the
invitation was rather regretted, but being
told by a friend that such an invitation
here from the President or the, Secretary
of State was never to be declined, IL was
accepted. There were about dozen at
the table, Mrs. Webster being the only
lady. Mr.. Webster appeared in his blue
coat with gilt buttons, light bun vest, low
shoes, and white silk half, hose, and led
the conversation most happily, whether
grave or gay. Upon leaving the dining
room the gentlemen oil returned to the
drawing room. and there Mr.. Webster was
so gracious and attractive In general and
special conversation as to quickly place
everyone at his ease, especially as he did
not even allude to the coming convention.
By way of inquiry as to the prepare ton
of his speeches, l ventured to say l had
heard il stated that among the passages
often quoted one had been conceived by
him many years prior to utterance, and
referred TO his picturesque description OF
the power of England. whose morning
following keeping
company with the hours, circles the earth
with the continuous and unbroken strain
of the martial airs of England
He promptly replied. AS a mere fact, 1t
is true, that while visiting Quebec, several
years before the speech of 1884, one MORN
ing l arose early, as is my wont, and
walked out upon tie ramparts OF the city,
when 1 soon heard the morning drumbeat.
1t then occurred to me that this, a little
later, would be repeated at Montreal, then
at Toronto, again in Columbia, and so on
round the world" Adding. 'Oh, 1 never
pretended to be one of the inspired genius
es l bring forth nothing without labor.
n not precisely at the time. it has cost
labor at some time.
When l left his residence, then on ID
street northwest, Mr. Webster seemed to
have grown greater to me, and, unlike
some so-called great men. who, as you get
nearer to them, become slender, II not me-
diocre he appeared more like Doric tenn
pie, to loom up more grandly the nearer
approached.
The next day. however I did not vote In
his favor at the convention, the speech of
March Z, 1850. being insurmountable: but I
ever felt glad, proud that Daniel Webster
was born. lived and died an American.
Senator Chandler.
Regarding Webster, Senator Chandler
spoke of his ancestry, of his father and
mother, and then gave a brief sketch of
his life in New Hampshire and sketched
his career after he became a resident Of
Massachusetts, concluding substantially as
follows:
These achievements constitute the basis
of Mr. Webster's greatness and entitle his
native state of New Hampshire to place his
likeness in marble as one of her two me-
mortal statues in the national gallery in
this Capitol.
1T may not be claimed that no one has
surpassed Mr.Webster as a lawyer; there
can be no reasonable doubt that no one
has excelled him as an orator or as
statesman. In his early days in Congress
Mr.. Webster strongly opposed a protective
tariff, when, under the lead Of Mr.. Cal
houn, the south sought by duties on inn
ports to develop the home industries of
cotton and other manufactures while New
England was agricultural and commercial
merely and largely engaged in the carrying
trade upon the ocean.
"Afterward when New England had bow
ed to the national policy and had invested