Walker Lake bulletin. (Hawthorne, Nev.) 1883-1926, 1895-01-30
DANIEL WEBSTER.
His Ability and Unsurpassed Or
atOry and Skill.
HIS WONDERFUL TWO-DAYS' SPEECH
Recollections of His Argument Against
Filling up Back Bay-Fore sic Skill
and Legal Acumen.

The last time we heard Daniel Web
ster speak was in 1849, now nearly
forty-seven years ago. The impression
he then made upon our mind is still
fresh We see even now this intuitive
statesman, lawyer and orator, and shall
never while sense and memory are left
us forget the tones of his voice, his
attitude and his gestures, says a writer
in the Norwich Sum- All who have
any remembrance of the man know
that he was called 1.-THE Godlike,' and
certainly if such phrase is ever to be
applied to mortal Mr. Webster's title
to it is pre- eminent; for, indeed, when
he was inspired by his subject he
seemed to be a being from another and
higher sphere.
The plea or address, which consumed
a part of two days was made before a
railroad committee of the Massachu-
sets legislature. The writer was then
member of that body and enjoyed the
opportunity of listening to Mr.. Web
ster, little thinking it was the last time
we would be privileged to hear him.
He then appeared to be in good health
and strength. Mr.. Webster died in
October 1862, when he was one of the
wing candidates for the Presidency,
and we therefore heard his voice for
the last time as it sounded forth in the
representatives hall of the Massachu-
sets state house. The committee
agreed to hold it's hearings in this hall
that all who desired to hear the great
man might do SO. The commodious
audience room below and above was
crowded to its utmost capacity ON this
occasion.
was proposition from the Old Colony
railroad to fill up what was then known
as the South Boston flats, over which
the tides Of the bay and harbor flowed.
The road wanted more room for it's
depots and buildings. The Boston
merchants who owned the small coast
wise vessels and were engaged in the
mercantile shipping and 'longshore
trade wanted all this room where the
waters flowed for the mooring of their
small craft, and these men sent to
Washington and called the great orator
and senator to come on and help them
defeat the railroad management, and
paid him a good, round fee; and he
did it.
1t is of this great and pertinent ad-
dress alone we now propose to speak.
The hall was crowded. Mr.. Webster
did not talk on this occasion to the
multitude, but to the committee, and
his argument was able, terse and to the
point, and delivered in tone that the
committee and those near the front
could hear. A vast number of people
in that audience did not hear anything
he said the first day. But never mind;
it was Mr.. Webster who was speaking,
and all stayed and listened just the
same.
Mr.. Webster's argument was for the
committee and not intended for public
effect. To these officials he made his
address with convincing power. He
was a perfect master of the English
tongue and the purest and best words
and phrases of our vernacular were
always at his command. So on this
occasion there were no mere platitudes,
pompous phrases and useless and frivo-
lous words. His entire plea was plain
and replete with arguments potential
with the committee, and this was all
he sought to accomplish. The crowd
went away at the close of the first
days hearing disappointed; neverthe-
less, there was sort of satisfaction
that they had listened and tried to hear
the great orator. On the second day
they were more than pleased for their
trouble.
One of the lawyers of the railroad
took the opportunity to criticise the
great mans argument. 1t was just the
course to arouse the sleeping lion and
for an hour and a-half there was such
an outpouring, such wonderful pre-
sentation of arguments, rhetoric, for
ensic skill and legal acumen as put to
silence all caviling at once.
The real Bostonian prides himself
that his native or chosen city is "The
Hub" Any one who was SO fortunate
as to hear MIR. Webster that day and
to see the grand picture which he drew
for time at least, admit that
Boston-Mr. Webster's Boston is in
deed and in truth the Hub. He de-
scribed the Pilgrim city as the entrepot
Of the world, and declared it to be the
national mercantile emporium Of all
the long and wide stretch of country
which environs it. He entered mas
terly protest against filling up the har-
Dor, and said it was not more land, but
more harbor, that the city needed, and
then he pronounced the word exoavate
three times with thrilling and inde-
scribable effect which no one who
listened to him at that time can ever
forget.
The summing up Of Mr.. Webster's
ability and unsurpassed oratory, and
the skill that he possessed, is not found
in the words alone that he used, though