New-York tribune., 1903-03-13
DANIEL WEBSTER.
Ia Interesting Collection OF HIS
Letters.

pcouments oEned PTinsiPSliyv @ yvst.d N feS Sy E Il.
9sn TTns Ph D.. senior Fellow IN American
Hse9 y UntSfEscty ecguts. O. PSiIIips PSnnSsGkc Co
Mr. Van Tyne has assembled in this ouiAy
volume an important and interesting mass Ol
websteraana, though the collection Oh ie' y
r.sther entirely new nor nearly complete. 10
vr+rha- vvebster's edition OF his fathers private
,.,--~1non6ence. published in 1856, letters ~ere
,r.ocnrat.iv Transcribed. unpleasant renec'iO'0
- +h. hsolItionssts A were suppressed. ana oene.
emissions we're made without any iholcAHOn -
the fact These letters have now oeeH '~A
revised many Of the omitted parts nAse
restored, and q portion but not an U. -
repr1nted The correspondence WIZ
story which Webster in his lifetime fetuseo -
hsve published. was only recently ofousnN -
by the Massachusetts Historical ooc'e's' 80
!, NOT included in this volume. great nuin0er
az letters however. never before prin'eO "0
teen eathered by Mr.. Van Tyne.
.-nr.. orincspaI collections Of Websters . letters
.-t., he,rg q part only Of the manuscripts "niIh
,v.-. IN the hands Of his executors soon ai'ei n'0
death Fletcher kept part OF those ~nO
h.A used for his collection ana o1Nloeo '
h.tveen his fathers friend, Peter harvey Nil0
-,..E,,., Uahater's son-in-law. Professor san
horn. Mr. Harvey gave his to the Ne"-t10ntp
sbire Historical Society. and the others oeiol.e ~
20 Mr.. Edwin ". sanborn. OF Ne"-1orA- -
che letters left in the hands of the e1ecu'ots'
~ creenourh was allowed to make
selection which he now owns, ana INC
.houf one-third of the whole, were destroyed oy
4h. hy,rnfn1 Of & warehouse. The editor mas ndo
<-Aa use of two Of these collections ouI Ai'
S,reenough permitted the publication Oh oiiis
fen Of the four hundred desirable letters III 'i0
collection The great majority or MS ieleeto'
houever were written by other persons 10 "eo
Eter. .,
a. r-.o-o. Tsc,ynor Curtis had access to pracu-
eaIiy ali these papers when Wr1uns nle oe
-anhy. and SO It was not naturally to oe eA
.cs .h.+ the,- nresent publication would
1h-o-y v,poh new light On the life and character
:. uabeter though 1t does reveal some careless
,.s. and minor mistakes. For instance MI
Curtis said there was little written pfepala'o,
for the Seventh Of March speech oniy Two eAi0''
80. ~ naner" whereas Mr.. Van Tyne mas
$oun6 twenty-eight sheets OF foolscap Wnicn iie
rep-oduces The editors most important slleie
addition TO our knowledge OF Webster Is tne iuti
%sr4 os his speech against the Conscnption DILL
6eIiyered in the House OF REPRESENTATIVES, oA
December g. 1914 and now published for tne
Arxt ttrre It suggests that Webster carried
his onnosition to the War Of 1872 much furtneF
+hs, has been hitherto supposed. he was theh
an almost new Tederalist member from New
Hampshire and a sharp critic OF the Maoieon
administration but he took no part N the mar
ford Convention, and disavowed all sympathy
with f. Yet this speech advocated a oocliiiie
,yhtch the editor thinks hardly distnguishabie
f-cr, nuIr6cation- In it he declared: "On the
.ssue CT this discussion believe the fate OF tnis
government may rest It's duration is incompat-
ghle in NV opinion. with the existence OF the
measures in contemplation" When the govern
rnent had been Vt away ne Wanteo known
that he had given arning and trleo 10 aver
tho ruin Then he set forth this extraordinary
view of the right OF private judgment ano 'ne
limit Of a citizens duty to his government:
Where is it written in the Constitution, IN
3Est article or section is It contained, that you
NAV take children from their parents ano par
eDts from their children, and compel them 10
'r he U-ickedness of Government may engage
it, Under what concea1ment mas TINS power
lain hidden. which now for the hrst tune comes
fcrth with tremendous and baieful aspect
10 trample down and destroy the dearest r1snts
II narsonsI liberty? Who will show me any
constitutional injunction which makes u 5ne Ine
duty of the American people to surrender
everything valuable In life, ano even N1e l5sei,
not when the safety Of their country and It's
liberties may demand the sacrlnce, out "hen-
ever the purposes of an ambitious and mis-
chievous Government may require II! SlI;
almost disdsin to go to ouotenons aHo rehea d
ences TO prove that such an abom1naole Qoc-
trine has no foundation IN the ConsutuIiSn
Of this country II is enough to know that that
instrument was intended as the pass ad OF q
free Government and that the power contended
for is incompatible with any notion OF per
eonaI liberty. An attempt to MAINTAIN Ihls i uoc
frine unon the provisions OF the Constitu-
tton is an exercise of perverse ingenuity 10 OK
tract slavery from the substance or tree Gov
eminent
Proceeding from a discussion Of the constl-
tutionality Of the measure, Webster declared
that the drafts could not and should not be
executed, IN these words:
No law professedIy passed for the purpose OF
compelling service in the regular army nor
sny law which under color of military odatt
shall compel men to serve in the army, not lor
the emergencies mentioned IN the constltutlon'
hut for long periods and foc the general oo1ects
Of var can be carried into effect In my opin"
ton IL ought not to be carried into erect 4nS
operation OF measures thus unconstitutional ana
other measures which both constitutions
sno legal. II will be the solemn DUTY OF tne
State governments to protect their own au-
thority over their OWE militia ano 10 1nLerpoSe
between their citizens and arbitrary power
These are among the objects for which the state
governments exist: and their highest opiga-
fions bind them to the preservation OF tneaf
own rights and the liberties Of their people
express these sentiments here sir. because !
shall express them to my constituents Both
they apd myself live un der constitution whfch
teaches US that 'the doctrine of non-res1stance
against arbitrary power and oppression IS ao-
surd, sievtsh and Destructive OF the sooo sno
Bill Of Rights With the same earnestnesS
With which now exhort you to forbear from
their unquestionable right Of providing for the
security OF their own liberties
At the close Of the address Webster said the
Charge that Eew-Engiand sought to dissolve
the Union was unfounded: she valued the Union
too highiy. Those who cried out thst the Union
was In danger were themselves the authors Of
that danger. They talk Of dangerous designs