AND THE SENTIMENT OF UNION 373 



At the expiration of his second term in Congress, 

 Mr. Webster retired for a while to private life. He 

 was in great need of money, and, moving from Ports- 

 mouth to Boston about this time, he soon found him- 

 self earning in his profession not less than $20,000 a 

 year. One of the first cases upon which he was now 

 engaged was the famous Dartmouth College affair. 

 While Mr. Webster's management of this case went 

 far toward placing him at the head of the American 

 bar, the political significance of its decision was such 

 as to make it an important event in the history of the 

 United States. It shows Mr. Webster not only as a 

 great constitutional lawyer and consummate advocate, 

 but also as a powerful champion of federalism. In 

 its origin Dartmouth College was a missionary school 

 for Indians, founded in 1754 by the Rev. Eleazar 

 Wheelock, at Lebanon, Connecticut. After a few 

 years, funds were raised by private subscription for 

 the purpose of enlarging the school into a college, 

 and as the Earl of Dartmouth had been one of the 

 chief contributors, Dr. Wheelock appointed him and 

 other persons trustees of the property. The site of 

 the college was fixed in New Hampshire, and a royal 

 charter in 1769 created it a perpetual corporation. 

 The charter recognized Wheelock as founder, and 

 appointed him president, with power to name his suc- 

 cessor, subject to confirmation by the trustees. Dr. 

 Wheelock devised the presidency to his son John 

 Wheelock, who accordingly became his successor. 

 The charter, in expressly forbidding the exclusion of 

 any person on account of his religious belief, reflected 

 the broad and tolerant disposition of Dr. Wheelock, 

 who was a liberal Presbyterian, and as such had been 



