AND THE SENTIMENT OF UNION 383 



the elementary theorems of political economy, and a 

 survey, at once comprehensive and accurate, of the 

 condition of American industry at the time. He not 

 only attacked Mr. Clay's policy on broad national 

 grounds, but also showed more specifically that it was 

 likely to prove injurious to the maritime commerce in 

 which the New England states had so long taken the 

 lead ; and he concluded by characterizing that policy 

 as " so burdensome and so dangerous to that interest 

 which has steadily enriched, gallantly defended, and 

 proudly distinguished us, that nothing can prevail 

 upon me to give it my support." Upon this last clause 

 of his speech he was afterward enabled to rest a partial 

 justification of his change of attitude toward the tariff. 

 In politics Mr. Webster occupied at this time quite 

 an independent position. The old Federalist party, 

 to which he had formerly belonged, was completely 

 broken down, and the new National Republican party, 

 with its inheritance of many of the principles, motives, 

 and methods of the federalists, was just beginning to 

 take shape under the leadership of Adams and Clay. 

 Between these eminent statesmen and Mr. Webster, 

 the state of feeling was not such as to insure cordial 

 cooperation ; but in their views of government there 

 was similarity enough to bring them together in oppo- 

 sition to the new Democratic party represented by 

 Jackson, Benton, and Van Buren. With the extreme 

 Southern views of Crawford and Calhoun it was im- 

 possible that he should sympathize, although his per- 

 sonal relations with those leaders were quite friendly, 

 and after the death of Calhoun the noblest eulogium 

 upon his character and motives was made by Mr. 

 Webster. Coleridge once said that every man is born 



