406 DANIEL WEBSTER 



statesman than his own contemporaries. And curi- 

 ously enough, Mr. Parker added, by way of illustration, 

 " Thomas Hutchinson and John Adams are better 

 known now than at the day of their death ; five and 

 twenty years hence they will both be better known, 

 than at present." Of course the maker of this 

 prophecy could not have dreamed of such a revolution 

 as has since overtaken Hutchinson's reputation in the 

 eyes of enlightened critics. The grand old Tory gov- 

 ernor we no longer scout as a turncoat and traitor, 

 but we honour him for the conscientious steadfastness 

 with which he pursued a policy which we nevertheless 

 pronounce mistaken. In Webster's case I believe we 

 may go farther, and call his Seventh of March speech 

 not only brave and honest, but statesmanlike and 

 sound. When political passion finds free vent, it is 

 apt to ascribe to men the lowest of motives. So Mr. 

 Webster was accused of sacrificing his convictions and 

 truckling to the South, in order to obtain Southern 

 support for the presidency. But a comprehensive 

 survey of his political career renders such an interpre- 

 tation highly improbable. His conduct in remaining 

 in Mr. Tyler's cabinet was one of the capital instances 

 of moral courage to be found in American history; 

 and his habitual independence of party was not the 

 sort of thing that is wont to characterize timid seekers 

 after the presidency. That Mr. Webster strongly 

 wished to be President is not to be denied; but his 

 mental attitude was the proud one that rather claimed 

 it as a right than asked it as a favour. It was like the 

 feeling of the soldier whose unexampled services have 

 earned the right to assume the weightiest responsibility 

 in the widest field of action. I do not believe that 



