He wished to solve the great problem, to remove the source of danger, to set the menacing agitation at rest.

He aimed at an enduring and definite settlement, and that was the purpose of the 7th of March speech.

His reasons--and of course they were clear and weighty in his own mind--proceeded from the belief that this wretched compromise measure offered a wise, judicious, and permanent settlement of questions which, in their constant recurrence, threatened more and more the stability of the Union.

History has shown how wofully mistaken he was in this opinion.
The last point to be considered in connection with the 7th of March speech is the ground then taken by Mr.Webster with reference to the extension of slavery.

To this question the speech was chiefly directed, and it is the portion which has aroused the most heated discussion.