[Twenty Years of Congress, Vol. 1 (of 2) by James Gillespie Blaine]@TWC D-Link book
Twenty Years of Congress, Vol. 1 (of 2)

CHAPTER IV
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The impression then derived had convinced him that the Democratic candidate was not the man whom a Whig could desire to see in the Presidential chair.

In Mr.Van Buren's anti-slavery professions, Mr.Webster had no confidence.

He said pleasantly, but significantly, that "if he and Mr.Van Buren should meet under the Free-soil flag, the latter with his accustomed good-nature would laugh." He added, with a touch of characteristic humor, "that the leader of the Free- spoil party suddenly becoming the leader of the Free-soil party is a joke to shake his sides and mine." Distrusting him sincerely on the anti-slavery issue, Mr.Webster showed that on every other question Mr.Van Buren was throughly objectionable to the Whigs.
The Marshfield speech, as this effort was popularly known at the time, had great influence with the Northern Whigs.

Mr.Webster did not conceal his belief that General Taylor's nomination was "one not fit to be made," but by the clearest of logic he demonstrated that he was infinitely to be preferred to either of his competitors.
Mr.Webster at that time had the confidence of the anti-slavery Whigs in a large degree; he had voted for the Wilmot Proviso, and his public course had been that of a just and conservative expositor of their advanced opinion.

From the day of the Marshfield speech, the belief was general that Van Buren would draw far more largely from the Democrats than from the Whigs; that his candidacy would give the State of New York to Taylor, and thus elect him President.
The loss of Whig votes was not distasteful to Mr.Van Buren after the prospect of his securing the electors of New York had vanished.
Had he drawn in equal proportion from the two parties, his candidacy would have had no effect.


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