Mr. Webster came forward gradually as a political leader by occasional addresses and speeches, at first with long intervals between them, and then becoming more frequent, until at last he found himself fairly engaged in a public career.  In 1804, at the request of some of his father’s friends, he published a pamphlet, entitled, “An Appeal to Old Whigs,” in the interest of Gilman, the Federal candidate for governor.  He seems to have had a very poor opinion of this performance, and his interest in the success of the party at that juncture was very slight.  In 1805 he delivered a Fourth of July oration at Salisbury, which has not been preserved; and in the following year he gave another before the “Federal gentlemen” of Concord, which was published.  The tone of this speech is not very partisan, nor does it exhibit the bitter spirit of the Federalists, although he attacked the administration, was violent in urging the protection of commerce, and was extremely savage in his remarks about France.  At times the style is forcible, and even rich, but, as a rule, it is still strained and artificial.  The oration begins eagerly with an appeal for the Constitution and the Republic, the ideas always uppermost in Mr. Webster’s mind.  As a whole, it shows a distinct improvement in form, but there are no marks of genius to raise it above the ordinary level of Fourth of July speeches.  His next production was a little pamphlet, published in 1808, on the embargo, which was then paralyzing New England, and crushing out her prosperity.  This essay is important because it is the first clear instance of that wonderful faculty which Mr. Webster had of seizing on the vital point of a subject, and bringing it out in such a way that everybody could see and understand it.  In this case the point was the distinction between a temporary embargo and one of unlimited duration.  Mr. Webster contended that the latter was unconstitutional.  The great mischief of the embargo was in Jefferson’s concealed intention that it should be unlimited in point of time, a piece of recklessness and deceit never fully appreciated until it had all passed into history.  This Mr. Webster detected and brought out as the most illegal and dangerous feature of the measure, while he also discussed the general policy in its fullest extent.  In 1809 he spoke before the Phi Beta Kappa Society, upon “The State of our Literature,” an address without especial interest except as showing a very marked improvement in style, due, no doubt, to the influence of Mr. Mason.

During the next three years Mr. Webster was completely absorbed in the practice of his profession, and not until the declaration of war with England had stirred and agitated the whole country did he again come before the public.  The occasion of his reappearance was the Fourth of July celebration in 1812, when he addressed the Washington Benevolent Society at Portsmouth.  The speech was a strong, calm statement of the grounds of opposition to the war.  He showed that “maritime