Marshall would
probably have brought about the decision by the sole force of his imperious
will. But Mr. Webster did a good deal of effective work after the arguments
were all finished, and no account of the case would be complete without a
glance at the famous peroration with which he concluded his speech and in
which he boldly flung aside all vestige of legal reasoning, and spoke
directly to the passions and emotions of his hearers.
When he had finished his argument he stood silent for some moments, until
every eye was fixed upon him, then, addressing the Chief Justice, he
said:--
This, sir, is my case. It is the case not merely of that humble
institution, it is the case of every college in our land....
"Sir, you may destroy this little institution; it is weak; it is in
your hands! I know it is one of the lesser lights in the literary
horizon of our country. You may put it out. But if you do so you
must carry through your work! You must extinguish, one after
another, all those greater lights of science which for more than a
century have thrown their radiance over our land.
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