The DuPont Cavalcade of America, starring Thomas Mitchell. Tonight the DuPont Company brings you the conscience of Black Daniels, starring Thomas Mitchell. But first is Bill Hamilton of the DuPont Company. Good evening. For a bright, cheery room, paint your walls with Speed Easy, DuPont's easy-to-use resin oil emulsion paint. You'll be amazed at how little it costs to paint an average-sized room. Just thin Speed Easy with water and apply over wallpaper or any interior wall surface. Speed Easy comes in 11 attractive colors and white. Remember, it's speedy. It's easy. It's Speed Easy. One of DuPont's better things for better living through chemistry. Now the Conscience of Black Daniels, starring Thomas Mitchell as Daniel Webster on the DuPont Cavalcade of America. Ladies and gentlemen, ladies and gentlemen, quiet for a moment if you please. I phototope to Daniel Webster, our host and the next President of the United States. Oh no, no, no, speech. When I speak, ladies and gentlemen, it's for a cause and a purpose. Sometimes I even get paid for oratory. Enjoy yourselves, my friends. Stay as long as you like. Eat as much as you want. Bosch Field is yours. In 1830, the great Daniel Webster, with the magic of his oratory, had startled the country with his interpretation and defense of the Constitution. Now in 1838, he and his wife, Caroline, live securely and extravagantly at his huge farm at Marshfield, Massachusetts, their happiness broken only by the advice of the family physician. But how long do you think you can go on, Daniel? What do you mean? You know what I'm talking about. These parties, and because of your debts, driving yourself to as much work in a day as another man does in a month. You're a gloomy cuss, Wingram. He's also your physician, dear, and he says you're burning the candle at both ends. Caroline, I love it here. Marshfield is a retreat, quiet, secure. Yes, I love Marshfield. In fact, I've just bought another hundred acres to add to it. But, Daniel, we're so in debt now, buying still more land. Giving these expensive parties, when will you ever stop? I'll tell you a secret, my dear. I'll stop when you're the First Lady of the land. But what about your illness? What illness? Are you trying to fool me, Daniel? A little pain, that's all. Good morning, here Daniel. You need a rest. Stop working so hard. I want to work hard. It isn't worth it. Wingram, someday I'm going to be President of the United States. They passed me by in 1836, but they won't in 1840. You're confident, aren't you? Why shouldn't I be? They talk about General Harrison, I know, but it's only a rumor. They can't deny me the right. Politics can deny any man anything. You're both too pessimistic. I know what's going to happen in 1840. They'll nominate me. It's as good as done. And I'm planning and working for it. Well, come in, gentlemen. I've been expecting you. Good evening, Daniel. I suspect you're bearers of good news, huh? Come, we're going to study. We won't be disturbed there. Thank you, Daniel. There we are. Oh, please, gentlemen, sit down, sit down. Thank you, Daniel. All right. We can talk now. Daniel, I'll sort of do the talking for all of us. All right, sir. I hate to say this so bluntly, Daniel, but the Whig Party is going to nominate General Harrison. Why? Why? Because we feel he'll be a strong candidate. In 1836, you said I was strong. But things have changed since then, Daniel. You see, we've got a hero in General Harrison. He's caught the public's fan- Wait a moment. You know as well as I that a campaign can be built for me as well as for General Harrison. Daniel, we came to you before the nominating invention to tell you how things stood to ... well, to spare you any possible disappointment later. Of course. This is no disappointment. This is mere routine. I expected it. There's no need for sarcasm. There's always need for truth and frankness. What do you mean that, sir? I'm not fit to be president. That's what you think, isn't it? Listen, Daniel, we've passed through the panic of 1837. The people are wary, a little frayed. Everyone knows how you've lived, you lavish display extravagant. I see. They wouldn't trust me with the government because I can't be trusted with my own affairs. Frankly, that's most of it. And you wouldn't believe that I could change? Gentlemen, the duties of the president are sacred to the Union. I love my country. To me, it's as much a human being as my wife, my son, or any other person whom I love dearly. It speaks to me. Therefore, it follows that I must undertake responsibilities of office with devotion and high purpose. My personal life doesn't end until... I'm sorry, Daniel. Our minds are made up. Perhaps another time. Will you believe that I love my country above all else? That I'd sacrifice anything? Anything. Daniel, we're sorry. I've never begged or groveled before in my life. Believe me when I tell you it is not personal, personal ambition that drives me, but a desperate and a passionate love for my Union, for my country. Excuse me, gentlemen. I... Get out. Get out. Feeling better, dear? Oh, of course, Caroline. Is the pain gone? Oh, yes, yes. Oh, God, dear. It's not really, is it? What do you mean? You'll never get over it, will you? Oh, now, darling, the doctor's wrong. My stomach is... Not that, Daniel. The other pain. Oh. Well, what's done is done, darling. Maybe they're right. Maybe Daniel Webster wouldn't have made a good president. Yes, he would. Tell the wigs that, Caroline. They want you to be Secretary of State under Harris? Oh, yes. They want you to be Secretary of State under Harris? Yes, they want me to be Secretary of State under Harris. I'm sorry, I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm sorry. That Carell some $ hasn't been very nice. I've never heard, no, I've never heard sister from anybody, compared to asked about my father. Them all thow much they could eat. Then you'd want. Well, my close friends were able to hear what he said, so yes, it was a good day. I just had a couple of Team Peisons. So they still could go. I don't know. They could concentrate. Oh, well, good. I'm in debt. I've more creditors than supporters. I'm going on with my law business. I stay out of politics and government. I must, I tell you, for your sake and the children's and to keep Marshfield. I... What's the matter? Did you say something? No, Daniel. What's the matter? I tell you it is not personal ambition that drives me, but a desperate and a passionate love for my union, my country. Daniel, you're ill. I heard a voice ringing in my ears, and they were my own words. Caroline, my own words. I'll send for the doctor. No, no, no. Wait. I'm all right. I think I know what that voice was. Yes, I think I do. Caroline, I want you to write a letter for me. Letter? To whom? Write a letter of acceptance. I'll serve as Secretary of State. Uh, yeah. Yes, yes. Who is it? Daniel, are you asleep? Let me in. Surgeon. Oh, all right. One moment. Now, what's Daniel? President Harrison's dead. What? He's dead. What? He's dead. What? He's dead. What? He's dead. What? He's dead. What? He's dead. President Harrison's dead. What? Yes. We've called an emergency meeting. Can you come? Of course. I'll get dressed right now. The situation's very serious, Daniel. I know that. I don't think you do fully. None of us did. What do you mean? Daniel, we're depending on you now. It's up to you to see that things go as we wish. This is a great opportunity for you, Daniel. How do you mean that? Tyler will depend on you, too. As Secretary of State, you're in a position to advise counsel. I tell you, Daniel, make the most of this, and we'll not forget you in 1844. 1844. Presidential year. That's it, Daniel. We won't forget you. I promise. Well, thank you, Secretary. Come on, let's go. Ah, Daniel, we've been waiting for you. Sorry. Sorry to be late, gentlemen, but I couldn't help it. Daniel, we won't mince word. Tyler's in public. Absolutely. This is a quick judgment, isn't it? No. Daniel, the entire cabinet's resigning in protest against the Tyler's policy. Yes, I know. I know. I've just come from the meeting. Everyone but you has sent in his resignation. Yes, and it's expected of me, too. Certainly. You're a wig. I'm a loyal, trustworthy... Yes, of course. No one's questioned those qualities in you. I know you have a problem, Daniel. The Canadian border dispute with England is bothering you, isn't it? You know as well as I that if negotiations in that border dispute fail, it might even lead to war. I know, but that's Tyler's responsibility. If he hadn't alienated his cabinet, there'd be no worry. But I... I feel as though I must go on with the negotiations. Let someone else handle them. Someone who isn't familiar with the situation, he might bungle it, might destroy any chance for peaceable negotiations. Again, that's Tyler's responsibility. Now look here, Daniel. There'll be another presidential election. You've got to look ahead to 1844. Always look ahead, always hope. Is that it again? Well, how much time do I have? We'll see you again tomorrow morning, Daniel. And I know you'll be sensible. Remember, 1844. President Daniel Webster. President Daniel Webster. Sounds good, doesn't it, Daniel? Sounds all fickle. Huh? Uh, what? President Daniel Webster. Sure it wouldn't be traitor Daniel Webster? Who are you? Your country. The country you love. You heard me once before, when you took the job as Secretary of State. I remember. What do you want now? You, I guess, then. I've served you. I've worked for you, as much as any man. Maybe more, then. But who's going to say when any man can stop? All right. What do I have to do for you now? Keep me your country from war. And keep myself from hope. And that which I've wanted above anything else. I know. One of us has to be hurt, then. And which do you love more? Yourself? Or me? Your country? Yes. Yes, all right. But this is the last time. The last time. You are listening to The Conscience of Black Dano, starring Thomas Mitchell as Daniel Webster, on the cavalcade of America, sponsored by the DuPont Company, maker of Better Things for Better Living through chemistry. Despite the fact that Daniel Webster was bitterly disappointed because he was not nominated for the presidency in 1836 and 1840, he accepted the position of Secretary of State under William Henry Harrison. A month after the inauguration, the sudden death of Harrison brought Vice President Tyler to the presidency. In protest against Tyler's policies, the entire cabinet resigned, all but Daniel Webster, who, because he listened to the voice of his country, remained in office to avert war. Four years later, four quiet years spent at Marshfield. Daniel, they want you to run for the Senate again. Yeah, I know, I know. After four years, they want me back. Why? I think you know. Oh, yes, I know. They want my auditory, not me. Well, I'm not a voice to be turned on and off. Now look, Daniel, the party was furious when you stayed in Tyler's cabinet. You alienated the Whigs who would have supported you in 1848. Now is your chance to redeem yourself. The country needs you in the Senate. The country or the Whigs? Now don't be stubborn. I tell you, this fight between slavery and anti-slavery forces is going to be bitter. Long drawn out. Daniel, are you in favor of slavery? You know better than that. Then you've got to go back to the Senate. Raise your voice against it. Remember, they're talking about you as president again, Daniel. Ha! They did that before. Twice. But this is different. The issue is sharper and bigger. If you raise your voice, then no one can keep you out of the White House. No one. Well, we've a fight on our hands this time, Senator. Play will give it to us. I'm sure of it. That's why I wanted to see you this morning. Oh, you read the compromise. You know it might extend slavery. Have you considered that there might be war with the South? What? Now, Daniel, that's absurd. George, I haven't much time. You wanted to see me, and I have a great deal of work to do before Congress meets. Good. Then we'll get right to the point. Here are letters, Daniel. Letters from men who hate slavery, who want it stopped. There are thousands of such letters. Each one a vote for the man who defeats Clay and his compromise. I see. I'm sure you do, Daniel. Will you be that man? I'm in 1852. That's a presidential year. These are your answers to 1852. Fight, Daniel. Fight. Fight as only you can. We need you. Fight for us, and we'll see you into the White House. This compromise can mean only one thing. The extension of a practice abhorrent both to humanity and our country. It's... Oh, no, no. That's no good. That's no good. It's hard to write, isn't it, Daniel? Huh? Oh. Yes, it is hard to write. You don't seem surprised to see me here with you. I expected you. I see. This has to be your greatest speech, Daniel. I know, but I can't write it. Maybe it's because you don't want to. I do want to. It's got to be written now and spoken tomorrow. Then write it, Daniel, and let me help you. You? Yes. Put this into it, Daniel. And the tramp of booted feet and the rattle of musketry will resound through the nation. And the blood of Americans will soak deep into the earth. Oh, no, no, no. Be quiet. And your own son, Daniel, he who gave his life in one war will see his grave shaken by the thunder of another. No, I'll hear no more. My conscience and my soul are my own. Once before you came to me and destroyed my hope and my future, I listened then, but I will not listen to you now. Then I shall listen to you in the Senate tomorrow. Well, Daniel, you all ready? I'm ready. Good, good. Show them we mean business, Daniel. Fine. Leave no doubt that we're against the compromise. Take the floor immediately. Yes, sir. All right. Now listen to Black Daniel, the next president of the United States. Mr. President! Mr. President! First Senator from Massachusetts. Mr. President, what I have to say today is, is, what I have to say is... Daniel, what's the matter? Go on. Yes, yes, I'm all right. I'm all right now. Gentlemen, today I shall speak not as a Massachusetts man nor as a Northern man, but as an American. I shall speak in behalf of a client of mine, one to whom I owe much, one to whom I owe so great a debt that my conscience will not have in mind. Gentlemen, I say to you that this compromise is the only way to avert war. Now, I have finished. I plead with you. I beg you, as you love this country and as I love it, we must not have war. This compromise can keep it from us. Trader, Trader! Trader! Trader! Trader! Trader! You miserable traitor! Trader, Trader, very well, Trader, yes, but I'm at peace with my own conscience. Good morning, Dan. Huh? Oh. Oh, you've come to Marshfield, too. I've always been here. You're tired, Dan. Tired and beaten and hopeless. They hate you now, don't they, Dan? They hate you for speaking in favor of the Compromise. Yes. They hate me and call me a traitor. The man who betrayed his own party. My observing his countryhood. Oh, why did you come to me? I could have been president. I didn't come to you. You always came to me. Come here to the window, Dan. Huh? Open the window. Look, Dan, the sky. The sea. And the fields. Is that all you see? No. I see the Union. The Union. The strength of the rocks. That lie deep and solid. The sound of the sea. That's the voice of eternity. The richness of the soil. To give bounty to all. Black Dan, you're tired. Sit down. No. No, I'm not tired. Not now. No man is tired who serves well his conscience and his country. Our star, Thomas Mitchell, will return in just a moment. But now, here's Bill Hamilton of the DuPont Company. Perhaps you can remember the time when an orange was a rare treat. You only got one at Christmas in your Christmas stocking. Younger people will find that hard to believe, but it's so. Today, Americans by the millions think of orange as a gift. But they don't know that it's a gift. It's so. Today, Americans by the millions think of oranges and orange juice as a regular part of their diet. I don't suppose there's another country in the world in which that's true. But it is true in the United States. American oranges are bigger and juicier. And there are more of them largely because orange growers have attacked their problems scientifically. Chemical science, for instance, has made several contributions which have helped to make citrus fruits as plentiful as they are. Chemical fertilizers, chemical insecticides, and now DuPont nylon. You may well ask how nylon, a chemically made fiber used in manufacturing sheer stockings, luxurious intimate apparel, and rugged industrial products, can be of use to the citrus industry. Well, here's the answer. To protect orange trees against a parasite known as scale, they are treated with DuPont Hydro-Sci Acid Gas Fumigant. The work is done at night. A tent is pulled over each tree and filled with the gas that kills the scale insects. But think of the work of dragging heavy tents over thousands, hundreds of thousands of trees, one at a time. Fumigation tents may now be made of DuPont nylon, approximately half as heavy as conventional tent duck, strong or stronger, and the nylon remains light and strong even when it gets wet. It is easier on the men and on the trees, too, for it has a smooth surface that coasts over the delicate twigs with minimum breakage. Tents of DuPont nylon for citrus trees have other advantages. They are highly resistant to abrasion and stand up under rough handling. Mildew doesn't weaken them. They are little affected by rain or the fumes from the smudge pots that warm the groves when there is frost. Thus, the same chemical invention that can be knitted into glamorous hosiery, nylon is also woven into a tough, durable fabric that helps to bring you your glass of orange juice. Nylon comes to you from DuPont, maker of better things for better living through chemistry. And now again, here is our star, Thomas Mitchell. Well, Mr. Mitchell, we of Cabellcade want to thank you for being with us again. Thank you, Bill. It's always a pleasure to appear on Cabellcade. When I'm not here working, I'm at home listening. Good. You keep up that listening habit. Well, it might be a bit difficult for the next few months. I'm going on tour with my play and inspector calls. In fact, we open in Baltimore tomorrow night, then right across the country. Well, lots of luck, Tom. Thanks. Well, that's no excuse. You put a radio in your dressing room or in that derby you carry on stage. That I will, sir, that I will, especially these next two weeks. I want to hear Joel McCray and Robert Taylor. That you will, sir, that you will. So thanks again, Tom, and lots of luck. Oh, wait a minute, Bill. Can I squeeze in another few words? Sure enough. Well, I suggest that all you young men in the audience between the ages of 17 and 32 investigate the Citizen Marine Corps and learn how you can be a civilian and a Marine at the same time. That the Marine Corps is a great organization, I don't have to tell you. And now these hometown Marines are getting excellent training as Marines without leaving home and with the privilege of resigning any time. Well, that's all I want to say. Good night, Bill, and thanks. Good night, Tom, and good luck. Music Next week, the DuPont Cavalcade presents the popular Hollywood screen star, Joel McCray. In an action-filled melodrama, Sheriff Teddy. A story of President Theodore Roosevelt's early days as a deputy sheriff on our western frontier. Tonight's DuPont Cavalcade, The Conscience of Black Dammels, was written by Russell Hughes. Featured in tonight's play with Thomas Mitchell, where Barbara Weeks is Caroline, Ted Osborne as the Wig, and Delmar Nutsman as the Voice. The music was composed by Arden Cornwell and conducted by Donald Bryan. This is Ted Pearson inviting you to listen next week to Sheriff Teddy, starring Joel McCray on the Cavalcade of America, brought to you by the DuPont Company of Wilmington, Delaware. Applause This is NBC, the national broadcasting company. Music
