New-York tribune., 1841-10-02
MIR. wEBsTER's POSITION.
No. ".

ne allegation =, that me President authorized
certain Members Of his Cabinet, Nh Webster and
Mr.. Ewing to communicate to Mr. Berrien OF the
Senatr. and Nh Sergeant OF the House, that he
would approve OF bill Of given description, and
that aterward he returned the bill with objections
without communicating his intention TO De 20 to
tn. gentlemen 80 authorized, OF TO any other Mem
bers OF his Cabinet.
Mr. Ewing ays:-" Important az wa. the part
which had taken al your request in the organize
ton o: this bill, and deeply as was committed for
your action upon It. You nevcr consulted ne the
subject OF the Veto Message. You did no; even
refer to II in conversation, and the first notice !
had OF it. contents va. derived from ruuaor. A.
10 me. n; least Won have done nothing to wipe
away the personal ndisnity arising out Of ms act.
What act Mr. Eciag fras not consulted on
Tie SUBJECT of tie g'e'o. 7lis sas tie indignitg
Mr.. BADGER contends that /, vas, in his opinion
plain duty on hi- the President, part TO have
made known TO the gentlemen concerned nj;
Cabne; this change Of seniimenr-to have offered
them an apology FOR the unpleasant situation in
which they were placed by hi- agency---r at least
to have sof,ened, by :all explanation OF MS mo-
tve., hi. intended veto OF measure. in promoting
the success Of which. they 81 hi. request had rem
dered their assistance.
Mr. Bell did not resign on account OF '' differ
encc Of opinion between tn Presiden, and him an
the subject of j Bank aor a. he says, because
the President though, proper to triie with or mis-
lead his Cnbinet in the affair OF the Fiscal Bank
bill. There were other. and some of them pre-
existing. causes. As these cau-rs no; stated,
they cannot become the subject OF public remark.
The graraaea of the complain; made by the
retiring Members of the Cabinet i, not tina, the
President changed his mind, bu, that he did not
apprise these gentlemen Of that change.
Now nothing /. more apparent, from the whole
OF these Cabine, disclosures, than that the Presi
dent was thoroughly purposed not to do any thing
on The subject Of Bank, inconsistent with the
principles which he had previously maintained, a.
public man. Thi. hi, Caoinc, well knew. for he
mad freely and frankly communicated it To them.
One would be led To suppose that the President
considered ms opinions On this subject i-revious!
avowed, as the resul, of the most mature reiec-
iion 70 the maintenance Of which ne was strongly
pledged, and from which he did not consider him
self at liberty depart; they were TO him clothed
with something like the sanctity Of a religion.
creed. On the other hand l think it may be fairly
inferred that he was sincerely desirout, if consist
entity with his previously expressed opinions he
could do 50, of cooperating with the Wing Mem
bers OF Congress in giving to the country some
of institution which would aid the fiscal operations
of the Government, and assist in regulating the
currency and exchanges of the country. How TO
accomplish these objects seems to have been sub
iect sf great anxiety and most perplexlng embar-
rassment 10 the President. This IL most manifest.
particularly from the of Nj. Dell. In
this statement the President Is related 10 have
said, in Cabinet Council, that he had a disposition
to 90 as far he could to comply with he wishes
of hi- friends, but he adverted the peculiar rea
tion in which he stood to the Bank question
urged that his consistency should be looked to
-entreated that his Cabinet would stand by him
as friends. and help him out of his difficulties
He preferred that the whole subject shou.. be
postponed until the session, bu, if the passa &c
of some bill was indispensable now, he thought he
could approve of one the outlines of which he die
tated vet still it wa. most evident that the APP
proval Of this bill rested upon the fact that i,
could be clearly distinguished in principle from the
former Bank of the United States which he had
He desired the members of his Cabinet
to point out the distinction, in principle, between
the old Bank and the oae proposed, and thought
this distnction clearly established that he could
with perfect proPriety, approve the latter Yet it
l. manifest that the mind If the President was
great OF his apprehension seemed TO BE- that
he should subject himself 10 the charge OF ncon-
,stency. Witness Mr.. Bell statement OF his con-
yersation with the PresideEt when he was reading
the first Yeo and the farther conversation between
these gentlemen on the evening O. the next day.
In the Cabae, council, held on the 18th August,
the President appealed to the members of the Ca
bino a. his friends, and requested them to stand
by him on the subiec, Of Bank, and when the
Bill then under consideration had been fully dis
cussed, and all the material points disposed CT
and when all the members OF the Cabinet had tx
pressed their decided appreciation OF it, the Pres-
dent said that. after all he would not sancion a
Bank in the form just .greed upon, i he supposed
ii 'roD!a be mGac he ground rrorE or Jasis Of a
Ba1lk, r-d al tie PO'cers Of the lq.s Bqnb OF The
tnted .Sfsfes. H feared thar the Wings would
bring forward amendments, at some subsequent
session Of Congress, giving the power OF local dis
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