New-York tribune., 1841-09-18
,,v wresTEs,s POSITION.
Letter from gentleman in Washington TO his friend IL
hi. City.


! Dear S;r.-ymr friendship for Mr. Webster,
and yeur solcitude for his fame induce me- VINO
share with YOU both those sentiments, 10 een4muni-
cate some particulars OF his course during the event
~ a..;a, Jus, terminated, which evince his patri-
,.;sv judgement, and devotion at once 10 the ;rue
interests OF his party and Of the country. shall
Tell vou nothing which YOU do ne; know already;
hui /, NAV not be unreasonable nor useless stca
moment as tins TO have in one view ard fruna al
eve witness important familiar facts. confess
desire 10 have i kept constantly in the public
mind, that his coussels and his wishes would have
preserved unirpa;red the integrity OF the Wing
party; would have prevented dissolution OF the
Cabinet, have maintained our Official relation. TO
the President; and have carried us through this
administration AID TO the organization OF another.
und;strac,ed unalienated, and full OF reasonable
hope.
At the commencement Of the session, :, before
Nr. Webster desired to the country provided
with useful Bank. This, Of course, vas 10 be
expected from his whole public life and opinions.
Ascertainng theexs'ence ofcon-titutinoa difficulties
in tho mind OF the President, ne assisted 70 nave
ne Bill which the Secretary OF the Treasury was
renuestsd 10 send to the Senate as pr0jet, made
Is perfect as possible, consistent with ihose diff
culties he endeayored to persuade his political
and personal friends TO pass that Bill, imperfect
though he thought it, and though i; was; he DIS
countenanced the introduction Of another ard dit
.ren, one which there were the best reasons to fear
the President would not approve he favored the
atfeup, of Mr.. Rives 10 restore by amendment
the substance Of the Treasury projet; and when
that had been defeated and the bill Containing the
compromise provision 10 the Executive. t!e
sought to secure MS official approval. In all iAis
be manifested that fidelity the party, deicacy 10
the President consideration OF unfortunate AMI
anticipated circumstances, and constant pursuit
Of practical public good, which the Country ex-
pec,ed indeed from him, au; could scarcely expec;
from any other man.
When the purpose of introducing ansther bill,
after the OF the first, adopted IN Congress,
Mr.. Webster no doubt sought to have It so framed
as to avoid the objections OF ;hc President; and
probably had no doub, it would receive his sigma
,ure until the appearance OF Mr.. Bo;ts's letter.
From that moment, as YOU collect from Mr. Ewing
Ietter the President manifested great aad rot un-
natural uneasiness and anxiety, and very strong
wish that the whole matter might De laid over Until
the mex, Session. M Webster thought this reason
able and expedient, under the circumstances; did
Nh Ewing. if | understand hi, letter; and ne com
7unicatcd hi, opinion ard his desire to MS friends
IN Congress The bill was passed and the
President; and then, Mr.. Ewing tells the public,
and as believe the truth TO be, Mr. Webster sub
:nitied written and oral argument to he Presi-
dent 10 ne. suade MIN to give it his sanction.
You see, therefore that if in this matter there
have been on both sides OF on either Side, faults
errors. Mr. Webster did all he could do ali that
man could do, in the succession of events, 10 pre-
ven, them. Down 10 he moment when liz adopted
and declared his determination not to retire from
Office there was within or without the VI ing
party who did not appreciate his sound judgement,
MS perfect fidelity and his admirable counsels.
have not II doubt that the sober second thought
Of the Country will do Justice To this determinations
His colleagues have retired from the same
yciion that influenced that portion OF the Wings in
Congress who have presented an Address TO the
public to Wit that there no longer exists any hope
Of satisfactory arrangement of the question OF the
Bank. under Mr. Tylcr's Administration. Mr..
Webster thinks the case not thus hopeless. He is
for another trial, and in another sense than they
would cxhort Us,
Me- cede mails, sed contra hudentior ito.
He thinks there is vet reasonable chance that the
President, and his new Cabinet, all Wings, selected
BY Wing, may present such scheme shall re-
ceive the vote of a Wing Congress. You perceive
from bis recent letter. that he deems Bank, as he
always has done. in some useful form 10 be wholly
INDISPENSABLE and FOX So great good he does not
think the country ought be required to wait four
wears longer. In this Aopc. and with these opin-
ions he remains in the Cabinet. He remains at
the post the Good President assigned to him; and
at which Mr.. TYLER desires him TO remain. He
sees | nave reason to believe, no cause to doubt
that the President is Influenced by a constant re-
gard 10 the public interests ard 10 the duties OF hs
great office, although it is true that schemes OF
Bank have struck his mind differently at different
i 81. s-.tr-H
tional principle he had adopted and avowed. In
the considerations suggested in the concluding Ian
guage of the las, Veto Message, there may perhaps
be found for this an explanation and an excuse
You have then in a word MIR. Webstcr's whole
course on this subject He thought, did the en-
tire Cabinet that the projet OF Bill first sent by
Mr. Ewing 10 the Senate on its call ought TO have
been passed by Congress into a law. He wished
the President 10 sign the somewhat different one
which, instead of that. Congress first sent TO him.
When the second Bill was introduced he thought
il was in such shape that it would receive TIE
Executive appreciation; but after the explosion
created hy Mr.. Bottss letter, he strongly advised,
AS did Mr. Ewing toe, that the whole subject should
be laid over for three months, afford time Tor ma
,ure thought and forcoecting the true sense OF the
country.
Under these circumstances, you viii concur with
me tina, Mr. Webster ous ht 10 stay where he l.. His
personal honor permits and hi. public duties require
it The means of doing good o: preserving peace.
Of quie;ing the public mind asi;a,ed BY apqrehen-
sion of war. of assisting administration by his wis
dom, his experience, his vnrivaled ability, and his
hold on the confidence of the country.-IheSe all
are in his hands, and they impose responsibility
which he could not cyade II ne would, and believe
would not If he csud
Iverily believe that MS retirement from the Cabi-
net, u, such momen, : this, would produce such
80. .-,,..rs.;nr ON ha Nnr.h and Easi %: The nncer-