Daily Richmond Whig. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1840-1842, 1842-10-21
DANIEL wERsrER.

DANIEL WEBSTER.
TO rHs EDITOR or rus ALEXANDRIA GAZETTE
AN bo, se'Jom deceived In my estimate ofhu
m.a character. The splepdor which genius msy
throw srosnd IL. or the admiration which vast in
t.liee,usi power may b.se,. may dane for time
and cast the more proaiaen, dsiee,s Of public char
setes in the shade; but calm analysis like the spea
oflthurel dspels the gorgeous illcsons. and leave
81 in NIL ity native beauty OF defcrsnity. History
has Furnished some iustrious examples Of great in
iei,ee,uai power and attsinments united to grea
moral inhrni,y.
'Ifparts aisre thee, soc how B,eon shined,
The grea,css. wiscs. uson,ss Of msoknL"
OF the depth, range, power and vigor OF Dsnic,
webster's mind, no one can doubt Il is, emphat-
iea.iy. vast laboratory ofthooght, where the mate
rial, however crude and ind iges,sd, which may be
thrown into IL, is shaped into solid and beau
tsul forms-and comes out pure, loeid and MASSIVE.
% all subjects connected With HE profession or POI
,ical science his research 10 profound and his read
ing extensive and accurate. He has The means
jiviuior, and can penetrate future events win as
much clsarness ne u 10 possible for the human MIND
10 reach lis patriotism, too, 10 sound and ardent
when IL does not come IN contact with stronger
passion ambition, self love. or what 10 sill more hu
initiating, the love Of power. he 10, IN short, great
speaker a great ogicisn, sound statesman, and nj
the ANS tune political mereenary. As q polnicisn,
he thinks necessary to resort to the tiekery and
strategy which usually belong to such character,
bat his deception 10 too obvious, aud his hypocrisy
wears 60 thin veil. that IL scarcely requires an Of
fort to penetrate IL In his attempts To play the 20.
clan too, az 10 his appearance in q drawing room,
YOU see the clumsiness and awkwardness OF the
Elephant, attempting TO initiate the fantastic foole-
ries and gyrations OF harlequin. They are iuc''
crous we'll a. disgusting. he has scarcely
friend whom he has not disappointed and alenated,
and given scarcely promise that he hos not viola.
ted. Before he was eleva'ed to the Seere,aryship
of State. all eyes were fixed upon him as stern.
accompanying and infexible Whis-irom whom
his political freods expected that their principles and
fhos. he had been long the eloquent advocate and
supporter, would be carried out TO the letter.
They never Tor a moment suspected his political
honesty. But scarcely had he become warm IN his
seat, which manifest change was visible IN his
whole department. HIS admirers, and those who
had sustained him with all their efforts and talents,
and at no nconsi3ersbe expense, were either reus-
ed adttanc. TO tts preseeee, or, ado lted, treat
ed with cold and repusive hauieur. he seemed
TO fancy that TO other man had ever held the rank
OF Secre'erv of State befove,--aud his depor,men,
20 his old ieicads was that Of Turkish Sultan or
O Persian Sairar. At the same time, the OPP
pos,te party invarisbly began TO find favor IN
his sieht-and | cannot express the iosthing and
disgust | felt when I saw him, al one of the
Ora wing rooms Of the President, approach the edi-
tor Of the N. York Herald. and in the presence
OF the whole crowd, salute him in The warmest and
most cordial and fulsome manner. AT the disso'u-
ton Of the first Cabinet, IN constq nence OF the
idents veto Of the Bank measure, 10 which he
had previously assenied, felt great doubts whether
DANIEL Webster would have the independent feeling
90 follow the noble example oil those with whom
be had been associated in the Cabinet-and vho
could not submit the nd'gnIy cast upon them,
or prove recreant 10 their principles. Time soon
satisfied the party that his love Of ofi-e WAS TOO
strong. and that It equire6 something more power
ful than a mere notion OF honor, TO tear him from
- ia.
which, siter years Of struggle he had a, last attain
cd. He says, indeed, tnat his friends whom he
consulted advised him 10 remain, and with che lsive
egoiism, intimaes that he was the only man lifted
bring the antcipated negotiation with the govern
ment OF Great Britain 10 q successful ISSUE
The moment he decced upon remaining in the
Cabinet-especialy after his insulting declaration,
tina he TO retire, felt that he had for
feted hi, caste, and was prepared 10 go almost 10
any length with President Tyler. His enmity 10
MIR Clay was infested from the moment he en-
tered upon the duties OF 40 Office which Mr. Cav
himself had recommended HIM TO hU. Like Sir
Robert Walpoe, he slowed power so much that he
would not endure a rival" All his appointments
were made from among those he believed 10 be
friendly TO him, and he appointed none whom he
kne~ 10 be friendly 10 Mr. Cay. Had Harrison
Lv d, have no doubt he would have tried and per-
haps succeeded IN alternating him from the great lead
er OF the Wing party; for his OBJ. ct vas from the
nrst TO break him down " possible, and become
candidate for the succession. This amb tous 90
ject he has not for moment lost sight Of,
and his Whole movements have been direct.
ed 10 its accomplishment. Though his capacity is
unques,ionabie, he is nevertheless ignorant OF hu
mln nature reckless Of the sigrs Of the times.
He thought that by uniting his fortunes 10 those oil
Tyler. he might obtain the support OF his friends
whom ne thought and still thinks vastly more nu
merous than they are, and at the same time, not
lose the aid of the Wings whom he assuredy ina
gined no recrenncy OF his could separate from him,
and thus his chance OF success was almost &c tain.
The Whig Convention of Massachusetts, opened
his eyes and he began 10 the precipice which
he Stood 10 his speech lately delivered Of Faneul
Hall. explanatory OF his conduct, he endeavored 10
cajole or brow beat his hearers into the belief that
he was still a Whig-lhat the Convention had acted
foolishIy in declaring divorce between the Wing
party ard the adminlstration-though that admi-
nisration was in oil lis acts, decidedly and bidly
iocofoco-that all our misfortunes arose from the
Compromise set. whose author was Henry Clay,
and that they had thrown him out OF the pale OF the
party, ard would be the cause of the removal OF
Edward Everett and Levi Lincoln-ai OF which
were calamit,es heavy enough, he thought, TO de-
stroy the fepubliei In this last attempt TO "defne
his true position" he has rendered hinse still more
obnoxious 10 censufe, and has established the truth
of what I advanced in my last, tina. he was etber
a reeresnt 10 his party, or held on 10 ofice from
msrcensry or ambitious feelings.
WHAT MIR Webster intends now TO 10, ! shall
no, venture conjecture. de has forfeited the es>
TEEN of his party, and found that Of John Tyler
and F. p. Bair, OF the Globe. His party name
like that Of Squeers, in Nchoby. "is set forever
behind the mountain wave" History will place
him in the same nche with Wentworth, Ear Of
SraffOrd, to whose character, with the exception
OF courage, his bears strong analogy.
THEMIsToCLEs.
Washington, Oet Is, 1912.