The daily union. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1845-1857, 1846-12-04
MR.. WEBsrER,s spRRcH.

T sts have AZ mat iauit uunS ou' 'hOh S'sS' D'S'
LxA at Philadelphia The whole affair Of the Web
,sr "banquet," on Wednesday last, seems to have
been arranged and got up with great care. The Vi
.uds we're kne-the music, perfect flourish OF har-
mony-the asssmblage numerous and brilliant, and
The Oratory of the most approved old Federal stamp
|Nr. webster's long and most elaborate speeeh-in-
tlppersed with legal readings by Mr.. Philip Hone,
and variety OF documentary and other readings by
|,hs orator himself upon the points In relation to
which he sought to define his position exactly
uurportsd To be al once a crushing inyeelive
against the whole character and career Of the
present administration, and full programme OF the
Federal line Of hostlides, not against Mexico, but
AGAINST our own government, in the approaching
session of Congress. This earefullystudied speech
Its delivery being postponed ill the very eve Of
NE assembling Of Congress-of course embraces a
srge variety Of topics. Clearly, however, its main
object is to aSsa and Willy the Mexican war. Al
most at its outset upon this topic it sgmatzsS the
commencement Of the war as ian invasion Of neu-
trail territory" by the "mere authority and discre-
ton Of the Executive" Presuming very properly
upon the patience Of any audience which could swa-
low such statement, the orator next proceeds to
msnt our war il waged and prosecuted entirely wilh
oi authority Of latel So at least we understand the
following very remarkable sentence:
at might be said that Congress- by the act Of May
justified the President and made the war It's own;
bu, Mr.. w did not consider that the act meant more
Than to say, that he President had right 10 d<ttnd
he whole srieni Of our territory, bat not 10
sequls foreign territory establish provinces, aP-
point governors, and annex an entire new world TO
the Union"
Az nobody but Mr.. Webster ever dreamed that
the act Of the lsth Of May was intended to author
irs the President to "annex an entire new world to
the Union" this sentence, we conceive, could have
been spoken by Mr.. Webster only for the purpose
Of asserting il does in terms assert, that the act
in question was not intended to authorize the inpasion
gH,reO, but to restrict the President to defensive
operations uiihin "the extent Of our own terrific
ry" This will be a fine morsel Of intelli-
g.nce for the Mexican journals to circulate
through that country. II will be a marvellous
proper help to our armies in their efforts to secure
promptly that honorable peace" which all good
men desire, and which Mr.. Webster seems to think
desirable. In this view, this last declaration may
fairly stand side by side With the 'stop snd-negoti-
ate" policy which Mr.. Webster recommended in the
Senate, asserting, by the way, that while we did SO
stop, We should only be spending half million Of
dollars a day! We trust that Mr. Webster will
give in his place in the Senate the grounds upon
which, as a lawyer, he POUNDS the above construc-
II IL. ~ AZ Oh e a.
reasons be given we shall take the liberty to regard
the above exposition of that statute as, under the
the very most foolish and criminal
act even Of Mr.. Webster's public life. 1t is de-
caraton most manifestly fitted, if net intended, in
time Of war to paralyze our arms and to strengthen
the arms of the enemy. Viewed as legal opinion,
it 10 utterly opposed the plain letter Of the statute,
and 20 it is palpable absurdity. To assert that
this act restricts our government to defensive opera
TONS is a proposition if possible "a little more udi-
crous and diecreditable even than Mr.. Webster's
idea OF REPRESENTATIVES, that was before gener-
ally thought to have sounded the very lowest ba-
thos of partisan folly. OF late in his public declar-
atoms, especially upon the war, Mr.. Webster seems
to have been left like the swart parsonage of Mil
ton, to "fal with effort and "laborious descent"
through the successive gradatons of error and alb
surdity. Now however, we think he is at his very
lowest At Philadelphia he has fairly found his
Nadir. .
Wehave no time now to comment fully upon this
extraordinary address; and besides, we take warn
ing BY the past, and remember that it is not safe to
hold Mr.. Webster to the first persion which his
friends give Of his remarks on important topics.
We shall doubtless have the corrected and qualified
report soon and we shall wait at least one day for
It. We cannot but give, however, one other short
passage of the speech, which we present to our
readers as fair specimen Of its truthfulness, and
IF i,s whole spirit. Mr.. Webster is speaking of
he recent settlement of the Oregon question, and he
'ayG . ~as ..... .... .s
SNOW, the remarkable Characteristic of the settle
ment Of that question by treaty this Treaties,
according to the constitution, to he negotiated
BY the President, and approved by the Senate, but
his treaty was negotiated by the Senate, and
agreed and acquiesccd in by the President Mr..
Polk was inaugurated in March, l545. The nego-
a,ion was terminated in August, l8i5, and he ,ons
not a,oars that from that day the present administration
'ihtr al home or abroad, did the least thing on
where they left it, it would not have been brought
% an end in ffy years. But it was now settled on
,quable and fair considerations"
Now, in reply to this, we observe that most men,
few months ago, and we think even Mr.. Webster
mong them, did regard the "notce," as recon-
nended by the President last December, to be a
step" of some importance and of some little bear
Y upon the case. Sir Robert Peel certainly thought
o, because as soon as he had seen the Presidents
Message recommending the "notice, he at once de-
Jared, what neither he, any other British min
'ter had ever thought of declaring before, that che
oud not say" that the old American proposition
or adjustment on the line Of forty-nine degrees
ought to have been rejected" The French
a'esmen thought that the recommendation Of the
notice" did "adcanee" the negotiation single step;
or when they saw it, Berger and Theirs said in
he French chamber, "Americs will not yied Eng
and will yield; and the question will be settled on
he line Of forty-nine degrees" SO much for Mr..
Webster's judgment and accuracy in relation to
oregn controversy which is now smaller Of hisioryl
From this we may infer how accurate and trust
worthy he is in his declarations upon another for