The daily union. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1845-1857, 1846-01-05

ignorance and faction combined could LET of TO
show, that our government was foolish or wicked in
urging the soundness OF title against the pre- ten
sions OF England. Yet all these things were done
done on system-done to the worst possible ten
deney, II not in the worst possible spirit. We
branded them, one by one, they came up, even as
the country brands them now. And we arc glad
that we did not spare our labor.
OF Mr. Webster's position on these questions Of
Texas and Oregon, defined in his late speech in
Faneuil Hall, We have written in tho same spirit,
and we see no call to change what we have writ
ten. We have done no injustice to his great pow
ers; we have only eensured their perversion. We
have seen in these, his recen, demonstrations, the
same obliquty Of sentiment and feeling on great
questions Of American policy, which, shown
on other occasions, has divorced--as we
think, hopelessly and forever---this distin-'
ungoishsd gentleman from the confidence and
the sympathy Of the masses of his counirymen.
Mr.. Webster's estimation in his country is phe
nomenon full Of instruction to American statesmen.
He 10 like his own "strong man constantly strug-
Cling in morass." He is forever getting into DIFF
hculties, and his ingenuity to be exhausted in
getting out Of them. He never escape without
the stain of some last unfortunate achievement The
curse of Reuben seems TO be upon him; Unstable as
water, thou shalt not excel" How else IL Il that,
with every intellectual attribute needful TO make
great party leader, he find considerable party
that ventures to accept his lesdl No other man can
state the Of party to the country better. Why
is IL then, that party before the country can trust
him with It's casei Certainly he has not been ruled
and ridden into unpopulsrity by any one 'fxed
idea" He has ysered round often enough to find
the popular point Of the compass at last He has
been for the tariff and against the tarif-he has adj
yoeated the bank, and then proclaimed the bank an
"obsole,e idea" He has even shown signs oftry-
ing nativesm, and has in fact tried almost every
thing else. Yet, during his nearly forty years Of
public life, he has been about thirty-two or three
years in opposition; and thus having encountered
i-luek all through is now, in the midst of grave
dispute with England, staggering under the obloquy
Of set and systematic psnegyric in the London
Times. Hard fate-surpassingy hard fate for prom
ineni and ambitious and eloquent American states
man! The story has lis moral. The spirit, which even
in the prime Of youthful ardor stood back little too
Gar, and little too long, in Difference the mercan-
tile interests OF Massachusetts,, in the great issue Of
! l5l2-whieh stood up for property as an ayowed
basis Of political power in the organization of the
Senate of that state-which went against the tariff
while Boston only traded and then wen, for the IA.
riff when Boston BEGAN TO m.nuf.e,ur,--which
tough, the bank quarrel straight through Ill, the very
last, long AFTER the bank had come 10 mean in m.
popular dialect, ..corr,pt priyilepen-wbicb souvb,
10 thus, Texas out Of the male Of our freedom and
proclaimed that her admission would be asbame "
even after the public faith had been fully pledged to
admit her--which gave up little Too much disputed
territory in the treaty of washington shirt /,