The southern press., 1851-03-28
rh. webster Dinusr at Annapolis.


The Webster Dinnsr at Annspolis-
Mr. WEssrsR has acquired 80 high reputa-
ton as speaker, that he INDUCES himself of
late in making rather dull and prosy speeches.
lie has acquired fame and power, and with them
host Of parasites, who puff and admire him on
all occasions-and are peculiarly rapturous when
he happens to say anything particularly fiat.
Mr. WEBSTER has become a little too much
addicted to cant. He says all good men must
be in favor Of preserving this Union, and like
Mr.. SEWARD says, that those in favor of seces-
sion must be mad.
If the morality of the parties that are now d.
vided on the merits of the Union were COM
pared, we hardly think the cause of Union would
profit by it. Mr.. WEBSTER should not be very
rigorous in his censorship.
The idea that all good men desire the preser-
vation Of the Union, springs from the notion re-
Gently put FORTH that the Union is thing of
divine origin-that it subsists by divine right.
We suppose that it is purely u secular affair, and
would deem it no impeachment of mans
morals if he were to think as Mr.. CLAY and Mr..
WEBSTER did only six years ago, that terri
tory and population extending even to the Rio
| Grande, were too great for free government
In fact, we should think disunionist might be
as good man as Wing or a Democrat, par.
ticuarly if either of the latter had been party
managers and office holders
Mr.. WEBSTER dwells long on the character of
General WASHINGTON, and had to stop in the
middle of the speech to propose toast to his
memory Well, WAsHINGToN we think distin-
guished himself quite as much, and exerted him
self ten times as much, to dissolve one Union US
to construct another. He devoted ten times as
as he did to Union. And we don't see any
thing in Mr. WEBsTER's speech, to show that
the present Union is more sacred than the one
General WARRINGTON helped to destroy. In
fact the arguments in favor of the two, look
very much alike. Mr.. WEBSTER told us on n
former occasion, that in the revolution we made
war on an abstraction and preamble. We think
the abstraction by the North Of all California and
her gold is rather more considerable than the
tax on stamps and tea, which the British govern
ment proposed to effect.
| Mr.. WEBSTER says:
Gentlemen. concur in the sentiments express
sed by you all and thank God that they were
expressed by you all, in the resolutions passed
here on the 10th of December. You say that
the Constitution Of the United States has ac-
complished all the objects, civil and political,
which the most sangune of its trainers and
friends anticipated; and that the affections of
the people of Maryland are justly riveted to its
principles by the memory of the characters of
the wise and good men who framed it. as well
as by the blessings they literally bestow through
out the world That is my sentiment. My
heart is in it. [Applause.] Altogether, live
and breathe, walk and sleep-Ih had almost said
| pray to God daily--iq the very sentiment of
that resolution.
4 Well, then great change has been going on
in Mr.. WEBsrER's mind, as General CAss says
For it is only about sixteen years ago that Mr..
WEBSTER, in the same State of Maryland, and
at Baltimore, only thirty miles distant from the
place of this dinner, addressed a meeting on
Sabbath in revolutionary times. For then the
Constitution had not accomplished all that its
sanguine friends anticipated General JACKSON
had removed The deposits! And Mr.. WEBSTER,
who now see no cause for revolution
in the transfer of the richest gold banks in the
world by acts Of legislation, from one section of
the Union to the other, then could not contain
himself, on Sunday, from denouncing as revolu-
tionary, the transfer of the public money-no,
not even that-fhe change Of The place Of deposit
therefor, from one side ofa street 10 another!
Mr.. WEBSTER undertook to be facetious, and
asked, if State secede, where will she 90 and
the company thereupon applauded.
Well, we suppose there is some hidden wit
or hidden wisdom in this question, which CON-
mon mortals who are not members of a Consti-
tutioDal Convention are unable to discover. IT,
however, State should fall into such guam
dairy, it would have the example and sympathy
of certain illustrious parsonage, who once en-
qured pathetically, where he was to go to, on
an imputed secession from his party. Perhaps
as Mr. WEBSTER survived such an exigency,
State might survive it.
s-V@ The American Telegraph, new daily
paper in this city has already regularly appeared
for several days, although our copies were re-
ceived only yesterday. 1t is well printed, and
| hoe ,,J J.tt~