The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1851-02-24
Celebration Of the Anniversary q Wssh
iDgton's Birth.


Our columns contain, this morning, a yerv fulL
and exceedingly interesting. report Of the oraion Of
Mr.. Foote, OF Mississippi, on the character or
Washington, which was delivered at Niblo'y
establishment, before the Union Committee and an
immense concourse of citizens, at two o'clock or
Saturday, while the streets and public places were
thronged with the population of the city and sur
rounding towns, anxious to do honor to the days,
according to their several tastes and dispositions.
1t was gratifying spectacle 10 every American
heart; and those who were unable to hear the ora.
ton of Mr.. Foote on the character OF the Father
Of his Country, should devote an .hour to its calm
perusal, to strengthen their own impulses in favor
Of the country and the constitution, BY instructing,
themselves on the value Of those opinions which
were transmitted by the first President, as his most
solemn and important legacy to his countrymen!
Mr. Foote'S Grafton will give every one an insighss
into the purity, honesty, perseverance, prudence
and wisdom of that character, TO which this nator
has been chiefly indebted for rs peace, security
and prosperity, and which has stimuli ated the mass
of the people to admire it, suited to the institu
tons under which we exist-and which. while it
is respected by the majority Of the people, Wiz
prove a talsman of political power over the evil
genii of the political atmosphere who strike at tho
foundation of all that is great and good
Beside Mr.. Foote'S grafton, we can warmly.
commend, also, the reports of the speeches which
were made at the dinner at Niblos, on the even.
ing of Saturday. and the letters from the President
Of the United States and other distinguished men,
which form valuable part of our reports. The
speech of Mr.. Everett was delivered in his usual
style of warm and glowing eloquence, and we have
higher opinion of it's value on this OCCASION from
the fact that we have found him always at his
post on great constitutional questions. We shall
not forget, and the country should not, that in
Congress one Of his best oratorcal efforts was
made in opposition to the abolition doctrines Of
Tristan Burgess, of Rhode Island. twas in Jan .
1928, when D'Auterive made claim on the
United States for injury to the property he held
in slave who was disabled at the battle of New
Orleans. Mr.. Everett on that occasion sustained
the plain constitutional view of the ques!ion-and
now, after more han twenty years have elapsed
we find i'm again pie ding for strict obedience to
the laws, the only safeguard from the peril that
must threat any disregard of this principe
There Is NOR importance attached by US to his
views, too, because he is Massachusetts man,
who, from his social and int lee ual position, may
be supposed to represent the truly popular feeling
of that section of country, latey stained by the
negligence OF its federal ofticers and the insane
temerity of the mob, led on by some of the fapacs
of that region. We gather hope out of such evil
dence of respect for the constitution, that the late
rescue in Boston an acci dental and not popu-
lar fact, and that the good men of that city will
not again permit the only guide of our actions ag
impropriators OF this confe deracy, to be trampec
down beneath the heels of higher law madmen.
We have not space to alude, more particularly,
to the other spec, hes and sentiments Of the ocea-
sion. They have their own Iumpet-tongued clo-
quence, which will go out to increase the national
faith in the conservative efficacy of an enlightened
people, who have learned already that, on ques-
tons whose tendencies are doubtful, party tactics
must be scanned with the most scrupuous nicely,
lest men should be hurried into the entertainment
of creeds which cannot be persisted in without
dargsr-and dreadful danger-:o the hopes Of the
confederacy, and, consequently, to the hopes %
mankind.