The national era. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1847-1860, 1851-03-20
WASHINGTON, FRIDAY MORNING,
.JulU 10 1850


My DEAR SIR: You will hear various rumors
respecting appointments to the Cabinet, but none
of them will deserve credit any further than they
rest on general probability Nothing is decided,
as yet The present Cabinet have all rendered
their designations, but they will not be answered
till after the funeral
The three important Departments are State,
Treasury, Interior ! have no doubt some man,
known to be thoroughly sound on revenue mat
ters will be appointed to the Treasury. AS to
the State Department, have no idea who will
have it, although, if the power were with me,
think / could find a man, 'Odhom gong ont Of Mas
saehusetts, mho has talent enough, and knorledge
enough, bit whther he is a thls m9nlsa ! az fresh
Nobody can neil be Secretary Of State mho has
not fortune, unless he be a bochelor The Secya0ry
Of State is he had Of The administrations and he
must hare house. SOmetiaes, 10 receire guests H.
He rs, Of course necessarily daily communication
wuh HE diplomatic corps, ,rhieh, belre is thrice as
numerOus How as 'ras toe,uy ysarS ago.
My dear sir, you see the spirit of good will
which is manifesting itself here. THIS is the go-
en- opportunity, he assured
The opposition gentlemen are dctermincd-all
the conservative part of them at least-to give the
Administration fair play Mr. Fillmore is well.
intentioned and discreet. lie will meet with an
noyances from the rather overbearing spirit of
certain quarter, but hope he will stand stiff. II
he as successful in forming his administration, !
Ueriiy hlieUe prospect IS before MS for a better
state Of things Than IRE hare enjoyed for tmemy yedrS.
Yours, truly, DANIEL WEBSTER.
Mr. Hr,n.
As we understand ID, this letter is strongly
suggestive, The moneyed friends of Mr. Web
ster in Boston must have known precisely what it
meant Soon after, the office was rendered to
him-but, he was neither bachelor, nor a man
of fortune-and yet, if Secretary of State, pros
pect would at once open {" for better state Of
things than had existed for twenty years. How
important that the golden opportunity should
not be lost Could Mr.. Haven aril his wealthy
friends, after reading that letter. and then hear
ing by telegraph of his appointment, doubt what
was necessary to be done, even had no friends of
Mr.. Webster in Washington quickened their
zeal2
Certainly, we do not believe that he entered
into any formal arrangement, by which he de-
mandej so much money as n condition to his 60
ing into the Cabinet-but in the foregoing letter,
he suggested, first who was the proper man for
the Office of Secretary Of State and secondly the
pccuniary difficulty in the way of the acceptance
by that man of the appointment
The appointment was accepted, the money, it
is not denied, was raised OF the connection of
these two facts with the letter, People must Judge
for themselves. OF the improperly of any func-
tionary OF the Government accepting money from
private persons to enable him to discharge his
official duties with deccncy, or as a reward for
his services while he is yet holding office, no.
body, not blinded by the grossest idolatry, can
doubt
II the salary of the Secretary of State be too
small it is the duty Of the President to bring the
subject to the notice of Congress and recommend
that it he increased The Peoples representa-
tives, with all the facts before them, viii then do
what, in their Judgment, the interests of the De-
partment and the dignity of the Government de-
mand. Until this be done, it is fair to presume
that, in the judgment of the President and of
Congress, the salary now allowed by law is sufi-
cient, and what they deem sufficient with all the
facts Of the case before them, should satisfy the
friends OF Mr. Webster At all events, private
individuals act impertinently when they attempt
to salary functionary Of the Government, al |
ready provided for by law, besides subecting his
reputation to suspicion, and placing him under
obligations inconsistent with that independence
which the law fixing salaries for all officers of
the Government was intended to secure
Once more we must protest agains. the notion
Of certain Journals that it is necessary to the dig
nifty Of our Government aud the proper discharge
Of its executive duties, to enable the President