The Middlebury register. [volume] (Middlebury, Vt.) 1850-1882, 1852-11-03

olootion Tho course of national events at |
tbot time was embarr.ssing. the neriod. |
critical The North. Eastern boundarv.
the Oregon ouest;on Affairs on the South.
Western front;or tbo ;nterruntions of
our vessels on tho African coast the
Mcleod case and otber nernlexing oues-
t;ons bung over tho Administration when
General Harrison succeeded 70 the Pres.
idencv He nromntlv sought counsel
from Mr. Webster. Offering him any
most in the Cabinet he migb, choose and
laskine his advice "A to whom he would
select for the other members Mr.. Web.
ster became Secretary of State. and set
himself EARNESTLY to The adjustment of
the ncndine dispntes. It was soon an
parent that this would be no easy task.
even for one of such transcendant in
tellect and practised statosmanship.
The circumstances of General Har-
rison's election. however, gave to his
Administration moral power and a
| freedom of action as to prc.cxisting con.
troversics. favorable to their settlement
on honorable terms.
Az this crisis came an unoxnected
blow Tn ono short month after his in.
on,',ro,;or Pros;Jcnt Harrison was re.
'neorod o hv doath Wr Tylor stenncd in.
20 ,La yocont most rho C,b;net re.
m,;nod IN of;oo and Il ;s vol, understood
,hat | 40 aot;ro unanagemont of the diff.
cuIt noooc;at;ons Of ibe time was con
6ded TO Mr. Webster CORRESPONDENCE
betwoen Wosbin@ton and London had.
uudcr tbe nreyions administrations
Jw;ud,cJ into what Mr. Everett iustly
calls a .mere exercise of diplomatic log
Iic.n But there came a change of Ad-
ministration in London as well as at
Westinghouse Robert Peel succeeding
Lord Melbourne Premier, and Lord
Aberdeen taking Lord Palmerston's
place as Secretary of Foreign Affairs
Mr. Webster, with self reliance inher-
ent in all truly great minds, struck out
a new path, notified Mr.. Fox, the Brit
ish Minister at Washington, that the
American Government was willing to
step aside from the long beaten track Of
the controver sy, and to consider, and
if practicable, adopt conventional line
as the only mode of disposing of the diff
ficulty. The new British Cabinet met
the proposition in the same spirit, sen,
out Lord Ashburton, Mr.. Wcbster's
ersonal friend, and the world knows
how successful was Mr.. Webster's frank
but skilfull and dignified diplomacy ii
settling the dispute honorably, advanta
geously for the United States Ncgo
citation being once placed upon this bet
ter footing the other pending difficulties
were also amicably and honorably dis
posed of.
Mr. Wcbstcr's mode of settling tho
bonndarv oucstion cvinced not oniy hi,
theory of the constitution and confeder.
alton of the limited states but mar
volons tact in odont;ng the theory to tn,
nractical and beneficial working of tn,
system He ot once made Massacbu
sctts and Maine parties to the inauir,
pending, thus recog gnising the con
stitutional right of those statos.whilc re
tanning the conduct of the negotiation
in the hands of the Federal Government
The result proved the practical wisdom
of the Secretary the question. whicl
de6cd all the arts of diplomacy for hal
century. was easily disposed of, anC
what was of still greater cons eauence
the harmonious and facile working of til,
American system of Government, whel
administered by one competent to appre
, ciate and deyelop its powers. was mad,
strikinplv manifest to the whole world
How clearly Mr. Webster saw his wa,
before he proposed the lisputing state
into the commission-and how fully h.
comprehended the working of the appli
cation ofa great principle of the confed
eration-is shown bv the fact that whel
he heard that the Legislature of Main,
had adop,ed the resolutions for the com
mission. he went to the President an,
with animation and satisfaction exclaim
cd sTHe crisis is Dnst.n
A, ,ho FIRST .oss;o, of tho twon,v.n;ntl
-Connr"ss mss5~IGl bo re'ontered tb,
So - ,La Trn;tod So D,r;n,
4 H. no,;,l I'll Ill. noonnaato'
5 'n;,h M ,ha Exaaut;yo bo a;3od nota Tttl
in the settlement of the Orcgon disrute
and il has been publicly stated by Mr.
Mc(Iregor. NJ = for Glasgow. that
letter written to him by Mr.. Webster
and shown to the British Ministers. lie,
them TO agree upon the line of boundar,
. which was adonted finally in 1916 Hi
l course on tbo Naxican war ouestion wa
that of a patriot Disapproyinc entire
lv of the war he vet made no faction
opposition to the Government when wa
was commenced With his full consent
Ills son vouno man of oroat nromise