New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1859-01-21

hearts OF the people. M Wsostcr pas ~ suon
hold on popular affection anywhere, and less per-
hsps, in Boston than elsewhere; and wc can see
this tuh written in the Piaaest characters gu tue
walls Of the bapquetipg ball where his few ad-
ri,ers and the politicians who would make use OF
hi. p.me for their osn ends were gathered to-
rethsr on the night Of the 18th of January.
TIL, Post tells more than it mesnt when il says
"The brillisnt resu. Of the affair was due TO
Peter Harvey, esq, who originated the same,
al ard constituted Committee of One TO make aud
" pe rfect all arrangements" We should not have
drawn attention TO this fact, if we had known II,
Lad it not been thu, forced on public notice. And
now we have no word 10 say sgainst the plan, or
its execution, as far as Mr.. Harvey is concerned.
This gentleman i, DOT known TO the general public
excepting BY that p,rt Of it Who know enough CT
Mr. Websters private relations {, be aware that
he was bis intimate personal friend. From all
that we have ever heard of Mr.. Harvey, we believe
hin to be genial, warm-hearted man, who really
loved Mr.. Webster, ard was regarded with sincere
affection BY him. He stands in very different
posi,ion tossrd bis desd friend from the crowd OF
srphants who licked the dust before his feet
while he lived, or the sDobblsh tutt-hunters VINO
think 10 swell their own importance BY Posthumous
toad.estipg now b. is dead. Ii vas natural that
Mr.. Harvey should desire to do honor to the
memory of his friend, and 10 establish, or maln'sln
the prece dent of an annual celebration of his BIRTH
day. But the entertainment he procured and the
COMPANY. such as il was, that he collected cannot
be accepted as q voluntary sersice, proceeding
from the popular heart, in honor Of the great Law
yer and bungliDg politician on whose birthday the
one assembled TO enjoy the other. We think thai
Mr.. Harvey mus! take the entire credit OF the
affair to himself, and that there will be but very
small remainder, after bis share is deducted, TO De
passed over TO the account of Mr.. Webster.
The company that was collected on this occasion
was at once significant and insi guifcant. Who the
two hundred may have been We cannot know, but
more thoroughly insignificant dozen OF gentlemen
than tbose named by The Post, as far as We know
anything of them, could hardly be cued our OF our
Athens, By Insignificant, we mean politically,
Of course as we have no doubt of the personal and
social cor sideration of most of them. The fame OF
Messr,. j. ". Seaver, Peter Butler, Edward 5.
Tobey ard Joseph Iasigi has never reached this
benighted city though we do. not question their
being substantial and worthy gentlemen. But be-
eide Sir. Samuel A. Eliot and SIR. William Apple
ton, both of them broken down politicians, there is
no, one that was ever teard of out of Ward meet
ips Mr.. Everett, Mr.. Winthrop, Mr.. Nathan
Appleton, the whole race of Lawrences and msuy
mere known to the country as former party friends
Of Mr. Webster, they all chad too much wit to be
" there" or too much self respect But the names
of those that were there are as eloquent OF the
character of the Festival SIS thoie that were not.
Mr. Caleb Gushing in the chair at dinner in
honor Of Mr.. Webster! Mr.. Benjamin Z. Hallett
and Mr.. Levi Woodbury. (son of the late Jadge)
making speeches in his praise Al the J,raiia Of
the heroes of antiquity, it WAS usual to offer up
sacrfcs of slaves but, surely, not such as these.
We have ever been free TO express the strong sense
we felt of Mr. Webster's later apostacies; but We
never had the malice to wish hun posthumous
satire like this