Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1873-03-07
,o,,i,isccnces OF Daniel Webster


commissioners OF Daniel Webster.
~. W.ocoua;utance with Daniel Webster was
-: N the courtroom, where we often met,
225i 2S5., rrtv wears old when he came to Bos.
II: s.nu, New Hampshire. | was at that time
w nU ,hr,e Just about this tlme the Span
:*'os' S.;ms came up. But | must explain them.
III EN'"ornb,nt, '"a1,nb claimed $2U,O 900 OF Spain
V1I'l..s V1 suffered during the Napoleonlc wars.
~ ~ aJmi,ted their CLAIM 50 far as to let US
~, The FIoridas aud pay US also so'ooO,:ooIo
.,,les This SUN OF money was to pe ulVlu-
>, among the caluaDts. lhree commissioners
r.,, 10 be appointed, before Wholi the cialu,
w.. %,' we're to be heard. Parsons was employed
-. hs Boston merchants to look after their
s.;ms-which We're lDmense III lac', the
.''',, ,'"er part of the whole sum-they desired
y Ws,,.,,r tsn. to be with him, and he approached
t;n IN the subject. He expressed a wllllug-
n... 10 20 10 VI aShlugton lhey arranged, inc
T.. and NC put the agreement IN writing. Ii
=. ,nn recovered was SO much, he was 70
t..s H., ~. nr cent; if 50 much more, two aud
.1,, A- We went gu TO Washington. When
a,' e.. 50, 10 Philadelphia he was approached by
". merchants there and asked to represent
.S,m He asked me ii | thought the Boston
"'rrt,nrs "''~ would object told him | thought
n., mIe.s the interests couaicted if so, they
won6 He desired me to ascertain. l dld so,
s"J fnuu] the matter as have stated. Wet
a'r ~,.r ,Lru barraiued with theu. He received
.Ta tL,I,.pi dollars iu band as a retainer.
m. mex, tay he spent this TWO thousand dol
hrs in buyins silver service. lie was IN
Washington three years in looking after these
n,.-.st. At the end OF the time be got
,,,..,>,iop Of the money. | called to see him,
H., .ail Was there not something said about q
m,x;mum for ms fee, Mr.. Parsous | said to
hw Yes a great deal was said about 1t,
and written, too. $4,000 was the maximum
sx. Mr.. Par>ous, said he, the calculations
,rc lonr and tedious. Just let me give checks
for q pcr cent Of the whole amount. We
ap snarre the calculations very well. We
can 6r,, put the accounts uto the hands OF au
accountant aud he can figure it out in Il whole
Iay AID make it ali plain Well, the truth Of
lis, Mr. Parsons, | have spent the $50, 900
long aro. Now you arrange it for me; write
and tell these men that they never expected TO
do this well: that this brand suatched from
| the tire, aud get them to take 95 per cent. L
pvouSvd to do so, aud did write to the leading
q merchants, who controlled about three -tourths.
"a AMY saw Au fCly well, tuC IOoo SiSuhoi'
darc bot say anything about it. You need not
write TO theu" lu drawing his checks he did
t'dCct the FIVE per cent. lie get about
$COOoo ont OF these claims. He then began
to lulId au elegant house, but soon found HIM
self hopcc>Sly in debt again He did not seem
to know that money was money. His iucome
was large, but his expenses were Il great deal
larger He remained 10 politics almost all the re-
malDderof his fe He did not do much business,
but he mad lage income. He once told
'leud that it averaged 100000 year. He
grew 10 be amusingly indifferent to money and
1eot The clerk Of an attorney once pracuclng
~ his Office said to him, Mr.. A. sent me to tell
: !Hriat your note would fall due in day or
tEo. Very well, sir, said Webster. He told
uep tell you that he wishes it paid. Well,
ST. you have done so. But he wishes me to
Ny to you that it shall be paid. Well, sir, you
iare done as he told you. Tell Mr. A. when
u. aote is paid he shall please let me know IT.
Ills will is 4 phenomenon. 1t is drawn uplo a
la,;yry manner, and is just such will as be
should have made-lf he possessed, in addition
ahl> residence, half a million to support it.
Whs greatness there cannot be the slightest
4att, but it was the greatness of power and
Dot learning. He would never study case
al.~ ii Interested him.
lie was not systematic, thoroughbred
naO He could read book rapidly and know
Ao'c Gift than most persons who studied 1t
TO Use Coeridge' s phrase, He could read it
ST3 his thumb aud tore6nger."
lie irli into a great passion for quoting Latin
%aences in his speeches. He did this in
TiI.taiwn Of the members of the English
aF't;auent, who never consider speech hn-
;."e'' unless there is Latin phrase put into
lie Knew very little about Latin. When we
.,s ~s' VI The way to Na>hlugton-the means OF
',,' ,,a, were not then as now; we had to so IN
v.IHSe,SoaeneS-l v,H', put copy Of Horace into my
wy wy " %AIe away the hours as we jourueyed.
!, s ws 'caNnS II one day, and he asked me what
,hr~ro, lIVIt him. He siad, 'Ah, that is just
Cd i fL ,nE zoos 10 triug; let NE see it. hand
,rn,;., ~ '' n aud he could translate no four con-
bisEs iSI:,>0f Es!:on used to supply him with all
soma t'E In; I'LL the eiemeuts ofrcal greatness but
,b~ ,r'". 'v's> also He only seems to illustrate
-a,<>a, >"' tHaXinl, which | will not give for two
>,,s ;-lf>i, You might not be able to tran
,gri.r ~ aAd second, | would not be able to
t!4u> a,in,. -, N>N' ~ VIII give you thc
ua, w;L", lhere never was yet 4 very great
hin. '''0' So'ne Very great folly annexed 10
syar, .< IS true of all the men have ever known
~;,S .yp ;Chei- us1ice Marshall, and will close
one 1.: f,ha ,a as began, by saying that he was
:yri. i.-Pt,'Ta slga'eSt and kiudest men who ever
WIS., "''"''''''oas Of Judge 7heophilus Rar-