The Cecil Whig. [volume] (Elkton, Md.) 1841-current, 1880-04-03

Oh Capital Hill, for several years Il small
weekly sheet called TIE Huntress. Ever
person Of distinction. who visited Wash
ington, received call from Mrs. Royal
and if they subscribed for Tie UuatrcS
they We're described in the next numbe
in a complimentary manner. but if the,
declined she b:;ckguar;lcd them withou
mercy. When yorng she was short
plump. and not bad looking woman. bn
as she advanced in years her flesh disap
! peared. and her nose seemed to increas,
in size; but her piercing black eyes los
none Of their lire. while her tongu,
wagged more abusivcly when she los
her temper. John Quincy Adams de
scribed her as going about like virag,
errant i'll enchanted armor redeemine
herself from the cramps Of Indulgence by
the notoriety Of her eccentrcities ant
the forced currency they gave to her pub
! icationS
! Mrs. Royals tongue at last became Sc
uncomfortable that she was formally in.
dicted by the grand jury as Il common
scold, and tried in the circuit court be.
fore Judge Cranch. His Honor charged
the jury at length, reviewing the test.
mony. and showing that if found guilty
i she must be ducked. in according with
the English law in force in the District
of Columbia. The jury found her guilty.
but her counsel begged his honor the
judge to weigh the matter and not be
the first to introduce a ducking-Stool.
which had been obsolete in England since
the reign of Queen Anne. as the intro
duction of such an engine of punishment
might have the effect OF increasing crimi-
mails Of this class. Ii the Greek leuisla-
tors would not enact Il punishment for IA
| crime not known to them, lest it shoud
induce persons to commit that otfenSe.
the court Shoald not permit the introduce
ton of the ducking- stool, lest it might
lead to an increase of common scodS
This argument had wei.ht. and a fine
was imposed on Mrs. Royal, which was
duly paid.
When the twenty first Congress assem-
bled. on December I. 1929, General Jack
son sent in a message which naturally
attracted some attention. Meeting his
old and intimate friend General Arnl-
strong the next day. General jackson
sniI VIII al, =, Il
say of my message - They saw" re-
piled Gen. Armstrong, THAT it is first
rate. but nobody believes that Won wrote
it," "Well." good-nature,lly replied
Old Hickory. don't | deserve lust as
much credit for picking ont the man
who could write it?' Although the
words Of this and of the subsequent mes
sage were not General Jackson's the
ideas We're, and he always insisted on
having them clearly expressed. 1t was
in his first message, by the way, that he
invited the attention of Congress to the
fact that the charter of the United States
Bank would expire in 1886 and asserted
that it had failed in the great end of
establishing a uniform and sound cur
rcncy.' This was the beginning of that
fierce political contest which resulted in
the triumph of General jackson and the
overthrow of the United States Bank.
The Senate of the twcntv-frst Con-
gress has probably never been surpassed,
if equaled. in point of ability and orator
zeal talent, by any representative body of
its size. and an unimportant resolution
introduced early in 1890. by Senator Foot.
led to q general debate. which was 1.-THE
battle of the giants" The discussion
time. especially those of Il sectional ma
ture, including the alleged right of Il
State to set the Federal government at
defiance. The State rights men in South
Carolina. in>tigated by Mr., Calhoun. had
been active during the preceding Summer
in collecting material FOR this discussion.
and they had taken especial pains to re-
quest search for evidence that Mr..
Webster had shown willingness to have
New England Secede from the Union
during the second war with Great Bri-
tain. The vicinity of Portsmouth. where
he had resided when he entered public
life. was. to use his own words. "Search-
ed as with a candle. New Hampshire
was explored from the mouth of the
NerrinIack to the White Hills
Nor had Mr.. Webster been idle He
was not an oxtempnranenuS speaker and
he passed the Summer in carefully stud :
ing, in his intervals of professional leiS-
ure. the great constitutional question
which he afterwards so brilliantly ,ii>-
cussed. \ story is told ~ Providence
about a distinguished lawyer of that
place. Mr., John Whipple. who was at
Washington when Webster replied to
IIayne. but who did not hear the speech.
rs he was engaged in Il case before the
supreme Court when it was delivered.
When report Of what Mr. Webster had
said appeared iii print, Mr.. Whipple read
it. and was haunted by the idea that he
had heard or read it before. Meeting
Mr. Webster soon afterwards. he men,
toned this idea to him. and inquired
whether it could possibly have an founda-
ton in fact. Certainly it has," replied
Nj. Webster. n0a't You remember
our conversations during the long walks
we took together last Summer at New
port. willie in attendance ON Story's
court >" 1t flashed across Mr.. Whipple's
mind that Mr.. Webster had then re-
hearsed the legal argument of his speech
and had invited criticism
As the debate un the Foot resolution
progressed, II revealed an evident inten-
tion TO attack New England, AMI esp,-
ciallv Massachusetts. This brought Nh.
Webster into the arena. and he concluded
Il brief speech by declaring that as true
representative of the State whioh had
Sent him into the Senate il was his duty,
and Il duty which he should fulfil. to
place her history and her conduct. her
honor and her character, in their lust
and proper light. A few days later fIr.
Webster heard his State and himself
mercilessly attacked by General Hayne,
of South Carolina. no llean antagonist.