Norwich bulletin., 1921-06-23
ODD INCIDENTS IN AMERICAN
 HISTORY
THE HULsEMANN LETTER,

In July, 1850, Daniel Webster became secretary of state in the cabinet of Pres ident Fillmore and retained that post until his death in October, 1852. The best known incident of this period is that which gave rise to the Hulsemann letter. President Taylor had sent an agent to Hungary to report upon the condition of | the revolutionary government, with the l intention of recognizing it if there were | sufficient grounds for doing so. When 1 the agent arrived the revolution was l crushed, and he reported to the presi- | dent against recognition.
 These papers were transmitted to the senate in March. 1850. MT. Hulsemann, | the Austrian charge ,thereupon com plained of the action of our admin istra- l ton, and MT. Clayton, then secretary of state, replied that the mission of the | agent had been simply to gather infor- i nation. On receiving further instruc- 1 tions from his government, MT Hulse- mann rejoined to MT. Clayton, and it fell 1 to MT. Webster to reply, which he did on December 21, 1850.
 The note of the Austrian charge was l in a hectoring and highly offensive tone, 1 and MT. Webster felt the necessity of ad- ministering a sharp rebuke. '"The Hulse- mann letter." as it was called, was ac- cordingly dispatched. It set forth strongly the right of the United States and their intention to recognize any de- facto revolutionary government and to seek information in all proper. ways
 in order to guide their action
 Mir Webster had two objects One was to awaken the people of Europe to d
 sense of the greatness of this country,
 the other to touch the national pride at
 home. He did both. The affair, how
 ever, did not end there. MT. Hulsemann
 became very mild, but he soon lost his
 temper again.
 Kossuth and the refugees in Turkey were brought to this country in a United i States frigate. The Hungarion hero was received with a burst of enthusiasm thai
 induced him to hope for substantial aid which was, of course, wholly visionary. The popular excitement made it diff cult for MT. Webster to steer a propel course, but he succeeded, by great tact . in showing his own sympathy, and, sJ [ far as possible that of the governmen F for the cause of Hungarian independence , l and for it's leader, without going too far
 MT. Webster's course, although careful!
 guarded aroused the ire of MT. Hulse
 mann, who left the country, after writ
 ing letter of indignant farewell to tn l secretary of state.
 The opportunity afforded in the repl,
 to this letter gave Webster an opportu 1 nity to show his rare command of Ian
 guage, and it is one of the finest exam 2 ples of a political letter of its characte t ] ever penned. Webster's reasoning wa
 a complete refutation of the positio 1 Hulsemann. had taken. He earnestly de T fended our rights to view with great in }. 1 terest "the extraordinary events" whic h have occurred not only in Austria, bu
 Gin many other parts of Europe sine February 1S18"
 But the secretary. went further, ''afl y freely admits that in proportion as thes e extraordinary events appeared to hay n their origin in those great ideas of rt
 sponsibility and popular governments o
 which the American Constitutions then > selves are wholly founded. they could nt .- but command the warm sympathy of tf country.
 7 "The power of this republic at u
 present moment, Is spread over a regio i. one of the richest and most fertile ( o l the globe, and of an extent in con1par ie son with which the possessions of ti 10 House of Hapsburg are but as patch (
 the earth's surface"
 Then follow weil-chosen words depic in ing our present and increasing popui ze tfon, our navigation and commerce, 0, a. protection to life, liberty, property ar :. tpersonai rights Nevertheless, the Uni !" ed States have. at an times. abstain'
 from acts of interference with the peiit
 cal changes of Europe They cannr ga however, fail to cherish always live r. interest in the fortunes of nations stru h. gfrng for institutions like our own. ,l- The style, while not of the "spre;
 eagle" character, approaches 1t as clos
 ly as dignity and good taste would g
 low Webster himself thought the lett 'n ''boastful and rough" but one of his C