by the author, contained a letter from Burlington, Ia., which stated that Col. Sweney, proprietor of the Barret House, had known Corwin well from boyhood on, and that he had heard Corwin say with tears in his eyes that his speech was made by arrangement with Webster and others, who desired to prevent the appropriation of more money for the war, and agreed to follow Corwin.
18. For a discussion of the Philadelphia speech see vol. i, p. 458. Webster, Writings, iv, 7; ix, 253; xiii, 348-50. Public Ledger, Dec. 6, 15, 1846. N. Y. Tribune, Dec. 4, 7, 1846. N. Y. Herald, Aug. 22, 1846. N. Y. Sun, Dec. 5, 1846. Wash. Union, Dec. 2, 4, 7, 11, 1846; Mar. 10; Oct. 14, 16, 1847. Charleston Mercury, Dec. 8, 1846. 253Dowling to McLean, Mar. 24, 1848. Nov. 6, 1846, at Faneuil Hall, Boston, Webster called forth rapturous applause by saying, in a manner quite unworthy of a Senator and a great constitutional lawyer, "In my judgment it is an impeachable offence" for the President so to act as to involve the country in war without the consent of Congress (Niles, Nov. 21, p. 186). This, if it meant anything, was a begging of the question. Webster could not deny that the President had a right to repel invasion without consulting Congress, and Polk believed the Mexicans had invaded our territory, thus precipitating the war.
Polk's Message of May 11 mentioned, as was natural, the rejection of Slidell and the failure of Mexico to pay our claims, but its practical gist was contained in the following sentence: "As war exists, and, notwithstanding all our efforts to avoid it, exists by the act of Mexico herself, we are called upon by every consideration of duty and patriotism to vindicate with decision the honor, the rights, and the interests of our country."
19. (Independent, ground) Webster, Writings, iv, 24; xiii, 351. (Senseless, fight) Ibid., ix, 157-60. (Prosecute) Ibid., iv, 33; N. Y. Tribune, Dec. 3, 1846. (Refused) Writings, ix, 157. (Approve) Pierce, Sumner, ili, 112. (Narrow) Webster, Letters, 350. (Tired) Writings, xviii, 246. Lowell, Biglow Papers, 1, 54, etc. (see a paper, written by the present author, on the Biglow papers in Mass. Hist. Soc. Proceeds., May, 1912, p. 602).
20. (Jay) Pellew, Jay, 310. The clerical quotations in the text are from a non-partisan paper, the N. Y. Herald, Feb. 20, 1847. The extract from Osgood may be found in his Solemn Protest, p. 13. That from Parish the author has not been able to verify, but presumably it was correct. That such sentiments were entertained will not be questioned. Osgood denounced the authors of the war as "desperate in wickedness,"' etc. See quotations from him and others in Cong. Globe, 29, 1, app., 930-1. Weekly N. Y. Herald (non-partisan), Jan. 16, 1847: They who oppose this war will one day stand before the country like the men of the Hartford Convention. Pierce, Sumner, iii, 139.
21. Boston Atlas, May 18, 20, 1846. Monitor Repub., Feb. 2, 1847. Nat. Intellig., May 11; Oct. 15 (Thompson), 26, 1847; Jan. 26, 1848. (Hudson) Cong. Globe, 29, 2, p. 418. N. Y. Tribune, Nov. 6, 1847. (Calhoun) Benton, Abr. Debates, xvi, 58. Wash. Union, Sept. 24, 1846; June 2, 1847. Diario, Dec. 20, 1846. Meade, Letters, i, 180. (Joy) Boston Daily Chronotype in N. Y. Globe, May 14, 1847. 137McLane to Calhoun, Jan. 18, 1848. Richardson, Messages, iv, 473. (1813-14) Wash. Union Dec. 10, 1846. See also vol. ii, p. 125.
In the office of the sec. of relaciones was found a large collection of ex-
