Democratic Sentinel, Volume 1, Number 46, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 28 December 1877 — How Webster Slaughtered the Romans. [ARTICLE]

How Webster Slaughtered the Romans.

Webster, as Secretary of State under Harrison, had a worrisome time about the President’s inaugural message. He wrote one out himself, and endeavored to make Harrison accept it, but that worthy was obdurate; he had prepared his own and was determined to read it. Webster told his friend Harvey that he was annoyed because the message was, according to his judgment and taste; so inappropriate. It entered largely into Roman history, and had a great deal to say about the States of antiquity and the Roman proconsuls and various matters of that kind. Indeed, the word “proconsul ” was repeated iu it a great many times. When he found, says Mr. Harvey, that tho President was bent upon using his own inaugural, Mr. Webster said that his desire was to modify it, for, as it then stood, he said, it had no more to-do with the affairs of the American Government and people than a chapter in the Koran. Gen. Harrison rather reluctantly consented to let him take it. Mr. Webster spent a portion of the next day in modifying the message. Mrs. Seaton remarked to him, when he came home rather late that day, that he looked fatigued and worried. Said she, “ I really hope nothing has happened.” ‘ ‘ You would think that something had happened,” he replied, “if you knew what I have done. I have killed seventeen Roman proconsuls as dead as smelts, every one of them.” A Bangor man has received a note, inclosing $1.50, from a man with a tender conscienee, as pay for a pair of chickens worth seventy-five cento, which he stole v?ben a boy, fifteec year* ago,