Delaware patriot & American watchman. [volume] (Wilmington, Del.) 1828-1828, 1828-03-11
MIR. RANDOLPH'S SPEECH.
Debate on Retrenchmpnt.
February /, 1928.
(Continued.)

ing, combined with iDyeterate professional habits,
and who are, ifso tacto, Tor perhaps should rah-
err say ipsis tactis for must speak accurately, as
| speak before Proiessor) disqualified for any but
secondary parts any where-even in the cabinet.
| ardnal Richelieu was what : a Priest. Yes, sir,
but what Priest. Oxenstern was Chancellor -
He it was who sent his son abroad to see--quam
parra sapientia regitur mundus-- with how little
wisdom this world is governed. This administrn-
ton seemed to have calculated that even less than
that httle would do for US. The gentleman called
it strong, an able cabinet-second to none but
Washlngton's FIRST cabinet. Sir, could hardly
look at him for blushing.- What, sir, is Gallatin
at the head Of the Treasury Madison in the De-
partment of state The mind of an accomplished
and an acute dalectican, Of an able lawyer, or,
ii you please, of great physician, may by the long
continuance OF one pursuit-0f one train of ideas
have its habits So ingeterately fixed as efectu-
ally to disqualify the possessor for the command of
the councils ct a country He may, nevertheless,
make all admirable chief of Bureau ---an excel
lent man of details which the chief ought never
to be. man may be capable of making an able
and ingenious argument on any subject within the
sphere Of his knowledge; but sir, every now and
then the master sophist will start as | have seen
him start. at the mo,strous conclusions to which
his own artificial reason had brought himself. But
this, sir, was man OF more than ordinary natural
candour and fairness OF mind. Sir, BY words and
figures YOU may prove lust what YOU plrase-but it
often and most generally is the fact that. in pro-
portion proposition is logically or mathenati-
caiv true it is politically and commonscnscall, Tor
ather nonsenscally) false. The talent which ena-
bles man to write book. or make speech, has no
more relation to the leading o! an ermy senate
than i; has to the dressing OF dinner. The talent
which Its a man to head Government is the tai
ent for the management Of men--a mere dialect-
clan never had, and never will have it: both re-
quires the same degree of courage though of diff
ferent kinds. The very highest degree OF moral
courage is required tor the duties of Government.
| have been amused when have seen some dialec-
tcans after asserting their words the counters
of wise men, the money of fools''-aiter they had
! laid down their premises, and drawn. step by step.
their deductions, sit down, completely satisfied,
as il the conclusions to which they had brought
! themselves were really the truth-as ii it were
rrefragablv true. But wait until another cause is
called, or till another Court sits--t the bystand-
ers and Jury have had time to forget both, argu
ment and conclusion. and they will make You just
as good an argument on the opposite side, and ar
rive with the same compacency, at directly OPP
poste conclusion, and triumphantly demand your
assent to this new truth. Sir it is their business
| dc not blame them. only say that such a hab
it of mind units men for action, for decision.---
They want a client to decide which side to take !;
and the really great man performs that office for
the first degree. The talent for government lies
in these two thngs--sasacity to perceive, and de-
cision to act. Genuine statesmen were never
made such by mere training; education will form
good business MISUNDERSTANDING non fiunt. The
maxim (noscitur non ft) is true of statesmen as
il is of poets. Sir. let house be Oh lire, you will
soon see in that confusion who has the talent to
command. Let ship be in danger at sea. and or
binary subordination destroyed, and you will i'm
metliately make the same discovery. The asccn-
dency of mind and of character exists ard rises
as naturally and as inevitably, where there is free
pay for it, as material bodies ind their level by gra
vtation Thus agreat plomast. like certain an
ima osclating between the hay on different sides OF
him. wants some power from without, before he
: can decide from which bundle to make trial. who
believes that Washington could write as good a
book or report as Jefferson, make as able a
speech as Hamilton? Who is there that believes
Cromwell would have made IS good Judge as
4 Lord Halle No, sir these learned and accom-
pllshcd men find their proper place under those
who are fitted to command, and to command them
among the rest. Such NAH as w assington will
say 10 Jefferson, do you become my Secretary of
State to Hamilton, do you take charge of my
purse, or that of the nation, which is the same
thing and to Knox, do YOU be my master of horse.
Sir all history shews this, but great diplnmaists
and great scholars are, for that very reason unit
to be rulers. SIR would Hannibal have crossed
the Alps when there were no roads--with Ele-
phants-n the face of the warllkc and hardy noun
taineers-and carried terror to the very gates of
Rome, if his youth had been spent in pouring over
!, booksa Would he have been able to maintain him
self on the resources of his genius for sixteen
years in Italy, in spite of the faction and treache-
ry in the Senate of Carthage, if he had been deep
in comic sections and uxions, and the ditferential
calculus-to say nothing Of botany, and mlneralo.
gy, and chemistry care you not ashamed," said
a philosopher to one who was born to rule, " are
you not ashamed to play SO well upon the flute ?"