The Massachusetts spy. [volume] (Worcester [Mass.]) 1831-1858, 1832-06-20
From the Portland .7dre1tiscr.
WASHINGTON CHIT CHAT

Siuphical sketchcs OF MN, and therefore vol,
nave no need OF receiving from me any other
Vice President of the United 81 ties.
Mr.. Calhoun is neither an ijl-Cavo-od M. .
well-favored man. His appes rance is 81, en-
lie dresses in plain, unassul MING manner -
lie runs about in the morning before the omen.
Ing OF the Senatorial session, chatting with h;s
fellow citizens in lively, agreeable sfvls-,nd
displaying coloquial powers yerv sunar;,r
he RoU presdes over the Senate with grea,
lmpartiality, and gives unyers al satisfaction in
his office, and that as a nun is universaIIv
| thought well of. notwithstar DIM all tba, m. y
ne sald by politicians. Whatever he finds TO
uo' he apes with oil MS mig hit. HIS motions
are quick as you can well imagine His voice,
not very good but unpleasant. till Won are L,'
oituated % it, is poured forth in solid colnmn
have never heard him a, public sneaker
and' therefore, cannot so well Judge of The
character OF his mind /; but | should saw tb,,
ms perceptions were wonderfully rapid He
Jumps 10 his conclusions by the readest nro
cess conceivable, but in one thing he diffars
from men Of his character. for he is able IN ex'
PLAIN the aohys and rcherefo ores that led 70 Tho
conclusion: The great fault with him, is thai
MS mind is too acute. lie is misled bv bis
own exquisite sagacity. His reasoning il So
shafp mat he becomes a metaphysician. and
;,ne,aPhysicai poiltics arc the most troublesome
IN the world. To form better idea of h;s
character have just re.read his manGes,o ,''h ,'
llshed during the last su INNER. where ho snpaIa
OF the Tariff and State Flights This doc,,nam,
is perfect Portraiture of the man. The ar.
guments are Keen, powerful in detail almos,
irfesistao'e, and yet You are unconvinced NV
the conclusion He puzzles you to detect
wherein he is wrong, nd yet you feel that he
is wrong-you know lie is wrong.
There is not min in Congressman even
Mr. Webster, whose clear, cogent, step by step
arguments are so very admirable that l almost
regret he will not keep in the Court below
stars, and be the GREAT LAWYER, instead of
pulling away lilo OIL what others can do as well
as hinself-there Is not a man in Congress-
who reasons more acutely, more sharply. or
more lrresistably than Mr. Calhoun. And his
mind is SO well disciplined that he does SO with
out an effort. He talks constitutional meta
physics with the same volatility that common
men talk OF every day politics. You NAV hear
HIM converse, and you will find 1t no easy task
! without unremitted attention 10 follow him in
his augmentation.
There 'oas day when Mr.. Calhoun was
more in the light on great national ouestiors
that at present. Now Anti.Tarlff. Anti.Jnter
nal improvements, Anti-almost. everything
and yet liberal minded patriotic, a lover of his
country, and Der institutions. he stands, as it
were, vio?stlng between the Constituencies
and thc Nui'hcrs-he is the isthmus between
them'' IL no were to say, "nullIiy," verify
oeheVe inc hot-hcaded nullifiers would lay hold
OF the lair pillars of the Union and tnmblp
them to the dust. Then are as Infatuated Nc
mad men, and as perverse on all great national
questions as men can well be-not exceptino
even MI Tazewell and Mr. Tyler and Mr. For,
syth and Mr.. Troup, the last two being more
Perverse Than all the others as politicians Mr..
Calhoun Will not say nullify." He loves his
country too well. His fame and his Ill are
bound up in the common glory of the whole
Union. The whirlpool of the South nut in
motion by Hamilton, Cooper, and others, have
ingulphed INN, but he struggles bravely for the
shore, and he will reach it by and by. 1t is
not to be wondered that man should think as
his companions think, though it is to be won.
dered, That such party as the nullifers could
have got uppermost in any State-nor after
all is il TO be SO much wondered at, when we
see the means they have taken with their
Free Trade Almanacs," their pamphlets, their
handbllls, and their fiery oquence-eloquence
which crazy and cratic as it is, lmputing part
OF the ln'atuation to the auditor, Just as any man
OF senslbillty, no matter how careless, will feel
come over him, something, know not what,
when whole assembly is imprisoned or NOV
ed to tears.
A short observation of Mr. Calhoun would
convince one, that he is an extraordinary man,
and well deserves his great reputation for ex.
allied intellectual powers His polileness is
courteous but sincere and such would suit
New England Farmer to charm. He has no
pompousncss, no airs no assumption put in to
inform the world, that " am the distinguish
ed Mr.. Calhoun -" stand aside, sir, and pay
your reverence" The little great men IN
washington, whose name should always be
mentioned with the " Honorable" prefxed
have their airs, but the truly great men know
nothing of them.
This is all can say Of Mr.. Calhoun, not
having seen him storming the House with his
eloquence, as in 1912 and other years, but
perched in his chair behind the Vice Presi.
dents desk, looks among the members and
spectators with eyes, which for wildness and
herceness have no equal-a sort Of hawks eye
that one does not like 10 CATCH or in The social
circle, gathering coterie around him that he
enliveEs and cap;irs..es by his frank, placid and
charming conversation. The Vice Presidents
Office is not fit for such a man. He ought to
be on the hoor-at work-and not confined up
there like a great Eagle by cords, bandages,
and cage. II South Carolina is wise she
will put him on the floor to cope with Clay and
Webster; for Hayne, able as he is, is over
tasked in keeping off the two great lions from
the West and North One piece is fair play.
A persor who resides in one of our sister
States, sold black servant and her mulat-
to child, not long since, to a negro-trader.
The woman knew nothing Of the sale until
she and the child were taken possession of
by the purchaser. She was, it appears, q
female Of spirit, and as she was now out Of
the hands of her former master, and must
go she knew not whittier, she took occasion
to vent her indignant feelings, in language
that showed ut once, the courage of the
Roman matron, as it respected herself, and
the heartless vilany of detestable -,
when applied to him. Walking towards
him, with her child in her arms, she interro-
gated him as follows: swell, sir, | am sold,
am I" Yes" was the reply. She con-
tlnned, "This gentleman, l suppose then,
is my master ?" He answered in the af-
firmative. swell, now" she proceeded
81 will tell you to your face, that you are
one Of the most wicked, unmany, cold.
hearted creatures that ever knew or heard
of. Here, sir, is your own child, your own
flesh and blood, which together with lis
mother you have sold for money. Look n,
il, sir. Your features are in its face. youl
blood runs in its veins, and yet you have
sold it. Base wretch that you are, you now
care not what becomes either of me or youl
chIl9. But away! | can no longer beal
your sight"
Where is the man, and especially the
woman, hut must spurn with indignation
the villain that is guilty of such outrageou,
conduct MS this The story of tho above