Vandalia Whig and Illinois intelligencer. [volume] (Vandalia, Ill.) 1832-183?, 1833-07-24


can Immediately threw his hands behint
him, and gazed Inquringly into the face o
the astonishcd bookseller sAh. OH said tic
as If recoIecting himself, your are Mr.
---, from B--?' yes sir.' wa.
the reply. "A BOOKSELLER Yes, SIR again
i bought some books from YOU? Yes, sir
you did, Did forget to pay you for them?
NO, sir, you did not Good morning, sir,
SAID the orator, lifting the cap with offended
lldignlty and passing on. This anecdote does
Eaot show either Mr.. Randolph's goodness oil
heart or head, but it shows his character.
The other Anecdote is as follows: The
hon. feter ----, who was watch ina.
ker, and who has represented b
county fol many years in congress, once
made motion to amend resolution offered
by Mr.. Randol ph, on the subject of militia,
ry duties. Mr.. Randolph rose up after the
resolution had been offered, aud drawing
his watch from his fob, asked Mr.. -
what O'Clock it WASP He told him. Sir
replied .thc orator. you can mend my
watch, but not my motions, you understand
tctics but not tactics
That too was fine retort, when, after
he had been speaking, several members
rose IN succession, and attacked him. 'Sr!'
said he to the speaker, 4 am in the condi-
ton of old Lear:
Tray, Blanch Sweetheart, and all the little puppies,
| Bark at me-
All accounts agree in praising the orato
rlcal powers of Randolph. His manner
was generally slow and impressive, bis voice
s.qneak'ng, but clear and distinct, and, as
TAI as he could be heard, what he said was
clearly understood. In his choice of Ian
suage he was very fastdious, making some,
times l1 considerable pause to select a word.
Ills reading was extensive, and in every de
paFtment of wledge-romances, tales,
poems, plays, voyages, travels, history, bio
sraphy, philosophy arrested his atten
ton, and each had detained him long enough
10 render him familiar with the best works
Iof 'he Kind. His mind was naturally or
'a'Ic, and his desutory reading, as he neve
!, devoted himself 10 profession, and dippe,
J ii niue into all, increased his natural way
: wardness. He seldom reasoned, and wher
: ne did, it was with an effort that was pain
iul, and which cost him more trouble thai
, 1t was worth. He said himself in one o
Z his speeches in the Senate of the UniteC
: States, shat he had defect, whether of ed
: ucatlon or nature was immaterial, perhaps
S proceeding from both, defect which hat
disabled him from his first entrance into pub
! lie HE, to the present hour, from making
what is called a regular Speech The de
! feet was doubtless, both from education anc
; nature; education might have in som,
cd tbf, e 1,
nature, but there was, perhaps, an diosyn
Icracy in the constitution of the man, whlcl
, compelled him to be meteroic, and errati,
! in mind as well as temper. He said tha
'ridiCule was the keenest weapon in tn,
, whole parliamentary armor,' and he Learned
all the tricks of fence with it, and neve
:, played with foils. He seems to have ha,
!, more admiration for the oratory of Chatham
5 than that of any other individual, if W
5 may Judge from the manner in which tina
| great man is mentioned in his speeches.
: They were certainly unlike in character
very unliKe-Chatham having had ba
| health, and it being known that he went t
e parliament and made his best efforts. whe
&, almost sinking from sickness-RandoIp
r might have felt that as he had done the sam
! thing their characters were assimilated.-
/, Chatham was seized with fainting fit whe
= making his last speech, and he died shor
time afterwards. And probably it is not
] die speculation to say, that Randolph wit
+ morbid, or, perhaps, an insane admirato
;. of his character, wished TO sink as Chathay
d did, in the legislative hall and be born
4. thence to die.
:, However, there was enough in the char
:. acter of Chatham, to win the admiratio
} of any one who loved eloquencc, withou
: seeking any adventious circumstances.
motive for Standardization; and Randolph
q. appreciated such talents as his, too highly
e not to have adm ired them under all cir
5 cumstances, but his reverence was doubt
q less increased from the resemblance whicI
I he saw in their bodily conditions, an,
: which he was very willing to believe. ex
4 tended to their minds. Chatham was boil
: vehement, resistless, not often witty. bu
emincntly successful when he attempte,
it; invective was his forte. In some O
these points Randolph resembled him
} but, then, Chatham's eloquence was but
means to gain his ends; his Judgment wa
, intuitive, his sagacity unrivalled; he Dor,
! down all opposition by his fearless ener
{ Gies, and he ComDelled his enemies tn al