South Branch intelligencer. [volume] (Romney, Va. [W. Va.]) 1830-1896, 1834-11-22
SATURDAY, NOVEMBER ~, 1884.

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known to them; if he had possessed
tenfold the powers he ever pretended
to, and the utmost weight Of personal
character that ever fell TO the lot of man,
it would not have been much that he
could, under such circumstances, have
accomplished. As things stood, it was
little, very little indeed, that he had
done, or rather essayed-but what he
could or thought he could, that he had
endeavored to do, diligently, faithfully,
fearlessly, without the least regard to
consequences affecting himself person.
ally. His principal effort had been to
give the public, aud especially his own
constituents, glimpse Of the prospect
before them. "A distrust of his politi.
cal sagaciiy, REASONABLE enough, ifno
attention were paid to The state OF facts,
and Of public opinion out of Virginia,
or the wifuIness Of party delusion, had,
in measure, frustrated his purpose.
II he had been told, that he had disap.
pointed the too partial expectations Of
his friends, he should have felt and ac-
quiesced in the justice Of his censure.
Bat. ne said, 10 his surprise, though
not at all to dismay, his name had been,
for the last eight months, the theme Of
continual, unmeasured, and he would
add as to some of it, vile and silly a.
buse. The malignant spirit Of party
had been pouring his exhaustless phi
ais Of wrath upon his head !; and cal
umny, with her culver of poisoned ar
rows, had almost deafsned him by the
constant ,wanging Of her bow, though
he found in bis own conscience an i'm
penetrable shield against her shafts.
The history ofhis life had been ran.
sacked, to ind topics ofreproach; and
it was really wonderful that history
so barren Of political incident, should
have been found capable Of bearing
such masses of commentary. In look
ing back, as he had been in the habit
of doing often, upon his past conduct
and opinions, he had been conscious Of
many mistakes, which reflection and
experience required him to correct,
many weaknesses to be ashamed Of,
and faults TO repent; nor did he envy
the man, who was incapable of max
ing similar discoveries with respect to
himself.
but, ia these modern memoirs of his
life and charac.er--memoirswr written TO
serve for party history written, too,
BY persons protesting an intimate
knowledge Of him some, indeed, pro-
Tossing TO be his personal friends, in
order 10 give the semblance of candor
to their accounts ! in these memoirs,
there were such aggravations Of his err
rors and faults,such Misrepresentation
distortions, and false colorings of facts,
and, sometimes, he might say, such abb
surd inventions, that he could not re-
cognize his political identity in their
descriptions. There were many per-
sons now here present, who had known
him longest and best who had had the
best opportunities Of understanding his
character, his weaknesses, his failings
If you please, his faults persons, 10
whom he had, at times, stood in poIiti-
cal opposition, he trusted-judging
from their treatment Of him even in the
height of that opposition-that they
had found in him some redeeming quail
ities-and he was mistaken il they had
been able to discover his likeness in the
portraits Of him that had recently been
exhibited. He was, however, happy
to find, that as yet no moral guilt had
been imputed to his conduct in private
life; and with that remarkable exemp-
ton he ought. perhaps, to be content.
But, he said, he was confident, that
nothing he had ever done-nothing,
certainly, which he had done, or was
expected to do, in the Ssnate-had
made him the object Of so much and
such viralent abuse as had lately been
heaped upon him. Until lately, in.
deed, he had not imagined that he could
be thought ofimportance to excite such
bitter and deadly hostility in any par.
ty: and it only served TO convince him
that he was honored with an especial
share of Gen. Jackson's displeasure /;
and that the nomination OF him for the
Presidency had excited the Jealousy
Of the friends of Mr.. Van Buren,.
lie said, that, in the course of his
short service in the Senate, he had alb
stained from personal reflections on
the President. He had no personal
enmlty towards the man, to tempt him
TO the indulgence of such refleclians.
A free and fearless examination Of his
of InI 4