The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1851-09-13

ton" His talents and his popularity were suff
clent to place him there but the combination
that assumed the party reins, covered before his
superior intellect, nor dared they encounter his
penetration and his integrity. Party leaders
seek only the spoiis Of office, and tolerate no as
pIrani who Is too honest to share the plunder.
and too sagaclous to be their dupe
Had the will Of the majority Of the people of
the United States which Mr. Calhoun SO much
deprecated, prevailed,-that will, fairly express
ed, would have made him President The obiec.
tion which might be urged against his ar,tocratic
bias would be the same, whether President or
Senator The political and moral Influence of
this great man was equally felt in the Cabinet,
IN the Senate and in private life. No probable
chance of station could have increased or timin.
lshed that influence.
The sincere and spontaneous demonstrations Of
respect and confidence which have been So uni.
ver-ally exhibited in his favor must satisfy South
Carolina and her southern sstems that the pre-
Judce existing against them in the North has been
greatly overated. In sound and rejecting minds
no such prejudice exi~ts,-nor can they point out
one State of the confederacy that would deny or
abrdge their constitutional rights upon any sub.
lcct whltever
If the people Of the United States have been
s'rkingly successfulin establishing free forms Of
government the improvement in their social con.
dtlOn is more the effect Of situation and of cncuu.
stances. than of positive institutions. Party com.
bnatons and associnted wealth whenever uni.
ted in any common purpose, will control legisla.
tion, without shame and without remorse; and
our entire system of Jurisprudence has been adop.
ted with no essential modification from govern
ment which has been equally tyrant over every
people that 1t could conquer or n,imidate, and
over the mass of its own starving and lprrndpd
population.
Social improvement IS desirable everywhere.
and it might be difficult to say in what particular
one, or two or ten ofo independent States it il
most needed Let each one however, confne
It's own borders and upon this safe and undispu.
ted ground each one may be assured that an am
pie field for the exercise Of charity, of benevo.
icnce. and every virtue which adorns humanity,
may be found.
If many opinions held by Mr. Calhoun were
manliestlv erroneous and incompatible with the
genius of free institutions, equally so Is large
proportion Of the existing law, the literature and
the social habits and prevailing opinions Of the
American people. With the exception Of Thom.
az Jefferson we have perhaps had no distinguish
ed citizen who entirely escaped the anti.repub.
lIcan taint SO Uavoidsbly derived from the mother
country, and which is kept fresh in our hearts BY
perpetual and daily increasing increasing inter.
course,
! With theae essential errors of opinion, there
were, no doubt, in the character OF this dstin.
gul-hed man, more or less Of those lighter foibles
which seem indispensable to identify men Of sur.
passing excellence with common humanity -
But hIs extraordinary talents and merit We're felt
and acknowledged throughout the nation.
Southern Illinois, August 1851