The national era. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1847-1860, 1851-08-14
HON. JOHN P. HALE.

The following sketch of the personal appear
ance and style Of argument Of this sterling and
unhinching champion ofthe Rights Of Man, which
we copy from the TIue Democrat, will be read with
interest by many OF the readers Of the Era, who
have not the pleasure of his personal acquaintance
Whenever John p. Hale speaks in the Senate, he
is listened 10 with attention and interest
"Phe Hon. John P Hale is a free and easy, fat
and good natured man, who can relish long nine
and good joke, a. we'll as any member Of the Sen
ate. lie has strong hand at one end Of his arm,
and a strong head at the other. When he shakes
the former, you feel the heart throbbing in the
palm-when he shakes the latter, il is the signal
Of storm and it will hail (Hsle) for the space Of
an hour, and every stone will be as the weight Of
talent Foote may rave, and foam, and volunteer
TO hang him on the talest tree in Mississippi
but the Senator from tha Granite State will reply
with sdch sunshiny fao,, and 30 much good ma
ture, that his peppery opponent will be ashamed
of himself There is more thunder and lightning
in the crack of Haie's joke than there Is in tho
crack Of Foote'S pistol The pungent wit Of the
former ismore destructive than the powder Of the
latter. Hale IL Of the North, northy Foote is
of the South, sulphury. Ia personal encounter,
the igntable Mississippian would be like grass~
hopper in the hands Of a granite giant. Foote
has the best education-Hale the most common
sense. Foote excels ia polishing sentence and
rounding period-I1ale excels In pointing the
truth and clinching an argument. Foote is de.
claiming furious, hunkum Orator--liale is a
spontaneous, fluent, discursiVespesker He is not
classically correct in every word he utters; but
the words seem TO drop at the right time, in the
right place ~ the seed falls from the hands OF the
soWer, into the ploughed and narrowed burrows.
Without much oratorical power, he is sure
to interest aud instruct the hearor He puts new
wine into old bottles for the purpose Of bursting
them. lie is a man for the times, and speaks the
sentiments as we'll AZ the language Of the masses
The men blanehed in the factory, the man br0n1-
- ~ ~ tor~syS. understood ~ s~-,sses.A ~'SN
out the aid of dictionary, or the services Of an
Interpreter, Although constitutionally indolent
be iSS''i'e 'c5 iaapplsjye Hhep ~ -re-rs'-- -iNNs
70 the Zero Of excitement lie e thorn in the
side Of FlllmOre's Administration. Clay would
despise him il he did not fear him. Webster
keeps out Of his way, for fear he might stumble
over something hard as granite He is sOoiable
and affable in his manners pleasant and hearty
in bis address In person, he is somewhat inclin-
ed TO corpulency, mot grossness He has dark
brown hair little tinged with frost-a full orbed
and healthy face-blue eyes, smiling with benevO-
lence-an ample chest, swelling with a good
heart-bFoad shoulders TO bear the cross OF his
party. lie is between forty and fifty years of
age-has an iron temperament-a constitution of
great strength. lie il the reliable unfaltering
friend Of humanity lie speaks frequently and
forcibly without preparation. Few men have
more foresight and sagaoity than he. With more
industry more cultivation, and more dignity, he
would be the Golden Of America.
"H lie is stanoh temperance man, and Free
Soil AbolitiOnist. May his shadow never be
lessp