Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, Va. [W. Va.]) 1852-1859, 1852-11-02
CLAW. Calhoun and Webster.

Seldom has one age beheld three such men and
more seldom still has it been, that the short space
of two years has witnessed the removal OF three
such from the arena of human action. Great, pre-
emineny great in their separate spheres they were
still widely different and never, may safely say,
has one country and age witnessed their equals.
Greece had her Dcmosthenes, her Eschines, and
her Alcibiades, all of them distinguished in her
agora, but none of them equal to any one OF the
great Americans. Rome had her Cesar, and her
Cato. and her Cicero all renowned in the forum,
hut though the eloquence and chasteness OF her
Cicero, (the greatest of the three) is worldwide
and has survived the ruins of her temples and the
freedom of her sons, still when we compare 1t with
the efforts of our "wondrous three it will be
found wanting in the solid depth OF webster, the
acute and subtle reasoning of Calhoun, and the
bold, heart-moving and imprisoned eloquence Oh
Clay. England hos had her Pitt, her Fox and her
Burke all renowned in the history of their coun-
Try and all having place in the worlds biography
which must endure so long as civilization preserves
her records still even Burke was wanting IN the
power of Webster, Fox was surpassed by the meta
physical and accurate logic of Calhoun, and Pitt
was eclipsed by the impetuous, bold, headlong and
imprisoned coquence of Clay. Up to the l9th
Century it has been the boast OF England that no
country could produce the equals, far less the rivals
of her great Commoners. Now it is the part of her
offspring to surpaSs her and present to the world
in the names of Webster, Calhoun and Clay, e1-
amples of profundity of intellectual power, OF ac-
curate and discriminating logic, and OF strong and
overwhelming eloiuence and popular iorcei VINO
must in the eyes of posterity forever eclipse ana
over-shadow them. While these great men were
such rs we have described them, each OF them un-
roualled in his department by any one who had
gone before them, it would nevertheless be impos-
sible to find three men more entirely and essential
ly different in the constitution and bent OF their
minus Each of them stood alone in his peculiar
sphere unapProached by his two rivals and moo ne
cam for this reason, make an accurate comparison
Of t cir respective claims to g.eatness. Still II
may not be improbable to examine into their Char
acters and though we cannot make an accurate
comparison of them with each other, still we may
venture to compare them with others. OF all the
great men Of the past Mr. Burke approaches more
nearly to being the prototype of MIR. Webster.
There was in him profundity of thought, an
originality of research and fondness of reliance
upon great principles, which had never been sur
passed until the age of Webster. To all the pow
oil BURKE, Inr. w eOSleI alutI
liberal view of the great principles of society," IN
which Mr.. Burke sometimes wanting; and ad-
vocated his ends. with force and energy much
superior to that of the distinguished Irishman.-
Mr. Calhoun bore but slight resemblance to MIR.
Fox and none to Burke or Pitt There was an
ease and elegance OF style resembling Mr.. Fox and
he far surpassed Fox in his ability at concentrating
The powers of his mind and the result of this con-
centtation was astounding. Far inferior to CLAW
or Webster in the qualifications usually considered
those of d.baters, he ye. possessed vantage
ground in debate exclusively hisown The great
art of Mr.. Calhoun was in being plausible. Such
was the logical turn of his mind that whatever he
presented as an argument was SO worded' so art
fully drawn and plausbly enforced, that ms au-
ditory were led away by the apparent sequence oil
his positions, even while their judgments denied
his conclusions. Such was Mr.. CALHOUN, great