Port Tobacco times, and Charles County advertiser. (Port Tobacco, Md.) 1845-1898, 1856-02-07

during the greater part Of that long time.
Mr.. Calhoun saw at once the advantage
which this general and sweeping assault put
into his hands. Had the attack been con-
fined to the mere circumstance of quitting
one side and joining the other, it tmight have
been treated as mere personality; and,
either left unnoticed, or the account settled
at once with some ready words ofretort and
Justification But in going beyond the act
which gave the ofence-beyond the cause
of resentment, which was recent, and ar
raigning a member on the events of almost
quarter of century of public life, he
went beyond the limits of the occasion, and
gave Mr. Calhoun the opportunity Of ex-
planning, or justifying, or excusing all that
had been objected to him; and that witRthe
sympathy in the audience with which attack
forever invests the rights of defence. He
saw his advantage, and availed himself Of it.
Though prompt at reply, he choose to
make none in hurry. A pause ensued
Mr.. Clay's conclusion, every one deferring
to Mr. Calhoun's right of reply He took
the floor, but it was only to say that he
would reply at his leisure to the Senator
from Kentucky.
He did reply, and at his own good time,
which was at the end of the twenty days !:
and in a way to show that he had "smelt
the lamp not of Demades but of Demos
themes, during that time. twas profound
" meditated, and elaborated ly composed the
matter solid and condensed; the style chaste
terse and vigorous, the narrative clear; the
loric close: the sarcasm cutting and every
word bearing upon the object in view. 1t
was a masterly Grafton, and, like Mr.. Clay s
speech, divided into two parts; but the Sc
cond part only seemed to occupy his feelings
and bring forth words from the heart as well
as from the head And well it mi ght! He
was speaking not for life, but for character.
and defending public character, in the con-
duct which makes it, and on high points OF
policy, which belonged to history-defend-
ing it before posterity and the present age.
iimpersonated in the American Senate, be-
fore which he stood, and to whom he ap-
pealed as judges while invoking as witness.
He had high occasion, and he felt it !; a
] high tribunal to plead before, and he relolc-
led in it =; a high accuser, and he deied nm;
high state to contend for, his own reputa-
ton; and manfully, earnestly and powerful
ly did he defend it, He had a high example
both in his oratory, and the analogies Of
the occasion before him; and we'll had he
looked into that example. Ihappenedto know
that in this time he refreshed his reading of
the Oration on the Crown; and, as the de-
livery Of his speech showed, not without
profit Besides its general cast, which was
tafI Of Il
vigor and terseness-of a power and simph-
city-which would recall the recollection Of
that masterpiece Of oratory Of the world
There were points Of analogy in the cases
as well as in the speeches. each case being
that of the eminent statesman accusing an
other and before a national tribunal, and up
on the events of public life. More happy
than the Athenian orator, the American
statesman had no foul imputations to repel.
Different from 4Eschines, and Demosthenes,
both himself and Mr. Clay stood above the
imputation Of corrupt action or motive. II
they had faults--and what public man is with
out them ?-they were the faults of lofty ma
tures-not Of sordid souls; and they looked to
the honors Of their country-not its plunder
for their fair reward
When Mr.. Calhoun finished, Mr.. Clay
instantly arose, and rejoined-his rcjoinder
almost entirely directed to the personal part
Of the discussion, which, from its beginning
had been the absorbing part. Much stung
by Mr.. Calhoun's reply who used the sword
as well as the buckler, and with keen edge
upon it, he was more animated and sarcas-
tic in the rejoinder than in the first attack.
Mr.. Calhoun also rejoined instantly. A
succession of brief and rapid rejoinders took
/ place between them, (chiefy omitted in this
work, } which seemed running to infnity,
when Mr.. Calhoun, satisfied with what he
had done, pleasantly put an end to it by
saying he saw the Senator from Kentucky
was determined to have the last word and
he would yield it to him. Mr. Clay, in the
same spirit, disclaimed that desire, and said
no more. And thus the exciting debate ter
minated with more courtesy than that with
which it had been conducted
In all contests of this kind there is a feel
ing of violated decorum, which makes each
party solicitous to appear on the defensive,
and for that purpose to throw the blame OF
commencing on the opposite side Even
the one that palpably throws the first stone
is yet anxions to show that it was defen-
sive throw: or at least provoked by previ-
GUS wrong. Mr.. Clay had this feeling up
on him, and knew that the onus of making
out defensive case fell upon him: and he
: lost no time in cndeavoring to establish it.
He placed his defense in the forepart of the
attack. At the very outset of the personal
part Of his speech he attended to this essen
tial preliminary, and found the justification
as he believed, in some expression of Mr..
: Calhoun in letter he had written on a pub
lie occasion, after his return from the extra