Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, Va. [W. Va.]) 1852-1859, 1856-04-21

Z IF his party towards MI Gatno4lnS anaNcry Cur
daily and carefully and amply did he make pre-
lparation forit
The storm had been gathering since Septem-
Der; it burstin February. 1t had been evidently
waiting for an occasion; and found tin the first
sDecch of Mr. Calhoun, of that session, In favor
! of Mr.. Van Buren's recommendation for an M
dependent treasury and a federal hard money
currency. This speech was delivered the 18th
! of February, and was strictly argurnentive and
! parliamentary, and wholly confined to its sub
! feet. Four DAYS thereafter Mr. Clay answered
! it ands although ready at an eStemPoraneous
speech he had the merit, when time permitted,
! of considering well both the matter and the
words of what he intended to deliver On this
occasion, he had had ample time; for the speech
of Mr. Calhoun could not be essentially different
from the one he delivered on the same subject
at the extra session. and the personal act which
excited his resentment was of the same date
| There had been six months for preparation, and
fully had preparation been made. The whole
speech bore the impress OF careful elaboration,
and especially the last part, for 1t consisted oil
| two distinct paTtS-thc first arSInentivc, anu
addressed to the meesur before the Senate, and
was in fact as well as in name reply The
second part was an attack, tmder the name of
a reply, andrvas addressed to the personal con-
duct Of Mr.. Calhoun, reproaching him with llIs
dcscrtiou (as twas ca!tcd) and taunting him
with the company he had got into, taking care
|
that company; AMI then. launching into q
wider field, Inc threw up 10 him all the imputed
political deiinquence of his life for nearly twcn-
| ty wears, skipping none from 1916 down to the
| extra session, although he himself had been IN
close political friendship with this alleged delln-
qnent during the greater part OF that long time.
| Mr. Calhoun saw at once the advantage which this
general and sweeping assault putinto his hands.
| Had the attack been confined to the mere cir
cumstancc Of quitting owe side and joining the
other it might have been treated as mere per
sOnaity, and either left unnotced or the account
settled at once with some ready words Off
and justification. But in going beyond the act
which gave the offencc-beyonl the cause OF re-
sentiment, which was recent, and arraigning 81
member on the events of almost quarter OF a
century of public life, he went beyond the limits
ofthe occasion, and gave Mr. Calhoun the oppor-
tunity of expaining, or justitying, or cxcuSlnSS
/ all that had ever been objected to him, and that
with the sympathy in the audience with winch
attack forever invests the rights of defence. He
saw his advantage, and awaited himself of it
Though prompt at reply, lie chose to make
none in a hurry. y pause cnsucd ME. Clay S
conclusion, every one dcferrinS to Mr.. Calhoun
fright Of reply. He took the floor, but it wa;
only to say that he would reply at his leisure to
the Senator from Kentucky.
He did reply, and ut his own good time, which
was at the end oftwenty days; and in way to
show that he had .tslnrlt the lamp, not of De-
madcs, but of DcmOsthenes, during that time
1t was profoundly mcditated and cIaboratcly
Icomposcd; the matter solid and condensed; the
style chastc tcrse, and vigorous; the narrative
clear; the logic close; the sarcasm cutting; and
lcvcry word bearing upon the object in view. 1t
Twas mastery Grafton, and, like Mr. Clay
speech, divided into two parts; but the second
part only seemed to occupy his feelings and bring
forth words from the heart as well as from the
head And well it might! He was speaking,
q p II adj
public character, in the conduct which makes 1t,
and on high points of policy, which belonged to
hstory-dcfending it before posterity and the
present age impcrSonated in the American Sen
ate. before which he stood, and to whom he APP
pcaled as judges while invoking as witnesses =
lie had high occasion, and he felt it;a high
tribunal to plead before, and lie rejoced init; a
high accuser, and lie telied him; high stake to
contend for, his own reputation, and manlully,
earnestly, and powerfully did he defend it. lie
had high example both i'll oratOry and in the
analogics of the occasion before him; and well
had he looked into that example. happened
to know that in this time he refreshed his rca-
ding of the Grafton on the Crown, and, as the
delivery of his speech showed, not without prof.
lit Besides its general cast, which was good
limitation there were passages of visor and ter
scness of power and simplicity, which would
recall the recollection of that masterpiece OF tho
oratory Of the world. There were points of anal
ogy i'll the cases as well as in the speeches, eacl
casc being that of one eminent statesman accu'
sing another and before national tribunal, anG
upon the events Of public life. More happy
than the Athenian orator, the American states
man had no foul imputations to rcpel. Differ
cnt from Hischines and Demosthencs, both him,
self and Mr.. Clay stoodNboye the imputation O
corruut action or motive. Ifthey had faults
and what public man is without thcm7-they
were the faults of lofty natures, not of soTdit
souls; and they locked 10 the honors of thci'
country, not It's plumber, for tlIeir fair reward.
When Mr.. Calhoun finished Mr.. Clay instant
ly arose aud reioincd-ais rejoindcr was almost
entirely directed to the personal part of the dis
cussOn, which from its beginning had been the
absorbing part Much stung by Mr.. Calhoun:
Ircplv, who used the sword as we'll as the buck
Ter, and with keen edge upon it, he was moro
animated and sarcastic in the rejoimdcr than il
the first attack. Mr. Calhoun also reiOiacd in
stantIY succession of brief and rapid re-
ioindGrs took place between them, Chiefly omit
ted in this wori) which seemed running to min
lity, when Mr. Calhoun, satisfied with what hi
had DONE pleasantly put an end to it by saying
that he saw the Senator from Kentucky was de-
termined to have the last word, and hc would
Weld it to him. Mr. Clay, iii the same spirit,
disclaiming that desire, aud said no more. And
thus the exciting debate terminated with moro
courtesy than that with which it had been con
Quoted.
In all contests of this kind there IS leeHne
of violated decorum which makes each party so
licitous to appear OH the defensive, and for that
purpose to throw the blame of commencing or
1.-The oppositc side Even the one that palpably
throws the first stone is yet anxious to show
that it was defensive throw, or at least provo.
ked by previous wrong. Mr.. Clay had this feel
ing upon him, and knew that the OaWs ofmaking
out defensive case fell upon him; and he lost
no time in rndeavoring to establish it. Hepla-
ced his defence in the forepart of the attack. AT
the very outset ofthe personal part of his speech
found the Justification, as he believed, in some
expressions of Mr.. Calhoun in the Sub.rcasury
speech, and couple of passages in a letter he
had written on apubiic occasion after his return
from the extra session, commonly called tie
Eigehcld letter In the speecll he believed he