Daily American organ. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1856, 1856-02-04
John M. Clayton.

at the age of thirty, down to the present day, Mr.
Clayton has occupied distinguished position as
| an American statesman Previous to his appear
ance the theatre of national public life, he had
acquired great reputation at the bar for the pro-
fundty of his legal attainmens, his logical acumen
and consummate skill and ability with which he han
died his cases. As criminal lawyer, he was ire
sistible with jury, rarely never losing capital
case. His cross examination--that very delicate
part of criminal tral-was of the most searching
character and rarely failed TO extract the reluctant
truth from the most obdurate witness. good
Judge OF human nAtnre, he knew at a glance the
character of the person he had to deal with and
to what extent 1t would be safe to push his nqui-
ries. He never permitted the fate of his client 10
be imperilled by reckless jury, the panel was
siited with the incest care, and taesmen were
often called in to supply the want Of proper jurors
A thorough bred scholar, he never made pre-
tentious display, as is the custom with weaker but
vainer men, full of recondite quotations from
poets; but he confined his attention closely to the
subject indulging only in such bursts of eloquent
feeling as we're calculated to aid in carrying his
point. His arguments were generally profuse and
elaborately extended, but never fatguing to the
patience of his hearers. His earnestness OF man
ner, plausibity Of reasoning, and his natural and
high-toncd eloquence always produced such an inn
preston on jury, as to render it impossible for
any one notfully his equal to elface. Educated to
the bar at the celebrated law school of Litchfeld,
Connecticut, he was soundy dgled in all the great
principles of Jurisprudence. He there acquired
that habit of close and persevering study which
marked his whole legal career. The field Of prac-
tice in his native State, comparatively small it is
has occasionally been of very important descrip-
ton, and has az least, in the persons Of the elder
James A. Bayard, and Mr.. Clayton, produced two
Of the most eminent professional men in the Unit
ed States. Wespeak of Mr.. Cayton's legal prac-
tce in the past tense, he has entirely Withdrawn
from it of late.
As statesman, Mr.. Clayton occupies the frcnt
rank of American public characters His broad
and capacious mind his diversified and extensive
reading, his great powers Of generalization, admi-
rably qualified him to figure in the Senate. With
the consciousness of his powers, which every Wig
orous intellect possesses he took leading part in
the debate, soon after his entrance into that body
Ills speeches were then, as now, remarkable for
their fecundity of thought depth of research and
copousness of historical illustration His richly
| furnished mind here poured out its accumulated
stores, and he grappled with the important ques-
| tions he discussed, in such masterly style that
all eyes were Immediately turned towards him, as
a promising young statesman The promise Of
these incipient efforts did not dsappoint the pub
lie expectation in subsequent times. With every
| successive exerton he seemed to gain renewed
strength, and his powers grew more lustroas from
the fierce rivalry to which they were subjected.
| Mr.. Clayton was one of the most formidable OPP
ponents of General Jacksons administration The
old hero found the opposition champions in the
Senate the most obstinate and unrelentng ene-
mics he had ever encountered. His iron viii and
habits Of command had given him despotc tenn
per, much better fitted for the field than the cabi-
net; resistance only goaded him into more ex-
| treme measures and bolder defiance of public
opinion. His opponents knew whom they had to
contend with, and the necessity of firm and un-
yielding efforts against his spirit of encroachment
Borne down for time by the overwhelming popu-
arity of the President, they eventually succeeded
however, in rousng the nation. Never, since the
revolutionary period, have such magnificent dis
| plays of eloquence been heard in any legislative
| body in this country. Amid the sublime thunder
of Daniel Webster and Henry Clay, whose stirring
peas shook the nation, as the phippics of De-
| mosthenes Illuminated from the Athenian bema
over Macedon, might be heard the younger voice
of Clayton. 1t was something even to divide at
| tention with the master-spirts of that epoch, but
it will not depreciate from the just fame of those
two great orators to say that Mr.. Clayton second
| ed them with zeal and capacity that showed him
worthy Of position at their side. His assaults
on the Jackson administration were more intrepid
| than those Of either of his two more mature RI
vals His scathing expositions Of the corruptions
Of the Post Office struck the administration party
fatal blow, under which it subsequently sunk to
the ground.
Mr. Clayton's Senatorial style of speaking is bold
manly clear, and convincing. He has such vast
storehouse of acquisitions to draw upon that he
| overwhelms his adversary with the abundance Of
his facts and arguments. He has never yet been
foiled in debate, and has never failed when his
public course has been assaied, to triumphantly
defeat his antagonists. ,a G
As Secretary of State, Mr.. Clayton was remark
able for his wonderful knowledge Of the minutest
details of our foreign relations. His quick appre
| hension, keen perception, and extensive informa-
ton, gave him great advantage in department.
the head of which has to deal with such variety
of characters, and to direct our intercourse with
nations of the most opposite tendencies of govern
mental policy. AS far as he could control them,
the foreign appointments under his department
were Of highly creditable character His sympa-
thies we're naturally with men of American origin,
intellectual capacity, and linguistic attainments,
and not with foreign adventurers of the Soule Bel.
mont, Owen, and Sullivan stamp, or pothouse pol
iticians Of the Borand, Sickes and Sanders order.
He held our foreign representatives to q strict
sponsbility, and required Of them the utmost en-
ergy and industry in the prosecution Of outstand,
ing claims, and in the protection Of the rights OF
| American citizens abroad. t
T. The treaties made, claims recovered and long
disputed questions settled under Mr. Clayton's ad-
mnistration of the State Department, are unequal
ed in number and Importance in the previous or
past history of that bureau. This, however, was
not the most popular part of Mr.. Cayton's politi-
cal life. He was unjustly accused of falsehood
and treachery because he did not fatty deny the
pretensions of every village orator who was can
ddate for mission or consulate, but preferred
rather to dismiss them with kind words The
offices at his disposal we're but few and the appH-
cants were mutitudinous host Many of his
nominations also were overrued by the preferences
OF the President, or by the intrigues of other
members of the cabinet, and he was thus often
unable to serve his friends to whom he had pledg-
ed his influence.
Mr. Clayton is, we believe, in about his fifty