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

was replying to the speech as'spoken. SIr. Clay
said it was printed under his supervision: as
much as to say he sanctioned the omissions
The factis that, with commendablc feeling, he
had softened some parts aud omitted Others; for
that which IS severe enough in speaking be-
comes more so in writing, and its omission or
sottening is a tacit retrIction, and honorable to
the cool reflection which condemns what passion
or heat had prompted. But MrssCalhoun did
not acccptthc favor; and, neither party desiring
quarter, the one answered what had been tlropt,
and the other reproduced it, with interest In
his rrjoinders Mr.. Clay supplied all that had
been omitted and made additions to it
This contest between two. eminent men, on
theatre so elevated, in which the stake to each
was so great, and in Which each did his best;
conscious that the eye of the age and of posters
ty was upon him was an event in itself and In
their lives It ab5unded with excmpiihcations
of al the different sorts Of Oratory of which
each was master. On one side, defamation,
impassioned cIoQucncc, vehement invectIYe,
taunting sarcasm; on the other, close reasoning,
cilaste narrative, clear statement, keen retort-
Two accessories of such contests descriptions
of friendSllinS) were missing, and wcls--thc
pathetic and the vir11lent. There was no crying
OF biackguartingin it; nothing like the weeping
scene between Fox and Burke, when the heart
OYGr1Oweu ICtlt4cFucSS ESCO'AcSILOs4 VI
former love, now gone forever; nor like the
virulcnt one, when the gall, OVERLOOKING with
bitterness, warned an ancient friend never to re-
turn as spy to the camp which he had left as
a dcserter
There were in the speeches of each some re-
narkable passengers, such only as actors in the
scenes could furnish, and which history will
claim. Thus: Mr.. Clay gave some inside views
Of the concOction of the famous compromise act
of 1853; which, so far as they so, correspond
with the secret history of the connection as given
in one of the chapters that subject in the tirst
volume of this work. Mr.. Clay's speech is also
remarkable for the declaration that the protective
system, which he so long advocated, was never
intended to be permanent; that its only design
was to give temporary cncouragcment'to infant
manufactures; aud that it had fuilledits mission.
Mr. Cllhoun'S speech was also remarkable Tor
admitting the power and expectancy OF lnclden--
tai protection us twas called; aud on this ground
he justified issupport Of the tariff OF 1910, so
much objected against him. lie also gave his
history of the compromise of 1898, attributng
it to the efficacy uf notification and of the mil
itary attitude Of South Carolina; Which brought
upon him the relentless sarcasam OF MIR. Clay,
and Occasioncd his explanation OF his support OF
a national bank in 1916. He was chairman OF
the committee which reported the charter for
that hank, and gave it the support which carried
it through; with which he was reprOached after
he became opposed to the bank. lie explained
the circumstances Lnderwhich he gave that sup
port such as had often heard him state III con-
vcrsation, and which always appeared TO me 10
be sufficient to cXempt5him from reproach. AT
the same time Ctull what is but little Known he
had Che merit of opposing and probably oil de, de
fcating far more dangerous bank-onc oil liitE
millions Equivalent to one hundred and twenty
millions now,) and founded almost wholly upon
United States stocks-imposinSly recommended
/ to Congress by the then Secretary OF the Treas,
! a ln11a m
mind of Mr.. Calhoun, then one of the youngest
members Immediately solved this monster pro-
position into its constituent elements; anu ms
1 povcror generaliZatiOnandc condensation enabled
. him to express its character i'll two words-teh"-
! iag Our credit to Tie bank for nothing and 60F-
roiping az back at sac per cent. interest. AS an
alternative and not as choice, he supported
4 the national bank that was chartered, after twice
defeating the monster bank of fifty millions
! founded on paper; for that monster was twice
presented to Congress aud twice rcpulscd. The
last time it came as n currency measure-As
bank to create a national currency; and as Sach
was referred to n select committee on national
currency, Of which Mr. Calhoun was chairman.
lie OPPOSED il, and fell into the support of the
bank which was chartered. Strange that IN
this search for a national bank the currency OF
the constitution seemed to enter no ones head!
The revival of the gold currency was never sug-
lgcstcd: and in that oblivion of gold, and still
down the first national bank did their work much
less cffcctualIy than those who put down the
second one
The speech of each of these Senators, so far
as they constitute the personal part of the debate
will be given in chapter of its own; the re
ioiners, being brief, prompt, and responsive each
to the other, Twill he put together in another
carefully prepared and elaborated may be con-
silcrcd as fair specimens oftheir speaking pow
crs-Lhe style Of each different but each a first
class speakers the branch of oratory to which
hebclongetl They may be read with profit by
those who would wish to form an idea OF the
style and power Of these eminent orators Man,
ncr, and all that is comprehcndcd under the head
Of delivery, is different attribute; and there
AIr. Clay had an advantage, which is lost in
7 transferring the speech to paper. Some OF Mr..
Calhouu's characteristics ofmauner may be seen
in these speeches. lie cschewcd the studied eN-
forGliuIns and pcrorations once so much IN vogue
and which the rhetorician's rules teach how to
make. A few simple words to announce the be-
\ ginning and the same to show the cnLling of his
speech was about rs much as he did i'll that way;
and in that departure from custom he coniorrned
to what was becoming in n business speech, as
his generally were; and also to what was sulti
bic to his own intellectual style of speaking
lie also cschewcd the tritc, familiar, and unpar-
Elementary mode (Which of late has got into yo-
guc) of referring the a Senator as my friend,
or atIle Distinguished or " eloquent or ''thc
honorable, &c He followed the written rule
of parliamentary laws, which is also the clear
rule of propricty, and referred to the member by
his sitting'placc in the Senate and the State from
which he came. Thus, "the Senator from Ken
lucky who sits furthercst from me, which was
sufficient designation to those present, while
for the absent and for postcrity the name (Sir.
Clay) would be put in brackets. He also address
cd The body by simple collective phrase "Sena-
tors" and this was not accident or fancy, but
system, resulting from convictions of propricty,
\ and he would allow no reporter to alter it
Mr.. Calhoun laid great stress upon his. speech
in this debate as being the vindication Of his
public life; and declared, in one ofhis replies to