New-York daily tribune., 1856-05-24
NEW YEBLICdIYONS.


TIE WORKS OF JOHN {. CALHOUN.
rnL WoGks q joHN c. SALHovN I4isd @ By R,s.'
a,'
If il cspuot be .eid of Calhoun. a. johnson
wrote OF Charles XII, that
.H-tn,u.us a. shich m. sors rrows pale
il may st,ll " a5d.t, of his life, that there was
much ia Il,
To pv.at moral an liom tale
He occupies, in the sphere Of our political his
tcry .posit on apart by himsefi his opinions were
more peculiar than those OF any other Of our ssatss
men; he was le-s identified with 90, OF the ordln-
ary parties or with the comu,n life of the people:
and his influence. both before aud after his death,
has run in a particular channel, aud toward ends
not cort mpated b. the generality Of his compeses
or b, society at large. JED, rson, though man Of
marked originality. was yet but the representative
Of those sentiments of popular liberty which were
everywhere I, rmeuting In the bosom of his country
men Mad on was the Constitutional lawyer Who
took up his principles from the advanced standpoint
10 which they had been carried BY the regular
cour.e of events jackson was the synpatheee
tribune OF the people. Webster, mere advocate;
and Cay, while originating gigantic scheeoc u
policy, va. primarily the leader Of aParty But
Calhoun projected for himself course Of his OVID, ~
p,sued 1t by arguments and meaus entirely bis owns
and he lc, behind him no one capable Of following
IN hi, foot.teps OF all the many individuals WHOM
he attached to bis nt.rests, during hls iie, thers
is no one now that he is dead, who has 80 much -
preteuded 10 wear bis mantle. His large Southern
| retmue like the successors Of Alexander. and tho
| children vi Charlemagne has fallen avn ay into COM
parsti,e insenifcance. The sentiments 10 which
he gaze an impulse still operate to considerable,
and even disastrous extent, but no ono man 10
their representative; no one man ventures 10 ~
sumo bis purple and inherit the empire
| tn. oul, person in our annals who resembles
him in the spguIarity of his career. though mos IA
bi. private or public morals, was Aaron Bun-s
msn who wouid have made remarkable figure 10
almost any age Among the Washingtons, the Ham
itons the Jtferso0s, the Adamses, the Pinchneys
aud the Jays of bis time. eminent alike for their
ps fiotic services and unsullied character Aaron
Burr stands alone, rising before us solitary i'm
age like the form Of Satan from bis burning mari.
in the splendd vision of the poet The odiuW
Justly attached to his memory by bis personal vices
hos blinded the mind Of posterty to the eXtraordi-
1ary reach and subtety Of his intellect, aud tho
wicked grandeur of bis ambition. One Of the most
Ingenious and skilu lawyers Of bis day, one Of its
most successful politicians, finished gsntlemsa
in all tie ex.ernals Of deportment-he united 70
these means Of influence no small share Of military
genius. Like Cesar, and like Napoleon, ho had
framed for himself a career Of civil violence and
foreign conquest; ard though 1t can scarcely -
doubted that he would have failed 10 his domestic
conspiracy it is impossible to say what effect his
scheme Of Mexican subjugaion, if i. had not been
arrested would have had upon the destinies Of the
Spanish race.
In the same way. Mr.. Calhoun stood alone among
the Websters, Clays, BentOns and Wrigats Of his
day; equal to any Of them in intellectual power.
be vas the superior Of all in subtIey; but his am
bitten led him into eItraysgances Of doctrine anS
scton which neither they nor Postenv VIII sp-
prove. We cannot but think that bis plan iok
southe m corfrderacies and Mexican scquisifons
will s,.urne in the eyes ofthose who come after ~.
q, dark snd treassDable an aspect as 90 'h'som
Brrr which they strikingly resemble The impair
tal Judgment Of history, while conies'ns D" s's'n
less private purity, viii judge him oy DIS ei'e'aa
acts and discover these, ss wen as In BIS acAao"
l.ao.a opinion.. some ground for tho soabnqast Of
60. ;o.,ed ,n rti,.n times which named him John
C.,i,ine Calhoun II may acquit hin of tho im-
,u,ati,u Of qnob!e AID malicious motive, implied
bs eptbst. bat it nll not di'guise the fact shss
h. was openly sraysd against the lave Of his
cor,tr,. or that be fJmea.ed at all times narrow.
..ctionsl aud bitter sLimosity between the North
ard South.
Our object now however. is rot TO enter upon
an estimate Of the public career Of Mr. Calhoun.
20 much q. TO judge him By bis books. The results
Of bis lifelong activity, 80 far ss they can b
brought into such compass, are presented In tbs
ak volumes before us. They contain, beside he
various spescte., reports and letters two postum
ous dsausitious-the one on the Science OF Gov
erpnent, and the stber on the Constitution OF the
UD.ed states-which be had long meditated, snd
which give the key to his entire political system.
In ,Eese be has concentrated bis best thoughts.
All the germs Of his corduct not strictly personal.
are TO be found here; while they have this advaa-
tsge over the hasty a.terancs Of debate, or IN ~
tive partisan warfare, that their expressions have
been carefully revised and matured.
Tho intellectual character Of Calhoun va Hn-
pie, and may bs easily dscsnsd. Being uH''"