White Cloud Kansas chief. [volume] (White Cloud, Kan.) 1857-1872, 1860-02-23
Corwin in the House and Toombs in
the Senate.

WASHINGTON, January "A, lOOU.
For threee hours to day Gov. Corwin
has held both sides of the Honse and its
crowded galleries, spell bound, with an
argument of transcendant power, in illus
tration and defence of the fundamental
principles of the Republican party
The telegraph can no more picture to
you the scene than it can a thunder storm
at sea, or a charge of Murat's cavalry at
Borodino. Mr.. Corwin's speech Of yes
terday, of which this is q continuance,
was an accident. He rose simply to cor
rect Mr.. Barksdale upon a historical
point, when the Sudden gathering of
members around him stimulated him to
keep on until he had spoken two. hours.
the latter half OF which was an intro
duetion to the great effort of to-day
His audience this afternoon consisted of
the entire. House, Republicans, Demo
Gratis, and Americans. All clustered
around him, and so filled up the area that
the Clerk was repeatedly required to
clear it, in order that the official report
ers might be able to catch the glittering
periods and luminous passages of the or
ator. No portion of the members paid
closer attention than the Keitts, the La
mars, the Currys. the McRaes, and other
leaders of the ultra South. Two or three
times they tried to emancipste themselves
from the spell; but they had reclined up
on the remoter sofas only few moments,
when the magician's wand drew them
again within the charmed circle of his
eloquence. 7
Though this speech exhibited all the
salient features of Mr.. Corwin's elo-
quence, wit. humor, drollery, pathos,
happy classical illusions. apt historical
illustrations. quaint Biblical sIpositions,
ga~nished and set of with those unique
gestures anG dramatic expressions of
countenance for which he is celebrated,
yet its leading characteristic was the ma
jestic march of the argument. Amid all
the glitter of the lighter and gayer weap-
ons Of attack and retort, there was heard
the incessant booming of the heavy ar
tillery of logic in defense of the main
proposition, that the doctrines of the
Republican party. and especially their
opinions upon the power and duty Of
Congress to inhibit slavery in the Terri
tories, were identical with the teachings
of the trainers of the Constitution, and
the great men who had expounded its
provisions in the Legislative, Judicial
and Executive Departments Of the Gov
eminent. He caused the words and the
acts of Jefferson, Washington. Madison.
Marshall, Monroe. Calhoun, Adams,
Writ, Clay and Webster, to pass in long
and solemn review before his auditory,
he, all the while, pouring along their
path the glowing light of fervid and sp-
preciating eulogy. In those portions of
his speech where he dwelt upon the poll
cy of the fathers of the Republic in ex-
Guiding slavery from the Northwest Ter
ritory, and of their slier sens in inhibit-
ing it north of the parallel of SO deg.
80 min, he rose to the level Of his
theme, uttering sentences Of transcendent
eloquense.
His answer to the charge that the Re-
publican party is responsible for Browns
invasion of Harper's Ferry; his inter-
iectsd sketch of Brown as puritan of
the Cromwellian type, around whom the
angels of the Most High encamped night
and day; his charge that the Free Soil
resolutions Of Democratic State Conven-
tions, passed in 1S4S, (which he read J
were far more likely to have melted
Brown to his attack on Virgins than the
speeches of Seward; his challenge to the
South to quote anything from the most
ultra Abolitionists more incendiary than
the writings and speeches of Jefferson
and other slaveholders, which he cited,
were given in his happiest vein, both in
respect to matter and manner. Now. he
was inimitably witty about Helpers book,
saving how he had feared to frank it. on
request, to q curious constituent. lest the
envelope be used to procure against him
an Indictment for constructive treason;
then, raining . pitilsss shower of ridicule
uson the attempt of Democratic mem
bers to prove everybody on his side Of
the Chamber guilty, by indictment Of
law" of murder and treason, and each
armed with q horrid knifs. and only
waiting to thrust It into the bowels Of the
gentlemen on the other side; and, grace
fully changing the tone and manner. ap
peaIing to Georges, and Kentucky, and
Virgins, to abandon their insane doc
trines and mad practices. or dig up the
bones of their Jeffersons, MArshAlls,
Crawfords, Wirts. and Clays, and dash
them into the Potomac. or gibbet them
between the heavens andlthe eArth--ev-
cry hue Of politics in the House keeping
up q running accompaniment Of laughter
at his humor, or, IS his bursts Of majes-
zoSss q