The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1864-10-13
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by the large majority of the American
people, upon the views and objects Of Mr..
Calhoun, who, after having spent tn,
greater part Of his life in useless etiort-
10 prevent the destruction Of the Union
went down to his grave with the reputa
ton of having been its most decided eli
envy. He knew, as all Southern states
men knew, that unless the rights of the
States could be preserved, the preserva-
ton of the Union was impossible; ana
hc saw, what too many Southern states
men overlooked, that party was form
ing in the North, whose first principle
was deadly and decided hostility to those
rights. The measures which he pro
posed to arrest the progress of this party
were misinterpreted, and he fell under
the odium which once attached to the
name OF disunionist.
Nor was he altogether singular in his
fate Among other iliustrious Southern
men who fell under the same suspicion
was the late John b. Floyd, the heredi
tary friend and confdant Of Mr.. Cal
houn, and the man, Of all others, who
best comprehended his views and the
ends which he proposed to accomplish.
For as it was said of old, "they are not
all Israel that are of Israeli" so it was
not every admirer, and even follower, Of
Mr.. Calhoun who fully comprehendcd
his principles. The reason of the fail
urc is sufficiently obvious. The intellect
Of Mr.. Calhoun was the most subtle,
We are prone to believe, ever accorded to
a human being, unless Aristotle and
Hobbies may contest the palm with him
lie possessed rapidity Of analysis
that eluded the grasp and defied the
attention of the most acute and most I'M
timing listener. His speeches are all re-
maIkable for their power of condensa-
lion, their almost scOrntul rejection of
ornament, and the acuteness of the logic
which pervades them, and renders them
dlssimllar to any others. One of the
most eminent lawyers that Virginia ever
produced-a man whose accuteness ofin
tellect was considered something like
prodigy in his days understood to have
declared that he found the greatest diff
Guilty in following Mr.. Calhoun's train of
thought through one of his speeches.
Each speech was as comprehensive as a
volume, and many volumes might have
been formed out Of any halfdozen of them.
He could be better comprehended when
they were published than while they
were in the course of delivery, be-
cause it could then be seen how much
thought he had packed into how small a
space. They remind US of the treatise
of equity, which goes under the name of
Fonblauque, but was really written by a
man named Ballow, in which the whole
science Of equity is dispatched in about
one hundred pages, and that SO COM
pletely and comprehensively, that the
hundreds Of volumes published on the
subject since, contain nothing more than
Celebrations of the principles there laid
town. 1t was not wonderful, therefore,
that MIR. Calhoun, while he had many
admirers, had few friends that could grasp
his views. Governor Floyd was one Of
hose few. He adopted the views of Mr..
calhoun because no comprehended them.
ind they convinced his reason.
Governor Floyd had long been under
he impression that the Black Republican
,arty was a standing menace to tho
Jnion. When he became Secretary Of
Var, under Mr.. Buchanan, having better
hances of observation than he had ever
enjoyed before, he saw that the danger
vas even greater and more imminent
han he had believed it to be. He felt
hat, unless some means could be discoy
red OF arresting the progress of the
Black Republican party, the Union must
nevltably be overthrown; for he saw
hat they were determined to push mat
ers to the last extremity, and to leave
he South no room to retreat, or to save
0 much even as its honor. He was de-
oted to the Union, and he cast about for
ONE method by which it might be pos
ble to rally and re- unite the country. A
var with some foreign power suggested
tself as the only remedy, and, despe-
ate as this was, he did not hesitate
o recommend its adoption. This, we
earn from authority which we believe to
re undoubted, Governor Floyd himself !
tated in the latter days of his liie.-
lie used every exertion to bring on war {
With Great Britain and as our readers ]
nay probably recollect, the war was very I
lear coming, 1t would have come but :
or the want of pluck on the part of Old 1
suck, who could not be brought up to
lie lighting point by all the arguments,
;ntrcatles and persuasions of which Go
Jernor Floyd was maSter-and bo o