The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1866-07-12

Il
public business, he sharpens every hearers sense
otthe grotesque awakening in ali that indescrlba-
| BILE mixture OF freedom with deerence which we
1 feel towards one VINO seems 10 com0lne in one
| expression of manner a coniding openness with n
quaint Indifference or arrogance. His Speech
| az this STAGE Is monotonous, and sometimes
| mcoherent, and always with q tone of muffied
| goodwill, and a total absence of all trace of
/ scorn. The hue OF this drOllery is of the most
| harmless and contagious kind, making himself,
| rather than others, the object of the general
tter, and it's tact is perfected by his seeming 10
| aim Ineftectvely elsewhere During this time
| he IS looking about his immediate place AS If
hunting mlsald notes, or a dropped handker-
chief, with the dull sohcitude of dotage The
| House, meantime, are cracking turtive iokes at
| his expense, while here and there A page with
cautious but slenihcant mimicry, is taking off
Old Thad" an lmpertnence which the boldest
OF the brats would not dare indulge to wards any
| other member. Every iace wears smile every-
body is IN good hunor with the Todd aud inte.
teslg character on the floor, and especially with
hlmselt; and the House, careless OF the pubnc
ana oil the stern strife OF party debate, CYCLES
like picnic.
Then, rising erect, the Leader lifts his lone
right arm with wide sweep, the elbow in
advance of the hapd contracts his 1eetllng
brows, throws up and back his towering head,
and with sudden straight thrus. OF his long
yellow hnger, followed by the whole outstretch
OF his arm, he sends FORTH in a laundering tone
the iron bolt OF his argument. 1t stuns the
ablest ntellects and startles the coolest lempefs
in earshOt. The succeeding postuates are but
quick succession that bIeaks do Wn all adverse
analysis. With endless diversity OF association
with The ludlcrous, with the coWardly, with the
iaithless, with the dlsgushng-he shows the
same arrow, winged and barbed at every flight
with new analoeles TO impel and new words to
wound. "0ne thing is everything If il is stronger
than any other thing" said he, sententiously to
young eXpostor OF De JUre Bell IN support of
ContscatIon. He cannot be SAID to debate With
HIN IL is but assault. The ratiocination of the
philosopher, starting ON the plane of the politi-
cal horizon, would, as formerly the case
when Kings we're sovereign run INTO senseless
ana chimercal dOgmatism, or would now in
the intelligence OF The age, immediately destroy
its own foundations and resolve all 'pulitics"
into lIaud. Our statesmen, nevertheless affect
the lnstrumentalities OF rational logic, and
frequently support their empty propositions by
an imposing structure OF intellectual combina-
tons that serve, in proportion to their logical
consistency, to betray Their own minds into the
same obscuTity of moral distinctions to which
the partisan is obliged to bring the people: as
the elder Booth would play Richard with such
perfection that he wOulo be deceived by his own
stimulation into attempting a real tragedy on the
boards OF the playhouse. But Thaddeus Stevens
is not demonstration. He is not what is GUS
tomarily called thinker. He is, pre-emnently
an agent. Not that in this boldest and coarsest
OF the great managers OF our Congress there is
not the meeting, with its opposite, OF mysti.
cism so subtle as to be the tittest extreme to
eXemplify the proverb. But 1t IS the mysticism
OF Tnstinct-that unconscious but unerring phi
losophy which goes by the name of shreWdness
ne III WHOu III is OUT ruQlment ana curiosity
may cast 1t into speech, body it forth as a sys-
TEN, and expound it IN oook. But he in whom
1t is the plane OF the mind, over which walk hts |
thoughts, and on which are built his expert
ences, is as incapable OF analyZing or as unwill-
ing to explore 1t as the planter OF a cornfeld is
to undermine his soil with the curious investIga-
tons OF geology. The political world" is not
geography Tor surveying, but machine for work
ing; not a spectacle to be contemplated, but an
apparatus to be operated. 1t has its principles
ltslaws,its dependence ofparts, all beginning and
ending IN the machine itself. To work it, it
must be treated as sut generis, and distracted
from the general world. 70 effect the latter is
the only purely intellectual labor involved in
the management. He that never forgets the
peculiar laws of the cons ttutlon OF partsanship,
while in the midst OF its eXcitements, will pre-
dlcate his action upon them, regardless of per.
sons. This is difficult to do but it has been
done. By no man has it ever been better done
than by Thaddeus Stevens. What are the pecu-
liar endowments requisite for such an astonlsh-
ing mastery over the unwilling minds of other
powerful men?
l. A viii of inherent and uncommon might.
MIR. Clay had such will. Added to it, he had
a power of persuasion and personal attraction
which it has become settled by the world was
unequaled by any political leader of ancient
OF modern history. But these were not ALL He
was gifted with love more miraculous than Wis
dom, or strength, or elequence. The chivarous
adversary who openly dened him, secretly longed
to reciprocate affection with him. The friend
who adhered to him was intolerant OF any ques-
lion of following him. More than half the
House were olassed with those.Who would rather
do wrongsthan estrang themselves from Henry
Clay. But never had thai marvellous man the
power in the House of Representatives which is
daily welded byElhe most unpopular man on the
floor. SAID New England member of the
House, OF much longer Congressional expe
rience than Mr.. Stevens, 'My dear sir, we
have talked over this amendment, and all saw
they can't goit." Tell them,n coolly answered
the despohc leader, that they must go it,"
''Well, for my part, 1 aoont 90 it," was the re.
fractory response. "YOu shdRP' was the re-
oinder, with the cold audacity OF a Roman con.
spirator, coupled with the mysterious reticence of
a Hebrew prophet. The former CHALLENGED and
the latter subduei the pride OF the insubordnate
conirere. ,.. .. ..
2. A perfect indifference to praise or blame,
Z. e., applause or censuTe, as such. The effect
OF this quality is to give to favor or rebuke,
from one who has it, all the moral weight
OF perfect disinterestedness Who believes he
could Halter Thaddeus Stevens? Or who sup
poses that he could be made to blush with NOR
tlncationY We have described his person and
mlen. What could better express the sentiment
smallest exhibition OF anxiety lest he be taken
peioW his estimate. Proud aggI essive men put
on a look like that OF Mr. Benton. "Slrn thew
seem TO say, thus lofty hold myself Degrade
me II you dareW Proud, but sensitive men, as
ior example, Mr. Calhoun aim to hit the deli
cafe oemarcation between the respect and the
torDeafance OF others, as ii saying, II beg YOU
generously give me Difference since if Withheld
must demand it," But here Is one too proud
10 consider such question. He seems to saw
II am lust what am, and do not care whether
you know II or not or rather, more accurately
he seems to say as he certainly does think,
nothing at all about it. When, therefore some
tribute of praise has lust been paid him and
there follows favor from him, nobody in tbe
House suppO5eS the latter to have depended ON