Marshall County Republican. (Plymouth, Ind.) 1856-1878, 1871-09-28
From the Cincinnati Gazette.
"reminiscences of Vallandigham.

"reminiscences ofVallandigham
\ sometime law student and law part
ner with the late c. l. Vallandighcm has
written private letter which is published,
which gives what appears to be just ac
count of his mental capacity and of his
mental application. His acquaintance be-
gan when Vallandigham was 81 years
old. He thinks that he was not natural
ly quick or brilliant man, and tina: he
made himself what he was by close and
never ceasing study. And this study was
of but few books, for he was a slow and
laborious reader, and was chiefly in the
direction of the orators and in the cultiva-
ton Of the graces Of oratory. The writer
SAYS:
His chief study was craftsmanship.
Everything tended to his Improvements
IN that direction. This involved the close
study of language and OF the graces of
oratory The first book he put in my
hand was Bronscn's Elocution IN early
days he practiced from it frequently
Hence his distinct enunciation But
language he deemed the weapon of The
orator, and lie understood the words very
well
In later years the writer says, he was
not u close or con liant L reader as Lc had
heen.
He also ;cstiics 10 E;llaniiglaln' )
habit of elaborate preparation. When
any political speech was on hand, he would
shut himself up for days" He knew
little CT ;Lc natIral &ciercc" lie had
not a legal mind" When he entered into
case he hunted down prccedcnt9 loo
npmerously. But the writer thinks that
If he had confined himself 10 the Bar he
+ would have made great lawyer. lie
often said that the wear and tear Of ;hc
court WAS too much for linn lie dis
liked contradiction, defeat or opposition,
and al The Bar man must meet them all
lie was a good latin scholar reatiing
Horace, Cicero and Quintiiiisn frequently
in the original We may add to this a
fact gained from other sources, that Val
landigham, ike his brothers, Was remark
able for precocity. He WAS a political
speaker before he was CT age. IN Iheil
case this precocity was followed by pre-
mature elimination. In lis case, he pre-
vented thi4 by great application.
III the foregoing the writer gives his
own and Yallandigham' idea OF states
manship. 1t Vas oratory for public speak
ing. He bent bis whole mind to this
but to the superficial part, the use OF word:
and the manner of delivery and not to The
pursuit of the principles Of government
and of constitutional law, or any of tha
study of national wealth which is called
the science of craftsmanship. Nallandig
ham had none OF this, and, in an age re
markably prolific, in philosophical ant
scientific inquiry, relating not only to alb
stract science, but TO social and politica
problems his mind took no part in thes
things. Therefore all his application t
oratory has left no idea that even h
would desire to have remain. The turr
Of his mind was chiefly to the philip,
and yituperatiye style OF speech. An i'm
prcssion Of this labored, malignant invec
tive is all that is left on the public min,
4 of his oratory.
When the domineering Southern chief
, of the Democratic party in Congress, sey
eral of them, had the bad manners to ridi
cule Mr. Sumner because he prepared hi
speech, one of them affected to mimi
him rehearsing his speech before glass
The Northern funkies lookup this abuse
4. But We have no account of sny such ell
borate and minute preparation as VallaT
=, digham made for speeches. Several {
d his friends has testified to this NJ
= Samuel S. Cox, among the rest, has nal
rated how he rewrote and Te-wrote pal
ticular phrases, and conned them owe
I day after day, until he had arranged thcl
y into what he thought perfect form. An
~ all this nice elaborate preparation of I'll
: mere forms of speech he committed t
memory so that he could deliver it in IL
4. dramatic method. Thus his pretentiou
e. prophetic declaration that Southern s.
cession, was worked over and over, to g
It it into the form he thought most effectiv
and then the emphasis of delivery W;
i. alike calculated If this is oratory, the
j, oratory is only an incumbrance to state
RS manship.
a.. This pursuit of speech began from h
10 boyhood. He would go into the woos
he and exercise his voice in various tones
TX try the effect. Alike early was develops
his propensity to carry fire arms. I
carried pistol with which he would pra
d: tice at saplings, and if he made a b
M would remark that it was within the Wit
: line Of man. His explanation of this W
that such practice might be useful som
time. He kept this habit through Ii
and always thought pistol necessary
his protection. He desired to acquire &
reputation of fire eater In speech
q the House he gave notice that there We
, Western fire eaters az well az Southern, a.