The morning star and Catholic messenger. [volume] (New Orleans [La.]) 1868-1881, 1874-03-01
Henry clays Eloqusnee.
From tho Gala1y.l

| Marshall, left Congress in great huff with
Mr. Clay, who, it appears, had taken offense
| at some OF Toms speeches and votes in the
| House, which did not fall within the party
lines as drawn by the Wing leader. In
| subordination was an offense MI. CLAW
never overlooked. To aggravate the
offense, Tom repeated it when he got home ;
so that Mr.. Clay presently found, like the
man who sowed good seed, that an enemy
had been sowing tares among his wheat.
Less patient than he of the parable, the
| Wing embodiment determined not to let
both grow until harvest, but to gather up
the tares forthwith. One morning accord
ingly he stepped into the office of the
handing short notice, written in his own
| peculiarly neat hand, to Mr.. C. Wickliffe,
| the editor, requested him to insert it in the
next number of his paper. Certainly,
Mr.. Clay" replied Mr.. Wickliffe. "But you
have not read it," said Mr.. Clay. "Read it !;
perhaps you will not approve of it," Mr..
Wickliffe, with courteous expression, then
| read the notice, which he saw at a glance,
as he had already seen in the eye AID port
of it's author, portended mischief to the
knot of young insubordinates headed by
Marshall. Though short, it was very sig
nificant, importing that on a certain day,
two or three weeks distant, Mr.. Clay would
address the people at the court house in
Lexington on the principles and measures
of the Wing party, which of late had been
tHe suuJeSL VI OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES IN various
quarters. Such was the import, but the
words and their collecation Enthusiastically
bespoke the hand of Mr.. Clay. Wicklif.,
till the day of his death could repeat the
notice word for word. 1t duly appeared in
the Observer and Recorder, q few hours
after winch Tom Marshall entered the Office.
MIR. Wickliffe's middle name was Carmi-
chael. from which his friends nicknamed
him Mike. "Mike," said Tom, with that
tossing of the head which betokened him
very sure of his scent, "who wrote that
notice at the head of your columns this
Wicklitfe evasively "why, it appears as
editorial" 81 know" rejoiped Tom, 'but
you didn't write it. Tell me, didn't Mr..
Gay write that himsef7" Well" said Mr..
Wicklitfe, " to be frank with you, Mr.. Mar
shall, he did," ~ knew it," exclaimed
adding, with another oath, and 1 intend
to answer him." Nothing more was needed
to put the whole community on tiptoe of
expectation.
The excitement was great, and grew
until the appointed day, which saw the
flower of the population of the Bluegrass
region assembled in and around the Lex
ipgton courthouse to witness an intellect
ual combat q FOutrdnce between the i'm
perial leader and his gifted but refractory
young subaltern. The public interest was
wrought up to a pitch almost painful Mr..
was present, stationed upright in a remote
window slightly back of Mr.. Clay's posi-
ton, where he thought Mr.. Clay would not
see him. But be was mistaken. The
Great Commoner" was in excellent plight
and spoke in his happiest vein, with even
more than his usual head Of magnetic
power, enchanting and fairly electIifying
the multitude, not excepting Marshall him
self, who, drawn by inviting sympathy
with the speaker, had leaned forward from
his coigne of vantage" until his tall
figure stood in full view. At this point
Mr.. Clay having come to the subject Of the
clique of which Marshall was chief, closed
whitening sentence by turning round sud-
denly upon Tom, and hurting his look,
voice and gesture, in one electric missile at
the spell bound culprit, who shot back into
the window as if struck with a cannon ball,
or as if himself discharged from the can
mons mouth. His Generalization was
complete. Mr.. Clay concluded amid q
tumult of applause, upon which arose
everywh loud shouts of -" Marshall !"
Marshall ~ Marshall!" But Marshall
did not appear. Marshall was not to be
found. His followers had nothing to do but
retire, leaving Mr.. Clay in undisp uted pos
session of the tield-a movement which
they executed, we may be sure, with ILL
concealed disgust at the conduct of their
Tom Marshall, according to his custom,
| stalked into the officer of the Observer and
Recorder. "Well, Nike" said he, al
reckon you think Mr.: Clay made a great
speech yesterday ~ Yes" replied Mr..
Wickliffe, 81 do" Don't you" :" Not so
great as he could have made" said Tom
with meaning look. elf l had spoken,
and had roweled him up as 1 could have
done, and he had come back at me as he
would have done, then you would have
heard great speech" "But why didn't
you speak, Mr. Marshall 2" asked Wickliffe.
Because" cried Tom with bitter empha-
Sis, " was - coward l have lost the
should have been certain to make a fine
speech anyhow, and, whether got the best
of 1T or not, all the Democrats from Maine
to Louisiana would have sworn that made
mince-meat of Mr.. Clay" This was q
shrewd view, and it must have occurred to
Marshall beforehand, but it unfortunately
required more nerve to act upon it than he
happened to have at the pinch. The truth
is, Iom Marshall always felt the moral
mastery of Mr.. Clay, and almost always
chaied under it to such degree that his
well-known enlargement from that leader
m OF h1k