The comet. [volume] (Jackson, Miss.) 1877-1882, 1880-08-28

: would cn>nc. If he favored the PROPOSE
Il tiOn to ccdr the lands to the new States. he
c Disguised the old. If he opposed it. he Of
e Tended the new. But the invention of the
Z old party leader came to ms rescIIc, and as
Il his return blow, he conceived the counter
II stroke Oia distribution ImOngall the States.
d On the two other great occasions, when
Q sectional "NcliCmcnt shook the Union to its
y centre, to which have REFERRED he appear
) ed as mediator. lie was the author of
- the Missouri Compromise. and Of the ad-
Y lustmcnt measures of the stormy session Of
, 1880. The completely relative east Of all
/ hi, political ideas, the total absence from
hi character of Enatici>m upon any Opin-
, ION 0r principle. emnCmtly fitted him for 4
= mediator, and upon all dangerous questions
. ne always acted that part. Whenever con
ilicting interests or opinions mcnaccd the
integrity ni the Union, he stood forth ~
! the harbin@cr and the champion Of peace
and cancellation. He saw the Wrctchrd
condition of the miserable little republics
of South America. feeble, dcmoraliZcd and
cOntemptlblc, at war with each other, tram
Piled upon by every European power, and
de>psed by the world; he was Il member
of a great nation: he loved his country and
hi, whole country, from North TO South,
from the biz lakes To til" gulf, from ocean
10 ocean. from the sunrise To the sunset.
and every feeling of his heart, every
thought Of his brain, rcVoltcd at dsmcn-
bemcnt. 1t is enough to say, in eulO@y of
those measures, and it should immortalize
the great statesman who conceived them,
that both the great divisions of the Ameri-
can people have adopted them both. as Il
| part of their political creed
Doubtless some portion of his sinilucncc in
| the adjustment of those prrilOus questions
! arose from the entirely moderate and con
! Scrvativc character of his opinions upon
| that subject, and from the popularity of
| his position. He was native and a repre-
sentative Of II slave State: he had never
| lived anywhere else, and while untlnch-
| in"ly true, at all times and upon all points,
to the rights of the Southern States. yet he
considered slavery H. Il great though una
YOidablc evil. But he was in no degree
impu~oOned and blinded in regard to it,
He looked at the subject calmly and with
out cNa@~cratiOn : not through the magni-
flying glass Of religious tanaticism or dis
tOrtcd philanthropy, but with the calm eye
of Il practical statesman. He maintained
the policy of gradual emancipation on both
occasions that the subject WAS agitatcd in
Kentucky, openly and vigorously; contend
ing that the great numerical prepOnderance
of the whites over the blacks in that State
rendered their gradual emancipation and
removal safe and easily attanabIc. AT the
same time he always declared that he con
>dcred all such scheme, to be utterly i'm
practicable in the planting States: and if Il
citizen of one of them, would oppose them
all. because the numbers Of the blacks
would render their remON al impossible. and
their continual presence disadNantagcOus
and pcriIOUS to the whites. He fay Ored
emancipation in Kentucky. while farther
South he declared he considered it utterly
impracticablr. These views he urged and
ampilicd at length, not only i'll the discus
sion of the question in his own State. but
also in the United States Senate, while dis
ru..ing the reception of petitions for the
abolition of slavery in the District of Co
Iumbia. This position might also be refer
red to. H. another illustration of the prarti-
cal and completely relative character of all
his political ideas. Doubtless, As AN alb
Strart proposition. considered without ref
rrrnce to it, inevitable existence or the
periIuu> consequences of it, cessation, he
was opposed to slavery: furliburty wa the
passion Of his life. His own country and
his own r0untrymru were the first and the
principal object in his thoughts and in his
heart; but his broad and extended phlam-
iI''"'., N \ 4 fir uU' 'mp'i'-.tnit.. do,
i0t'hd'mim 4 Wcu-Wishcr To his moral and
mental elevation. when it could occur safe
" in Il different land and another cline,
W hcrrN er abroad freedom found NotarN,
that yotaIy found in him Il champion,
When Greece, the classic land Of Greece
the fountain of refinement. the birthplace
If cloqucncc and poetry, and llb"riy-Whrn
Iirctcr aWOkr from the long shmbrr Of
ares and beat back the fading Crescent To
it, native East when Macedon ut last
called to mind the icats uf her cuuQuering
boy. and the spartan again struck i'll for
the land which had bred him, in Henry
laws voice the words of cheering rolled
over the blue waters from thc far west, a,
he greeting Of the New World TO the old.
W hen Mexico, and our sister republics of
he extreme South. shook Oh the rotted
,okr oi the fallen Npanlld. and freedom
ace for one brief moment cleaned under
he pale light Of the southern Gross. il Wa~
~ spoke out again to cheer and to rouse il.
champions. The rcgrnCratcd Greek, the
husky Mexican. the Peruvian mOuntaincCr
all. who would strike one blow for liher-
y. found in him a friend and an adv oCatc.
lis words OfchCrriu@ swept over the plains
# Marathon. and came ringing back from
he peaks of the Andes. But that voice Is.
low ,tillrd, and his bright eye closed for
,vcr He has gone from our midst, and the
vailmg ofglicr which rose from the nation.
md the plumagc Of mourning which
hroudcd it, cities, its hall and lis altars,
ttcst his rouutrymcn'S sense of their loss.
lie has cone, and gone in glory. From Us
i~cS the dirgc: with him floats the pran OF
riumph. by Il beautiful decree and poCti-
al Justice of destiny, it was iatrd that the
ast effort of the Unions great champion
hould be made in behalf of the Union, in
Is last great extremity. He passed OF the
tagr n became the Great Paoilicator. His
living effort was worthy Of and appropriate
% him. When the fountains of the great
lttll tl lilt lubilt illlb N'ih bl'h'i UP
nd the fierce passions of sectional animos-
ty tore over ii. a. the storms sweep over
he ocean. it was from his voice that the
\ ord, of soothing came forth, peace. he
till" 1t was his last battle. and the gal
ant veteran fought il out with the power
nd the lire of his prime. The expiring
iuht of life, though lliCkcring in its last
,ramS blaZrd up to the fullnc>S of its me
idian m,trc. There was no fading away
# intellect, or gradual decay of body.
linds like his. and souls 80 fiery, are cascd
n frames of steel. and when they fall at
l,t, they fall at once. The Union was not
ompcllcd to blush for the decay Of the
MONS great champion. Age had not
rumblGd the stately dignity Of his form,
0r reduced hi> manly intellect To the lm-
,ccility ot "a second childhood. lie faded
way into no feeble twilight lac SUM, down
o no dim sun>ct-but sprang cut Of life IN
he bright blaze of meridian fullncSs. He
aSsed down into the valley of the shadow
# death with all his glory unCluudcd, with
n hi, laurel, fresh and green around him.
Sot spot uhscurcs the lu~tro Of his crest.
lot a ~pri. has been torn from his chaplet.
The dead Douglas has won the field.
liz diving ear run~ with the applause ol
IL, country, aud the husanna~ of nations
.rliitudc. Death has given To him the cm-
ire in the hearts Of his couutrymcn, not
ully granted to the living MAINLAND al
hOugh il was not dccrvcd that the first
uuOrs Of the nation should await him, iis
at blessings will cluster around his name.
lis memory needs NO monument. lie
wants no mausoleum Of stone or marble To
mpri>On his sacred dust. Let him rest
mid the tokens Of the freedom hc 80 much
owed. Let him sleep ON, where the whist
iug of the tamclcss wiuds-the ccascle>-
ull Of the murnuring Watcr--thc chirp-
u.s OF the Wild hird-aud all which speaks
,i Liberty. may chant his eternal lullaby.
Peace De with thy soul. Henry CLAY; may
be earth lie light upon YOU. aud the undy-
.raNr.