San Marcos free press. [volume] (San Marcos, Tex.) 1877-1892, 1881-09-01
"REMINISCENCES.
Taylor, Clay, Webster, Calhoun, Benton
I;,vrsc ". Julian in Intern ,tionai keview

| Adrlv III tuo hcnniou NsshVo VI
President Tay lor, with Mr. Gidding'
anu Judge Alien. l had a very
strong curiosity to see the man whose
name had used 50 freely in two OK
asperating political campaigns, and
desii ed to stand corrected IN my es
innate of his character, If l should
find such correction to be demanded
by the truth. Our interview will
the old solder was exceedingly III
teresting and amusing. l decidedly
liked ms kindly, honest, farmer,iikt
face, and his Old fashioned simplicity
of dress and manners. HIS conver
sation was awkward and labOred
and evlnced u lack of self possession
wnIie hls whole delneanor suggested
his frontier lie, and tnat no had
reached u position for which he Was
slngu..rly unntted by training and
experience, or by any natural aptl
tuue. In the few reInarlSs winch nc
addressed to me about farming III the
West ne greatly amused us py say
lng: II would IKE to visit lndluno
ana see your p.ows, hoes-and oth
er reapins implements, fuiiinS, us he
often u.,t, 10 nnd the words le want
ed. He frequently mis-pronounced
his WORDS, husitaGed and stdmmered
and sonlctinius made breakdown
IN the middle OF n sentence. But
although lie seemed to be III the hands
oI Cne snavenoluers, and was then about
to proclaim his po.icy OF Congresslon'
" INSTRUMENTATION with slavery IN
the Territories, lie impressed me at
beng personally honest anu patrI'
otlc. In tns opinion l was fully CON
tirmed Iater IN the session, wnen he
sorrowiuiiy but munluiiy resisted the
atteu pt OF Senator DAVIS, ms son-ln-
law, ana other extreme men to bury
llm into their measures, and avowed
his sympathy with the anti-siavery
sentiment OF the country. l beiieve
his dying words in July, Il have
tr.ed 70 do my duty were the key
note oi his lie, and tnat IN the presi,
dental campaign of lS4S l did nm
much, thougn unlntenrlonal injustice
Ii was about the same time that
called. with otner Western members,
to see Mr.. Clay, at the National Hotel
He received us with Tie most Srd-
cious cordlality, and perfectly capti
waited us all by the pecuilar and pro
verbal Charm IN his manners and con
yersutIon. remember nothing like II
in the social intercourse OF my hfe
One of our party was n prominent
Wing politician OF Ono, an old friend
of Mr.. Clay, and who seemed anxious
to explain his action IN supporting
General Scott in the National Con
yention of l94S. He falled to satisfy
Mr.. Clay, whose eye hndled during
the conversation, and who had de-
sired and counted on the nomination
himself. Mr.. Clay addressing him
but turning to me, said II can read
lily understand the position OF our
friend from Indiana, whose strong
opinions on the slavery question gov
erned his action; but your position
WAS different; and besides, General
Scott had no chance for the nomlna-
ton, and you were under no obilga-
ton to support him." He spoke
in kindly terms of the Free Soil men;
nd they acted consistently In sup
portiny Van Buren in preference to
Tavlor, and that the election OF the
latter would prove to be the rul OF
the whigs | heard Mr.. Cinys great
speeches in the Senate, on the com
promise measures; and, although l
Deleyed HIM to be radically IN the
wrong, I ielt myself at times drawn
toward him by that peculiar speli
whicn years before had bound me to
hlm as my ldealized political leader.
I witnessed his prlncipil encounters
with Colonel Benton during this ses-
sion. in winch / thought the latter
md the better of the argument; but
his repIy to Mr.. BLrnwell, of South
Caronna, on July ~, in which he
said: II owe II paramount oDediehce
to the whole Union, subordinate
one to my state, and denounced the
ire .sonlb!e avowals of Mr.. Rlett,
was altogether iDimitab.e and uns'r-
passed. HIS scheme Of compromise,
or Omnibus bill" WAS the diriIng
child o. his political ambition and Old
age; and when after lovingly nursing
it and gallantly fighting for u
through seven OF eight weary m0ntils
he saw it cruelly dismembered ON
Ju,y 81, and his sovereign remedy Tor
our nltional troubles insulted by the
separate passage Of bill providing =
Territorial government for Utah, 1
couid not help feeling profound
personal sympathy with him. Beat
en- at last at every point, deserted by
some 5 nGtOrs IN whom he had trust
ed implicitly. crashed AMI exhausted
l,y iabors which few young and Sig-
crors men could have eninred, he
bowed to the inevitable AMI rstred
from the Senate Ciamjer. Bat the
next morning prior to his dePirlure
for E.e sa4-shOre. he was IN hls seat /;
and with lightning in his eye, and
figure erect az ever, he pad bls re-
spects b. the men whose rork Of 20
Eu-ai hAvJc he deplOrsd HIS IN
passioned arr4ignInent Oi the M
aaionists WEs loudly aPPsaalei by
the galleries, and eielT.y indse-fs'd
wh4i psTt be wOuid hsve paayed N
-. -. X l,aTr0o ha.l kis HE bra