The Cecil Whig. [volume] (Elkton, Md.) 1841-current, 1881-02-05

| about death.
But" Mr.. Hunter went on to say.
| ''you must not whisper it to any one: |
believe that he died under the impress
sion that the South was betrayed and
gone. Indeed, he told me it was be
trayed the last time ever saw him.
| DO not mention this. however. One of
the last things he ever said to Judge
Butler was, Don t dcspond. Judge: never
despondr And if we mean to fight the
battle we must not dcspond; 81, if we
do, we must not let the people see it un-
til all is manifestly useless. Clay's course
and Foote'S eternal talk about compro-
mise have done more to LET down the
| tone of Southern feeling than everything
else put together. Had Clay not taken
| the course he did, and had Foote and
| every Southern man forborne to press
compromises on those who talked of
nothing of the sort themselves, we might
have gotten, think. fair compromises
say, the line of $3.50 through to the
dClitt. VIII vi slavery
south OF that line. Such. at least, is my
| opinion. Buchanan would have been
willing to agree to this. | believe, and
| think ! know others in the North who
would have agreed to the same. The
North would not have severed the Union
sooner than submit to such PROPOSE
ton
Mr.. Calhoun's death elected glowing
eulogies in both Houses of Congress, but
the most impressive was that of Henry
Clay. Evidently standing on the brink
of his own grave, he went on to say. Il
was his senior. Mr. President, in years
in nothing else. According to the course
of nature. l ought to have preceded him.
1t has been decreed otherwise: but know
that shall linger here only short time,
and shall soon follow him"
Mr. Jefferson Davis aspired to the lead
ership of the South after the death of Mr..
Calhoun, and talked openly of disunion.
Let the sections" said he, in the SEN
ate chamber, part, like the pat.iarchs OF
old. and let peace and goodwill subsist
among their descendants. Let no wound
be inflicted which time cannot heal. Let
the flag of our Union be folded up entire.
the thirteen stripes recording the origi
nal size of our family, uniform by the I'M
holy struggles of civil war: its constella-
ton to remain undimmed. and speaking
to those who come after us of the growth
and prosperity of the family whilst it re-
manned united. Unmutilated, let it Ii,
among the archives of the Republic, un
til some future day. when wiser COUNSEL
shall prevail. when men shall have been
sobered in the school of adversely. again
to be unfurled over the continent wild,
Republic
Yet when Mr.. John P. Hale presented
a petition praying for a peaceful diSsolu
ton of the Union. Mr.. Davis objected t.,
its reception. when we come into this
chamber, Mr.. President, said he, 1.-THE
first duty which the Constitution requires
Of us is to go to your table, and to swear
before Almighty God that we will sup
port the Constitution. Well. sir. what
are we called upon to do? To support
that instrument, which we have sworn
to support9 No sir! No, sir. We are
called upon to destroy it, and | am not
prepared for a step of that Description
Mr. Hale, who. with Mr.. Salmon p.
Chase. was not named on any Of the com
mittees of the Senate, was constant
target for the attacks of the Southern
ers: but the keenest shafts of satire made
no more impression upon him than musllet
balls do upon the hide of rhinoceros.
One day. when Senator Clemens had as
serted that the Union was virtually dis
solved, Mr.. Hale said, eff this is not
matter too serious for pleasant illustra-
ton, let me give you one. Once i'll my
life. in the capacity of justice ofthe peace
for held that Office before | was Sena-
tori was called on to otticiate in unit
ing couple in the bonds of matrmony.
They came up, and | made short work OF
it. asked the man if he would take the
woman whom he held by the hand to be
his welded wife: and he replied, To be
sure | will. / came here to do that very
thing l then put the question to the
| lady whether she would have the man
for her husband. And when she an
swcred in the affirmative, l told them
| they were man and wife then. She looked
up with apparent establishment, and in
| ouired, is that alp yes said I.
that is ALL WELL said she, it is not
such mighty affair as I expected it to
be, after all ! If this Union is already
dissolved, it has produced less commo
ton in the act than expected"
Gen. Cass, then Senator from Michi-
gan, was very FESTIVE under the sharp
thrusts. which Mr.. Hale occasionally gave
him; thinking, doubtless. that they would
injure his chances for nomination b,
the National Democratic Convention in
1851. The General, then approaching
seventy years of age, enjoyed robust
health and possessed rare powers of en-
durance, which he attributed to his never
having used ardent spirits or tobacco. His
early Investments in real estate at De
troit had made him Il millionaire. and i,
was his boast that he had never fore.
closed mortgage or sued Il debtor. He
was always attentive to the interests OF
his constituents, but he never introduced
measure of national Importance int,
the Senate unless it was territorial-or.
as Mr.. Calhoun called it. squatter-sov,
ereignty. The credit of this was taker
from him by Mr.. Douglass, and it doubt.
less did more to precipitate the rebel
lion than any other political theory evel
preached in Congress.
General Sam HouSton-a large, imposing
looking man, who wore Il waistcoat mad,
from the skin of some wild beast. dressed
with the hair on, and who generally occu
pied himself during the sessions of tn,
, Senate in whiting small sticks of sof
pine wood. which the Sergeant-at-A Arms
procured for him. His life had been on,
of romantic adventure After having
served with distinction under Gen. Jack
son in the Creek war, he had become
t lawyer. and then Governor of the Stat,
of Tennessee. Soon after his Inaugural
, ton he had married an accomplished