Seattle daily post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, W.T. [Wash.]) 1881-1888, 1882-04-27
john &. CALmOUN.

DENVER. March 3l.-To the Hon. job" |
West.rortL: Your eloquent and inter
esting lecture to the old settlers OF Chi
caco, on your recollections OF Adams,
CLAW, Calhoun. Webster. and Benton,
on the 18th inst. has just reached me,
for which / thank you 1t he's stirred
up my memory of bvgones in the Unit
ed States Senate. and telephone back
to YOU through the brightest and Young
est Of our papers in Denver, the Hello,
of nav first visit to that illustrious body
on the I'D of December, 1872. And
strange to say, sentence of your lee
ture affords the text on which my visit
on that eveniful morning turns fou
saw: Il had never seen Jadge NcRois-
erts, our United States Senator from Ill
iuois. but hurried around among my
colleagues and gathered what inforrna.-
ton could, and did the best l could to
make myself ready for the resolution OF
coincidence at his death, sent over from
the Senate
Now it 20 happened that on my first
visit to the Senate / saw Senator Nc
Roberts when he received his death
bowl saw the arrow aimed at him by
that greatest of all oar Senatorial g.adi-
ators. John G. Calhoun: watched the
shaft as it struck him, and heard the
moan of that poor old Senator as he
went out of the Senate Chamber TO his
crave on the way back to Illinois to bis
Democratic constituents, of whom you
vsre oue-never again to appear on
earth. as he died of tine intellectual, log
icai and wonderful debating power OF
John G.. Calhoun, who never had and
never will have peer In the Senate :.
And it happsned in this wise: That
morning, December I'D, lo42, was one
of those oid-fashioned winter mornings
| in Washington. such as are never equal
| led elsewhere, when the air was keen.
cool aud sharp, and the sun sisons a. III
the tropics. which made every one feel
as if he wanted a prize fight. and that
all his mental and physical faculties
| were strung to their highest tension. l
was then but - years of age. and on
that bright, beautiful morning. for he
| first time in my life, entered that au-
gust tribunal as spectator.
There sat Rufus Choats and honest
John Davis, of Masssch lsetts: Silas
Wright and Nathaniel Talmadge, of
New York; Senators Phelps and Celia
mer. of Vermont: John NJ. Berrien, of
| Georgia; John G. Calhoun, of South
Carolina; Henry Clay and Governor
Metcalf, of Kentucky; VIM. Woodbridge
and Augustus s. Porter, my old law
| teacher. of Michigan, and such men. AS
| entered the Chaplain commenced his
short earnest prayer, and then that
staunch. sterling old Wing, Willis p.
Maugum. President of the Senate, call
ed the body TO order, and the cay' s
work began. This WAS tho old Senate
Chamber. now the Supreme Court room,
and not that tawdry, vulgar room used
by the present Senate, resembling the
gambling houses of Monaco. As bust
ness began my patron asked me IF he
might introduce me to the leading SEN
ators," but declined, saying that |
would sit in tbs corner and listen, and
did so. Mr.. McRoberts was then your
Illinois Senator, and came forward, and
then the Vice President, Mangum, an
nounced 1.-The Senator from Illinois, on
the third reading of his bill to lease the
lands of Illinois to actual settlers"
And thereupOn your Senator, over whose
memory at the next session you deliy-
cred eulo2y, arose, and for nearly
three hours read printed speech ''in
favor of leasing the lands of the United
States to American citizens as tenants
of the United States While he was
reading, noticed in front of me very
tall, spare, nervous man, with hair like
the quilts of the fretful porcupine, ap-
parontly immersed in reading a news
paper, but very restless, and no sooner
was Mcisoberts in his seat than ND shot.
like an arrow, John G. Calhoun, over
six feet high, straight as a ramrod, and
as he shouted out "Mr. President" with
a snap like rifle, tho President re-
Piled: 1.-The Senator from South Caro-
lima has the fioor!' and the stiffness of
death came over the Senate Chamber.
Standing erect AS the mountain pine,
making no gesticulation save with his
long bony forefinger, he spoke not ex-
ceeding fifteen minutes, and in that
time he demonstrated that our Govern
ment could never become great land
lord. and the people of Illinois were
never intended to become tenants, and
his logic WAS SO mastery, his elOquence
was SO convincing, that on taking his
seat the McRoberts bill was killed for
over, and the old author, on leaving the
Senate to return to Illinois, died en-
route hOme-a victim to the mental
power, the wonderful ability of John G.
Calhoun, who. for intellectual force,
logical and forensic ability, was the
peer of any man in the nation, and
equalled only by Daniel Webster. AS
soon as the speech was ended l sought
an introduction to Mr.. Calhoun, who,
grasping my hand in his two, talked to
me of Michigan, all its forts, fortifica-
tiOns, etc., which he had located as SEQ
rotary of War under j. q. Adams. as
President, and in day or two l dined
with Mr.. Calhoun and his son Captain
Pat Calhoun, then Of the army. His
house had but one or two carpets in all
Its rooms, and his table was as simple
as those among the Spartans, but over
and around all this was tho spirit and
halo of intellectually, learning, logic
aud mental refinement. was then, as
always, a Wing, and had no sympathy
with MIR. Calhoun's secession doctrines,
but l felt AZ you did, John Wentworth,
that no more able debater. no more log
ical reasoner, no pnrer and more ele-
giant Senator ever graced that Chamber,
and 10 l feel today. When l contrast
such men as Edmunds and Dawes with
Choate, and Webster and Phelps, and
George Evans, Of that day, thank my
God that the time will sooa come when
! must no longer grieve over the larillis
dcsces,is areyni OF our American Senate.
II grows small by degrees and each year
beautifully less. GEonGE G. BATES.
A CARD.
Having returned from San Francisco