The Penn's Grove record., 1882-12-23
John Randolph. of Roanoke.

Had Randolph at this period of his
life (the closing year OF his public SER
vice) shown any respect for his own
dignity, or had he even respected the
dignity OF Congress, he would have
been a very formidable man but he
sacrificed his influence to an irrational
vanity. His best friends excused him
on the ground that he was partially
insane; his enemies deciSred that
this insanity was due only to drink;
and perhaps q charitable explanation
win agree with his o Va belief that all
his ~peculiarities had their source in an
ungevernable temper. which he had
INDUCED until 1t led him to the verge
Of madness. Be this as it NAV, GER
tain it is that his flashes of inspira
ton we're obtained only at a painful
cost of time and power. During these
last years Randolph was like ajockey
thrown early out Of the race, who
rides on with antics and ge~sticuls-
lions, amid the jeers ard wonder OF
the crowd, toward that winning post
which his cid RIVALS have long since
passed. He despised the gaping
clowns who applauded him, even
while he enjoyed amusing them. He
despised himself, perhaps more than
all the rest.
Not once or twice only, but day after
day, and especially during his short
senatorial term, he would take b
floor, and, leaning or lolling against
the railing which in the old Senate
chamber surrounded the outer row of
desks, he would talk two or three
hours at q time, with no perceptible
reference to the business in hand,
while Mr.. Calhoun sat like 3 statue in
the Vice Presidents char, until the
Senators one by one retired, leaving
the Senate to adjourn without a quo
rum, a thing till then unknown to its
courteous habits; and the gallery look
| ed down with filters or open laughter
at this exhibition Of a half-inssne half
intoxicated man, talking a drearv
monologue. broken at long intervals
by passages beautiful in their con-
struction, direct In their purpose and
not the less amusing from their occa-
sionai virulence. These long speeches,
II speeches they could be called, were
| never reported. The reporters broke
down In attempting to cope with the
| rapid uttersnce, the discursiveness and
| interminable length, the innumerabie
Eyes, sirs," and mo, sirs," of these
| harangues. Mr.. Niles printed in his
| Register for 1926 one specimen verbs-
tim report merely TO show why no
more was attempted. In the same
| volume Mr.. Miles gave an account OF
q visit he made to the Senate gallery
| on May 2, 1925, when Randolph was
talking.
LoIling against the rail, stopping
occasionally to rest himself and think
| what next to talk about, he rambled
| on with careless ease in conversational
tones, while the Senate chamber was
| nearly empty and the i~mperturbable
| Calhoun patiently listened from his
| throne. Mr.. Niles did not know the
| subject of debate, but when he entered
the gallery Randolph was giving out
q plan to make a bank.
well, sir, we agree to makes BANK
| You subscribe $4,000, you $40, 600, and
you $40, 600 or $4,000; then we Dor
| row some rags, or make up the capital
out of our W promissory notes. Next
we buy an iron chest-for ssfety
against fire and against thieves-but
| the latter was wholly unnecessary
who would steal our paper, sir? All
| being ready We issue bill-I wish ]
| had oneof them {nunting his pockets
as though he expected to find one)-
| Ekethe o wi Creek Bank or Washington
| and Warren, black or red-I think,
sir, they begin with L promise to
pay'--yes, promise to pay, sir-prom-
Use to pay"
He dwelt upon this masking of a
| bank for about five minutes, and then
said something concerning Unita-
rians In religion and politics, making
a dash at the administration, and
| bringing in Sir Robert Walpole.
| Then he spoke of the Bible, and ex-
dressed his disgust at what are called
"family BibIes,n though he thought
no family safe without a Bible-but
| not an American edition. Those pub
| lished by the Stationers' Company OF
| London ought only or chiefly to have
| authority, except those from the
presses of the Universities of Oxford
and Cambridge.
He described THESE corporations
| briefly: They would be fined si0 600
If they should leave the word not out
| of the Seventh Commandment, how
| ever convenient 1t might be to some or
| agreeable to others Cooking directly
| at certain members and half turning
| himself round to the ladies). He
! never bought an American edition OF
any book; he had no faith in their
| accuracy. He wished all his books to
| have CadelI's imprint-Cadell, of the
| Strand, London. But people were
| liable to be cheated. He bought q
copy Of Aristotle's Ethics to present to
. lady-to a lady, sir, who could un-
derstand them-yes, strand be found
it full Of errors. though 1t had Cadets
imprint, which he gave to be UNDER
/ stood was q forgery. From the Bible
he passed to Shakespeare, drubblng
..o ana aonndlx for nuhlishing a