Lancaster daily intelligencer. [volume] (Lancaster, Pa.) 1864-1928, 1883-06-01
soHE FAMOUS AMEKlOANs.
coloueI Jacob ThOmpson Tells What Z
Knows About Thom.


Knows About Thom.
Colonel Jacob Thompson has been fur
uishing Mer,seether's Weekly with some
recollection of famous men. Calhoun, he
said, always dressed neatly, neither too
much or too little. Webster wore e sreat
coat with long tails. and invariably deco
rated with largo metal buttons. Clay gen.
orally appeared little neglge, his CT await
always tied loosely and flowing. Clay al
WAYS considered an ovorrsted man. He
was q hail fellow we'll mot, full Of magnet
ism, splendid speaker for the masses but
far from the philosopher and profound
statesman that Calhoun was. As al orator
he excelled all his opponents. Silas Wright.
of New York, was also great spoakef.
He always took deep drink just before
beginning speech, after which he would
start off with stream of cold, polished
eloquepce. The fiery orators were all
from the South. Foote, of Mississippi,
was a regular skirmisher, and made great
deal of noise in the Senate. &c took all
sides of all questions, and never really
had much weight. His learning, how
ever, was wonderful, and no man Of chat
day was more apt or accurate In a classical
quotation. remember his celebrated de-
bate with Benton, in which tho latter was
completely scathed. The current number
of the Century Magazine, by the way, has
a very incorrect report of that same scene.
Foote was pouring forth torrent of biting
invective, 90 scathing that Benton fairly
writhed. At last he sprang up and ad.
vanced as if to attack Foote. Foote,
small, slim and wiry, was not so large as
Benton, but stood his ground, whereupon
Benton turned and left the Senate. II
was at that moment that Foote, pointing
his long finger at the retreating figure OF
the senator, repeated that famous line from
Cicero against Cataline, which translated
means
"sHe turns, he turns, he flies.'
"Benton was q very c0nceited man. He
possessed considerable learning and q
talent for what might be called 'compila-
tions.' 1t is rather difficult to properly
estimate his standing. He had bull dog
pertinacity, which always goes a long
way. Benton was large man. something
like Stanton. Stanton, Lincoln's secretary
of war, was burly, stout, fat, and thick
set. He was very good lawyer. but not
to be compared with any of the giants
who preceded him. The last thing Stan
ton said to me after the secession of South
Carolina was "ThOmpsOn, you are going
away; neither of us knows when this
thing is going to end, but l want you tt
promise me one thing.
"'What is it p asked.
"If ever you arc in position whers
lean help you, want you to call on me.
81 promised and We separated. Not
withstanding this voluntary assurance O
good will, there was no maj
in the North more vindictive agains
me than that very Stanton. Ii,
had every reason to be friendly to me
We had served together in the cabinet an,
it was who first lifted him up. When
was secretary of tho interior unde
Buchanan / controlled the judicial fun
and appointed Stanton to defend the in
terests of the United States in the Almedel
quicksilver mine case in California. Th
fee Stanton got was $25, 900 and lifted hin
from absolute poverty to a position AM
fnal wealth. He forgot all that, though
and was violently opposed to me al
through the war. Seward was a gentle
man in bearing, very dignified, and i
conversation, Notwithstanding q
the professors face, tall, lean mar
large features, heavy eyebrows. l neve
met Lincoln after '61, but knew him we
before that date. He and served in th
same Congress. Lincoln was always
great buffoon. He made Congress laug
and that was all. If anybody had pointe
him out when he was a member of th
House in 1S45, as future president, tn
joke would have been considered wors
than an April fool affair. Ore of tb
speeches that Lincoln made during tn
Mexican war was quite humorous. II
was opposed to the war and went into
curious speculation as to tho length of th
line of wagons that would be required t
hold the money spent on the war. II
estimated that SO many dollars could b
gotten into wagon that it would r,
quire 80 much to carry on tho war, an
finally, believe. calculated that the lin
OF wagons would be three miles long.
"' Now you may raise the money I
carry on that war, ne said, but gentl,
men. where can We raise money to buy S
many wagons p"