The Washington critic., 1888-03-10
oLD-TIME CoNGREssMEN.
Bccollections of the worthics Of Half a
Century AnO.

Century Ago.
.C. p. Cranch in the New York Independent.1
In the New York Times of Sunday,
january 20, read, with great interest,
an article headed FWebster and
EIayne,' in which an admirable ac-
count is given by Col Emanuel B. Hart
lwho was an eye and car witness) of
Mr.. Webster's famous speech in the
Senate in reply to Mr. Hayne-in Jan
uary, 1880. The Times says that
Colonel Hart is probable the only man
living who heard that speech.
have the pleasure of testifying that
| had the good fortune TO hear both
Hayne and Webster on that memorable
occasion; and although / was too
young at the time to know anything
very clearly as to the questions in this
great debate, / have yet some vague
recollections which perhaps may be
worth noting, though of far less worth
than the extremely definite and inter
esting account given by Colonel Hart.
My father, the
NON. WILLIAM CRANCH,
C'iief Judge of the Court of the Dis
: ct of Columbia, resided in Washing
j,r, very near the Capitol. And l
... frequent opportunities of hearing
hes from some of the most dis
shed orators in Congross-John
., ulph, Henry Clay, Thomas IL.
60 N, John G. Calhoun, Daniel
G, ter and others. But as / was
i boy of sixteen, / can recall but
if anything of what they said.
,ersonal impression they made
ht us much more distinctly.
the occasion referred to, the
ter and Hayne debate, remem-
liking great interest in the issue
cen North and South. Although
IS born at the South, my parents
- old-fashioned Massachusetts
cralsts, and of course / had no
eme Southern procliyities. SO
at VIXEN | crowded in to hear Mr..
ayne / was not carried away" by
! g arguments or his rhetoric. / be-
eve | heard his entire speech; and
waited eagerly for the next day, and
MIR. wEDsTER's REPLY.
/ can well remember the crowded
little Senate gallery, and that I was
fortunate enough to get at least
standing place - everybody being
packed like sardines in a box. My
position was almost Immediately
above the great orator. / regret that
/ could see little more of him than
the top of his head. / can hardly say
how much 1 remember of the long
speech-which was far beyond me
and the reading of it after
ward was the real hearing of it.
But his grand voice, the intensity and
iron momentum of his delivery, his oc-
casional sarcasm, and some Of his
Shakespeare quotations (Which a little
mystitied me, but which | could see
had telling effect) left deep impress
sion on my mind, I cannot positively
say whether heard the entire speech
or whether l struggled out of the
crowd into the fresh air before he con-
cluded. But my impression is that
/ heard the greater part oft.
These speeches as we all know, grew
out of the well-known Foote resolution
in relation to the sale and distribution
of the public lands. The speaker slid
by easy modulations from the main
theme into the more vital and central
questions of State Sovereignty and
consolidation (as the term then
was). And everybody knows Mr..
Webster's superb defense of the policy
of New England in regard to these
lands, and emigration, and inter-
nal improvements, in contrast to the
policy of the South; how he showed
that the South, and not the North,
was the originator of the discourage
ment to Eastern emigrants, and to all
internal improvements which were not
confined to the Southern States.
what interest has South Carolina in
q canal in Ohio?" asked Mr.. Hayne.
1t will never be forgotten how Mr..
Webster spoke for the whole country
and for the Constitution, showing
how all the States derived benefit
from the good of each one. And he
told how in past years South Carolina
had pursued different policy-Mr.
Calhoun himself and other Southern
gentlemen leading. But these speeches
Of Webster, of Hayne, and other
Senators have become
STELLAR POINTS IN OUR HISTORY
much as one star may differ from an
other. And it is needless to refer
further to what is so well known.
Webster needed a great occasion to
be eloquent. ! have heard him when
he had to make some perfunctory
speech, when he was absolutely dull
His sails were not set. The wind was
not fair. He only labored at the oar
AT least, so it seemed to my boyisl
apprehension.
Ny remembrance Of the impression
Mr.. Calhoun made on me, us he sal
there, Sphinx-like, in his chair, a'
President of the Senate, while thi'
great nti-State-Sovereignty speech
was going on, was that he had the
faculty-like Napoleon-of discharg
| ing all expression from his face. lii
| must have had immense self-control
and was totally unlike the mobile
Benton of Missouri. Calhoun, whom
often heard speak, seemed like MAJ
of cast-iron. His voice was deep anC
strident. His personality was very in
| tense. Benton | several times heard
He was very stout and florid, will
| light, thin hair. His manner seemed
tome very pompous. He was verbos
and grandiloquent, and had habit o
interlarding his sentences with "Sir'
to degree that Vas sometimes almos
comic. i once witnessed Il tremen
dously sharp passage at arms betweei
BENTON AND CLAY.
They were on opposite sides Of th
| Senate Chamber-else / don't knON
what might tnot have happened. Som
personal illusions had been made b
Benton II forget what), and then MI
Clay replied. / shall never forget hi
tone, attitude and gesture, as he stoo
there, his tall, commanding figure a