The Bennington banner. [volume] (Bennington, Vt.) 1858-1894, 1890-05-22

dent; nor did he Oppear then to be dis
tinguished for anything else. The Who'll
world knows what he has, been sine
then. "Sed pdulO mdlOrd cdndmuS.
The first time | heard Clay speak il
the Sencte was not agreeably impresse,
with him. was quite familiar witt
the appearance and style of Webster
Choate, Everett and Phillips, forl hat
seen and heard them often. l expected
great things from Clay, only to be a
first disappointed. On a certain morn
ing Senator Clemens of Alabama, 4 typi
cal Southern States man, arose In hi
place, and with a quasi defdnte manner
and a sort of sing-song, ,schOol-boy twanI
said, very much to my entertainment Il
/ say the least, ''Mr President, when
after forty years of animosity, / see tn,
great expunger (Bent0n) and the grea
eXpounder (Clay)holding loving convers,
together upon the floor of the Senat,
Chamber, j cannot fOrbear remarkint
| that indeed the lion and the lamb hav,
lain down together" and sat down
Clay arose, tall, long-limbed, white
haired, naughty and imperious, and In &
very STACEY style, as it seemed to thu
writer, throwing back his head ant
lbllE lbAhN away filOih hAs
forehead, and in,tones as sepulchural a.
the most eminent tragediaf' might
choose to adopt on occasion, he said, VI
ask the senator what right tremendous
emphasis on the rightly he has to com
ment upon an act of mine? | converse
where | choose and with whom | choose
in the Senate Chamber and elsewhere '
and he then proceeded to say something
g.F Is,,
secession and "disuniOn," but his ex
act language cannot at this moment be
recalled. The whole thing was so over
acted that instead of being sublime as
he intended to be, doubtless, it was sim
ply ridiculous" as it seemed to this
writer. And the moment he sat down
Clemens arose again, and in a decidedly
cool, and what appeared to be under the
circumstances very proper style, re-
marked that when the Senator from Ken.
lucky asked him in such peculiar wise,
what right he hadto comment upon his
acts, he would simply say the usual right
which one senator has to comment upon
the acts of another senator (he and Clay
were just two senators, that was all, il
will be noticed, and the manner in which
he conveyed this notion was delici0usly
saucy), and that the senator from Ken
lucky might labor under no mistake(and
he presumed he understood the pure ver-
nacular) he wished to inform him that
when he said ''dislmiOn' he meant dis
union; nor did lie intend either to be
taken to task by the senator from Ken
tucky for the. expression of his opinions.
.0h! 1t was the most parlous talk, but
tho sing-song, twang cannot be put upon
paper. If this had been all | had seen
and heard of Clay | should have looked
upon him not as a great orator, but sim
plNas a great browbeater. Indeed it
will be recollected how, for very small
cause, he once attempted to Cow down
Ghoate in the same imperious manner.
There are notisuch great differences in
man, intellectual or other, that one can
ever take it upon himself to try to per
eHlptorily close the mouth of another in
the United States Senate Chamber or
anywhere else; and, considered as a
mere sspeaker,'' Choate could give Clay
odds and beat him, out and away. He
was more fervent more really impas-
stoned, more eloquent, in fact, than Clay
was, at any rate than Clay was
in the winters of 40 and $50,
when this writer heard him often. 1t is
true he was y OF IL years old at that
time, and his oratorical powers may have
become somewhat impaired, though they
need not have been at such an age as
that. 5 Witnesss Gladstone. for instance.
During thegreat debate the following
winter upon "the COMPROMISED measures
of 1S50'' was in the Senate Chamber
every day for two weeks, and Clay was
constantly on his feet, replying to all who
attacked the measure he was advocating,
and thus, think, somewhat diluting his
influence, for alegislative body is apt to
tire of a mere debater--one who is al
ways talking-he be who he may. The
first time Ilheard Clay at any langth he
spoke for two hours, and he held me SO
charmed and spell-bouiid that when he
sat down | looked at my watch anti saw
how long he had been speaking, | was
astonished beyond measure, for it had
seemed to me scarcely half an hour II
was manly and most patriotic speech
but its thought was not striking, nor it,
diction very elegant and scholarly. Il
contained no passages which would lin
ger in any ones memory, no remarkable
phrases which would answer for patri
utie rallying cries, nothing in fact, Il
stir ones pulses and set ones blood OF
fire. There was charm about it apC
that WIS all. Itwas like an address to
jury, ora speech on the hustings. /
was full of persuasions, of kind words
and appeals for peace in the then un
happy state Of the country, when breth
rem seemed TO be threatening war agains
brethren 1t was full of hope for ou
country, if we would only be united II
brotherly love, and full Of tragic despai
if we would not ~
But some of its passages struck me a
being tawdry and almost fiat. As hav
said, it charmed me, but not asa high
of real, noble, inspiring elOquence.
touched me, affected me, persuaded me
but it did not, like one of Webster grea
efforts, awe, subdue and almost crusl
me, nor electrify me like Choate's. |
lafiected me, in a word, pretty much a
4 speech Of Edward Everetts would or 0
Wendell Phillips, only, of course, TO
greater extent; with the qualification
however, that its neat style and literar
merits were in no wise comparable b
those of either of these distinguishe,
speakers. But be stood there before me
as know, disappointed and almos
like Webster, II not quite, personally
n0dftDrOken- man. DOM OF Jnem ~
tached too much value TO the tliankles
occupancy OF the Presidential chair, an
both failed to reach it. Hence both wer
sordid, and naturally enough, too. Blu
republics have been proyerbially migrate
full, and, indeed, ingratitude is every
Il where the commonest as well as I'll
4 meaiest and most intolerable Of traits
|, andit will be remembered that Lea
said it was sharper than a serpent
tootli.- And as sat there In the ga
, lery, looking upon Webster and Clay, n
. these thoughts ran through my mind
> Commonplace ones enough, but sti
none the less sad-I recalled what / ha
> read and heard of both, and, reyiewin
!, IL all now, it seems TO me that, in som
particulars, II might be said of Clay
among ATberican statesmen, as Anthon
said Of Bruins, "This was the mobiles
Roman of them ALL" He was whole
hearted, proud-spirited, the favorite Z
his friends, the pot Of his party and tn
pride Of Ids counirymen He was PEI
haps the best illustration OF the grea
ls.Amelicau orator, because he was hin