The Greenville times. [volume] (Greenville, Miss.) 1868-1917, 1891-06-20
THE TWO CALHouss COsrRAsrED.
Graphic Sketch or a Former Citizen OF
Washington County.
PHILADELPHIA Press

the story of Calhoun, the ancestor, and
the story of Calhoun, the descendant,
epitomizes the story of the influences
which led to secession and those which
followed the failure Of that movement.
John Z. Calhoun, the millionaire of
this city, accepted the results of the
war in good faith. lie had some land,
but he had little else when the war
was ended, except that he was blessed.
as lnhlan was, with health, courage
and brains.
With the end of the war Calhoun
looked ahead instead of over his shouI-
der. lie no longer nursed dogmas,
but accepted facts, saw possibilities
and determined to make the most Of
them. lie plunged into railway ell
terprises with an audacity aud courage
which characterized his ancestor in
the enunclation of political dogmas.
lie was MS courageous as the old states
man, but unlike that hero of the South.
the younger Calhoun has been re-
served, cautious, saying little, but do
ing much.
AS result OF his change of view
and his faith in himself aud bis section,
he is now one of the money princes, a
man whose word causes other business
capitalists to think. aud whose utter
ances are received with that respect
which is most tlattering to business
men of great abilities.
While Calhoun still remains DEM
ocrat he is no such Democrat as he
was when the war broke out. lie ia
a business Democrat, something like
Abram 5. Hewitt or Edward Cooper !;
something as Samuel j. Tilden was; a
Democrat like Randall, with whom
the war and its contentious of political
philosophy are a past issue-lhe men,
ory of his boyhood days--a recollec-
tion to be chatted about as old men
talk OF the games aud pranks Of their
childhood.
Yet John 9. Calhoun OF the present
time is not so far astray from the John
&. Calhoun whose brilliancy in his
early manhood amazed and delighted
the South, and who was then nation
alist and contended for nationality
against the Jeilersonians. suppose
Mr.. Conkling had in mind, when he
made the remark quoted above, how
after the lapse of sixty years john G.
Calhoun the younger was taking up
tue South's development in the spirit
of nationality where John G. Calhoun
the elder left il off.
THE OLDER oALHoUN's SCHEME.
1t was the older Calhoun who sug-
gested plan for nter-communication
between the States which was even
more colossal and majestic han are
some OF the railroad systems in which
the younger man is now so heavily in
terested. For before Calhoun, the
elder, was forty years of age he had
devised scheme for an artificial
waterway from New York to Savan-
nah. He had suggested it not as O
private citizen, but as an officer of the
Government.
II was while he was Secretary oi
War that he proposed that the Gov
ernment undertake to build canal
across lower Jersey to the Delaware
across Delaware TO Chesapeake Bay
across Eastern Virginia through the
Dismal Swamp, TO the land-lockcd
waters of Eastern North Carolina and
thence through Carolina and Georgis
to Savannah.
The old man defended Il on The
ground of nationalism pure aud simple
Furthermore, he proposed that the
Government undertake the building
of a great national highway--two o.
them. IN fact--one leading to the OhiC
from Washington, aud the other tt
New Orleans; and these be also de
Tended on the ground of national need
In The suggestions he then made wert
found many of the arguments subse
quently successfully used to induce tn,
Government to subsidize the Paci6,
railways. II was after he was ,
nationalist that he conceived his dogm,
of State Rights, which was so antag
onistic to these earlier views.
Exactly what Calhoun the elder ad
vocated Calhoun the younger has beei
doing, excepting that tho development
of railways has occurred since tha
time, so that the great national high
ways consist of steel rails rather thai
plank roads. Calhoun the younge
has also been Interested in much tn
same scheme of inland water communi
cation which Calhoun the elder ad
vocatel.