The Indianapolis journal., 1893-08-06

She Knew the Great Men of 1850 and Copied
the Rider" Which Carried The Compromise.

one kneW tne Great Men OF 1901 ana COPIED
the Rider" Which Carried the Compromise.
More than forty years after such men as
Clay. Polk. Benton and Webster died or
passed of the stage. il is rare. indeed. to
meet one who has seen and known person
ally all the men of that era Of public af-
fairs. when Polk Taylor. Fillmore and
Pierce occupied the White House. and who.
at period so distant. can speak interest
inglr of the events and of the personality
of that period. Such q person 10 now the
guest of Judge Martindsle's family. the
widow of the late Hon. Linn Boyd. of Ken
tucky. When quite young woman. be-
fore her marriage. she was much In Wash
ington. and after her marriage TO Mr.. Boyd
she was there with him. Mr.. Boyd first
entered Congress in 1885 and was almost
continuously In Washington until 1856.
The fact that he was Speaker of the House
from December, 1851. to March 4. 1855.
proves the high rank he held In the Demo-
cratic party during the days of its greatest
power and of it's greatest intellectual
wealth.
A young woman. at the time that her
husband was q party leader, having deep
interest in public affairs. her retentive
memory Is yet stOreh0use OF those facts,
incidents and personal recollectiOns which
never get into histories. hut which. If they
did, w0uld cause history TO take the place
of fiction as absorbing portrayals. P0ssess-
ing all the dignity aud grace of cultured
woman who has seen the best of tho world.
and in full possession OF rare intellectual
gifts it is q treat TO spend an hour with
Mrs. Boyd when the conversation Is led to
the events which her husband helped to
shape.
Speaking of the so-called compromise
measures of 1850, which were carried
through the Senate bv Clay. and through
the House by those who were oalied III MON
Savers" Mrs. Boyd said to Journal re-
porter In disgnise:
Il always feel that neither section fully
appreciated the purpose of the MEN who
secured the passage of the compromise
measures of 1850. Mr.. Clay and my hus-
band belonged to opposite parties. yet l
know that both of them labored for those
measures to save the Union st that time"
1t IN well known that after the compro-
mise measures had been passed by the Sem
ate they were at hrst practically lost In the
House. of which Mr.. Boyd was q prmi-
neDt member and chairman OF the then i'm
pOrtant committee on Territories. and that
the amendment offered by Nr. Boyd or
gsnizing the territorial government OF
New Mexico was the rider" which caught
enough votes TO carry the whole bill
through that branch of Congress.
81 distinctly reoollect all the incidents
of that time" said Mrs. Boyd. "Mr. Clay
was worn out and i'll. He came TO my hus-
band and said to him that he was the one
man in the House who could insure the
passage of the compromise measures and
| thus prevent the dissolution of the Union.
My husband was an earnest advocate OF
the compromise; ho WAS "a Union man, and
If he had lived until the war period, he
would have been Union man. 1 we'll re-
member how the fre.esters of the South
came TO my husband at that period and i'm
plored him TO change his attitude toward
the compromise messures. One night sew
ersl of them came to our rooms and pre-
sented. in glowing c0lors the future of q
Southern republic. They made il the
ideal of Nations, with cotton king.
IL would be land flowing with
milk and honey. / remembar we'll my
husbands answer: Your secession move
ment will bring desolation TO the South;
ashes on your lips Mr. Boyd Was very
firm man. aud whom those Southern dis
nnionists had gone he kept me mp nearly
all night copying the territorial feature OF
the bill which was incorporated and car
RED the bill / was often MIR. Boyd's clerk.
| In copying that paper st his dictation.
some ink was dropped upon sheet ana
| bad to rewrite it, which seemed quite a task
| at that hour. Ii the compromise measures
hau not become law. the secession move
ment would have begun then and the war
would have been begun in 1851 instead of
1861. The men who fought the com promise
measures through Congress did il to save
| the Unien."
Speaking of Webster, Mrs. Boyd said that
at one time he was n near neighbor in
Washington and although belonging to
| opposite parties, Mr.. Webster and her bus-
band were warm personal friends. MIR.
| Webster was Eot fond of society" said Mrs.
| Boyd, "3ur he liked To drop in upop bis
| friends He and Mir. Boyd used to play that
| dresry game of checkers hour after hour.
| have known them To play steadily until
alter midnight l used to get disgusted
| and go 10 bed"
| The names of several of the leaders of
| those days. Calhoun. Benton. Van Buren,.
| Polk and others were mentioned. but not
| word was uttered by this remarkable lady
| in censure of any of them, although par
| tisBnship ran high during those years.
| Il remember only the good saw IN those
| met. and / have not remembered what " as
| said To their discredit."
Speaking of Presidents, MIRA Boyd said
| that she had seen Van Buren, and all since
| him except Abraham Lincoln.
| Lincoln was the greatest of them all"
| remarked Judge Msrtndale.
| Yes" Mrs. Boyd repeated slowly and
| thoughtfully, ''the greatest of them ell"
Not q public man of note IN those days
could be named that she b ad not seen and
! could not give some hit of person al recol-
| lection regarding him. Mrs. Boyd was O
noted Kentucky belle In her youth: to-day
| she bears the charm of mature years with
| sll the dignity and graclousnsss of the
| womanhood for which her native State 10
fam