Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1893-01-28

| outside speakers, and we called in Lincoln to
make seven or eight speeches for us When he
came to Cincinnati to talk Imst him and showed
him to his hotel After we bad talked few
moments he told me that he would like IL pos
sible, to be left alone during the afternoon, and
that ne would prefer that no cards be sent up
| to him.
You mean by that, Mr.. Lincoln said I,
Well, will tell the clerk to ssy to all who call
that you are engaged and upon this rose to
60.
no, don't mean that" he replied. ~
mean that don't want to see strangers.
want you to stay with me and We will have .
II then sat down and the conversa ton soon
| turned to the debate with Douglass. Lincoln
was full OF 1t at the time and he told me the
whole story, describing the situations very
| dramatically. As he went on in his talk l
could see that the presidential bee had already
begun to buzz around his head, that he was
| studying the signs of the times and was ready
to take advantage Of anything that might
arise He was very modest about his state
ments and he proposed everything for the sole
advancement Of the party, but the logical con-
illusions from all his statements seemed to the
| selection of himself az the presidential candi-
date. had seen him before this when he came
to Cincinnati to argue q case there In connec-
ton with Edwin NJ. Stanton and in which
Stanton was said to have snubbed Lincoln. 1
was connected with the case and I remember
him, but do not recall anything about his
being snubbed.'
ABRAHAM LINCOLN AND HENRI CLAY.
| "Do you know" Mr.. Hayes went on,
''that Abraham Lincoln was in many Of his
ways like Henry Clay. l had seen Clay some
time before had heard Lincoln speak and my
first thought as / listened to him was: Here is
Henry Clay over again The two were very
much alike in their spsechmaking Both were
earnest, simple and easy to understand and
their methods of reaching their hearers were
| much the same"
When was it that you heard Henry Clay last
speak, Mr.. Hayes?" said l.
1T was when he was an old man. He smoke
clearly, melodiously and forcibiy and his man
ner was that OF talking quietly to his friends
except ut the last, when he warmed I'D and
closed in burst OF eloquence which contained
| something OF the fire he always exhibited in his
prime 1t was about this same time that
heard Webster. He was the very reverse of
Clay in his manner Of speaking, but like Clay
he did not warm up until the close, when he
ended In a powerful effort / remember he
spoke In the open air, and shortly after begin
| ming he begged the pardon Of the people for
putting his hat on his head. He said: i am an
old man now and know you will accuse me
for wearing my hat He talked for two hours,
and 1t was during this speech that he denounced
those who were trying to read him out Of the
whig party. 1t about the time that he
ieit lsicr CaDltet. ana Nc nau many enemies
| Tor his action In remaining in il. He said: L
warn these gentlemen who trying to read
me out Of the party. belong 10 the party Of
Washington, to the party of Hamilton. am .
whlg and i warn those who are trying to read
me out Of the whig party that they had better
of it
STORIES Or TOM coRwIN.
81 suppose you have known all the great
Ohio men of the past Mr.. Hayes" said /.
'ies; knew Edwin NJ. Stanton quite WELL
and was well acquainted with Ben Wade and
Tom Corwin."
.Tell me something about Corwin," said l.
he was. indeed, q wonderful man and q
wonderful orator" was the reply. "He was in
the field Of oratory what Joseph Jefferson is
upon the stage. He was the best story teller /
have ever known, and his power as a speaker
Was such that have heard him make the same
speech over and over again, and it seemed each
time fresher and more interesting than before.
L have heard Jefferson many times in the same
play. and he is always fresh and new could
see him hundred times in the same part and
not tire me. 1t was the same with Tom Cor
win He was an actor well as an orator. He
had the most wonderful facial power Of any
man have ever met. BY the mere movement
Of his features, without uttering O word he
could throw an audience into tears or convulse
them with laughter. He could initiate
any one, and I have heard it said Of
MIN that he was the only man on earth
who could move his ears and his nose at
the same time or separately at will while
keeping the rest Of his features in repose.
Speaking Of his powers Of imitation I rernem-
Der one speech which heard him make during
the great campaign in which Zach TAYLOR was
elected, and in this speech he initiated Zach
Taylor, Martin Van Buren, and Lewis Cass At
the start he spoke Of the three by name but az
he won't on he dropped the names and by the
mere imitation of the voices and actions of the
men, and by throwing into his voice and
gestures their well-known characteristics he |
gave his ideas of them. When he spoke Of Van
Buren, his voice became oily and he appeared
to be the gentemanly diplomatic politician
He made the first index finger of his right hand
go up and down through the air illustrating the
galloping Of a fox, and without mentioning Van
Buren's name that fox-ike statesman was ap-
parent to all. When speaking of Taylor he put
on the fierce features and bluff tones Of old
Zach, and when he referred to Lewis Cass his
appearance brought out the whig idea of him
as money-lendinR, grasping politician. About
this time there had been a story published con.
corning Cass which stated that while he was
civil governor Of the northwest territory he
had taken poor womans COW be-
cause she could not pay her taxes.
Corwin brought out the idea by making his
hand move in and out like the running of a
COW, and when he spoke Of Cass his face was the
personifcation Of that of the ideal Shylock,
Corwin was one Of the most wonderful
takers have ever met. He was the center of
every crowd he entered, and il he were here
with us today he would monopolize the con-