New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1896-05-10


| Polk of Tennessee" Then long look over the
| audience full OF curiosity and vague wohoer-
ment, and finally the sudden outburst After
| that. who is safe?' It is little trespass on the
| authority Of Mr.. Morrow to speak OF thls ihci-
| dence as having happened more than once D"'
| tradition may excuse the offence Besides Cor-
| win was more than Homerc in his repetitions;
| not merely expressive phrases and lines recuileo
| TO him. but whole passages. 1T Is SAID tnat Ills
| famous description OF a militia general on MUS
| for Dav" with which he extinguished the I'M
! fortunate Isaac Z. Crazy OF Michigan hau hs
ured before in his defence of militiamah
| charged bv his ca ptain with assault and battery
The speech in It's final FORM as made IN Con-
gress was doubtless all the more effective be-
cause Of the preliminary effort In the humble
| court of justice of the peace
| ONLY the words are left now OF that speech
The wonderful play of the orators face Is only
| a tradition. But there are sentences In II which
might we'll revive the scene-the speaker MS
| features Interpreting every ludicrous phrase al
most before he utters 1t. the listeners on the
| floor and in the galleries In every attitude or
| unrestrained merriment. There was perhaps
| but one solemn face In the chamber ana tnat
must have been Crary's as Corwn inquired In
| his gentest tones, Need | describe to the
colonies and generals OF this honorable House
the steed which heroes bestrlde on such oc-
| casons?" Then. doubtless. there was a pause
The orator looked about him upon the uproar-
| ions throng. n any there had wished TO answer
this hooking question. he could not have given
an articulate reply NO. I see the memory Of
other days Is with you" Is the orators COM
ment as he goes on to describe the crop-eared
mare with bushy tall and sickle ham, the "steed
| that laughs at the shaking OF the spear Mus
ter Dav with its grotesQue absurdites has long
| bcen a thing Of the past. But Corwns speech
| should keep its memory green to the end OF
time.
II was the same in private conversation.
| There too the wonderful play Of features was
great part of the charm In one who was reck-
| oned among the best takers OF his time. Inc
| hardest test OF conversation must be to Inter
| oct nersons who cannot understand word one
saws Corwin was not to be vanqushed even
| under such hard conditions A. L. Russcll IN
his all too brief essay tells how the orator found
| himself at state dinner In Mexico seated De-
| twccn two Indies who could speak nothing but
| Spanish while ne knew only English. lie
spoke TO the lady on his right" adds Mr. Rus
| sell "in the most pleasing and vivacious way
making the best Of his characteristic and pc
cul!ar facial expressions gcsticuaing little.
| and set her responding in Spanish. and laughing
| then he turned to the lady on the left and ala
the same and thus they laughed and talked
and enjoyed themselves exceedingly. but never
a wcrd did either Of them understand OF what
the other was saying" Without this facial ex-
| preston, doubtless much OF Corwns humor
would have been lost 1t the same TO
| degree with Sheridan and sidney Smith. TO both
| Of whom Corwin has been compared
| Like other wits too. Corwin was by nature mel
ancholy He made others laugh when In his own
heart he was weary OF all things. HIS faVorlte
moods and his favorite themes were serious. Mr..
Morrow illustrates this by incident which Ros-
coe Conkling told Of a journey with Corwin on
steamboat down the Ohio Rive. As the two sat
together on deck in the night they fell TO recit-
ing poetry each striving to Guido the others
feats Of memcry at length Corwin proposed
that each should repeat the most beautiful poem
| relating to death at his command Conkling was
| somewhat taken aback by the proposal. but ne
| struck on some lines OF one Of Mrs. Barbauld's
| HYMNS after which Corwin repeated a passage
| from Walter Sco,ts Rokeby. including the lines
| put into the mouth ~ the buccnneer about 10
| die" II was Conklings opinion that Corwins
| merits az an orator lay not In his wit and I'M
agnaticn. though these were great. but in the
| sublimity Of which he was capable II Is GER
| tain that few men renowned in Congress for
| humor have ever stirred the nation more deeply
| with n serious speech than Corwin did with his
| remembrance against the Mexican War II
| must be remembered too that he then stood In
| a minority Of one. For moment he hestated
| on the point whether not he had right
| TO call himself Whig. But when he laid bare
| the future that follow waged solely
| for conquest, he met quick response from the
| country at large The very boys echoed that Bit
| ter passage: III were a Mexican. would tell
you. Have you not room IN your own country
| Into mir ma
| we will greet you with bloody hands and wei
come you to hospitable graves.
| He could be gently persuasive. too even In
moments Of the greatest peril. such as he must
| have foreboded when he made his speech Oh
| the slavery question In 1850. In spite Of tho
| temper Of the House he rarely interrupt
| ed though he spoke for two days. He was as
decided IN his Interpretation OF the history OF
| slavery any Of those who opposed the ex-
tension Of slave territory He made men laugh
with him over threats Of disunion. "Sir. am
rot afraid OF this Union" he exclaimed, II see
| plainly enough that | save II In the last
extremity, Just by letting Democrat be elected
| President" Even those who were plotting war
| had to join In the merriment which this sally
provoked But he had fallen on times evil for
| him. a eloquent for peace to whom the
talk about a higher law and an inevitable
conflict" was as hateful as slavery itself He
| had spoken his best word long before In his
protest against the war with Mexico and things
| had come TO pass much as he predicted He had
been even more eloquent. 40 runs the memory
Of men. at his own home In defending his pro-
test. when men. his lifelong friends, gathered
| close about him and "unconsciously repeated
with their lips. almost audiby every word that
| ne uttercd-the tears streaming their
| faces" But he could longer speak Of
| peace or Of the horrors OF war He still the
cha rming talker. the man around whom all
gathered eagerly whenever he opened his lips.
As a political leader. his task done.