New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1896-05-10
THOMAS CORWIN.
THE FAMOUS ORATOR AT LAST HAS
BIOGRAPHY.

BIOGRAPHY.
LIFE AND SPEECHES OF THOMAS C0RWlM:
orator. Lawyer and Statesman, ta''S W ~ %
Anderson & co.
This book Is in a sense a tribute to Corwihs
memory from his neighbors In Ohio II he hah
been an Englishman or seaboard American
he would have been celebrated In two-voluIne
biography long ago. But Kentucky. MS native
State and Ohio the State OF his adoption. were
In his time just shaking of the narrow bonds OF
pioneer life. The people were not alert to all the
value Of the printing press. Tradition. down al
most 10 the close Of Corwin's career, held the
place that is now taken by an important depart
ment OF every newspaper. The result Is mat inc
present generation has only the fading renlin-
iscence Of gray-haired men for the greater num-
Der OF speeches of a man who probably said more
70 the plain people and said II better than any
other man who ever lived. ne had not the in
tenslty OF Patrick Henry. though he, too could
appall his auditors with a lightning fash of
wrath; nor did he display. as a rule. the senten-
,ious and wcighty brevity OF Lincoln. though he
could be very concise when he chose. Those
great men, Iank and lean. were consumed with
fire which burned less nercely In him In his
large and rather rotund figure there was wrapped
HELPLESS He was wiser often than his contempt
raries but he could rarely bring them 10 cOncede
the fact until II was too late lie himself a,trib-
uted this failure 10 his repute as a humorst and
wit He warned the youthful Garfield 10 be
ware OF renown as s.ory-teller. as one who
could make the people laugh. But Lincoln was
an incorrgible story-teller. and yet master IN
administrative politics. Back OF this fame FOR
humor there was the more important fact that
Corwin was by nature Indifferent TO the routine
Of office.
The Governorship OF Ohio is a fine place TO try
a man In. because II gives him great deal 10 do.
but never flatters him into the belief that he is
responsible for anything. At least that Is the
way it used 10 be In days gone by. Nobody saw
the condition Of things more clearly than Corwln
when he became Governor in ls4O. He observed
in his inaugural address that the restrictions on
the executive power had been the theme Of end
less speculation. Some censured the Ohio Con-
stitution others praised It, but In any case 1t was
without parallel either In the Nation or In
other States. He pointed out the Jealousy OF the
Jeffersonian Republicans which had inspired
the peculiaritics Of the organic law OF Ohio and
seemed 10 glory in the fact that the Governor OF
the State had no agency whatever In the enact
rnent OF the laws beyond the meagre privilege OF
recommending such measures he might deem
expedient. lie had almost no appointments that
he could make, and the veto power was denied
him altogether.
Though Ohio az he said did not suffer from
this state Of affairs. the effect was questionable
in the case OF Corwin himself He had now the
opportunity for the interminable sociabllty TO
which he prone. Those who knew him are
reminded that he was in high good humor all
the time Every day that ne could leave the cap
ital was spent at his home in Lebanon. His re-
nown as a humorst and story-teller grew, but
not his repute as a man OF serious purpose. lie
hated routine, and in the end his admirers re-
Trained from subjecting him TO IT, His dislike OF
any clerical labor great that he could
ha rdly force himself the task Of correcting his
own speeches in the few cases when they were
reported by a stenographer. or course. he was
never known to write address The most that
he did In this way was 10 jot down few notes.
or perhaps after the manner OF Cicero and John
Bright, pen exordium or peroration. or those
orations which tradition describes as his best not
a shred remains. save some brilliant saying more
or less accurately remembered by men who are
now fast passing TO the grave. Where are now
the gbes and. the mockery with which he kept
acres listeners In a roar day after day In
the historic campaign OF 1910? II was, indeed, a
easy tnlng 10 make q crowd OF WINGS lduBH III
those times. They went to bed laughing and got
up smiling every day OF their lives from the hour
OF General Harrisons nomination to that sad
moment when his short term in the Presidency
was ended But Corwin could make them weep
as well as laugh: he could reduce their gayety to
gravity in an instant What more, he could
do all this. II he chose without uttering word
Corwin's control the expression OF his
round. smooth-shaven face was wonderful. II
| is usually emphasized by a classical reference to
! the famous actor of Rome The best evil
dence Of his skill In this lies In the fact that as
| long the tradition living one in Ohio
! Corwn continued u heve mtators, who strove
to be eloquent In artificial grimace as he had
! been by gift OF nature. He was IN rdly the man
to have studied this pantomlmc art In cold
blood In fact every act of his as an orator had
/ the appearance OF spontanelty. But the moment
he rose before political assemblage he would
draw his hand down over his face and as II by
magic his features changed 80 that at times he
hardly looked the man. The people ex-
pected to be delighted, and they were from the
first glimpse they had Of him until he disa ppcared
from sight. This silent accompaniment must be
considered In the effect OF his humorous sa lies:
for example. in the brief comparison he made use
OF In one campaign between Henry Clay and
James X. Polk. who was the Whig candidate %
he was won't to ask gravely, and then answer: