The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1897-08-22

sty as SO lEG2 time W2Stcd. N1SAs S~@@Se~
~ considered his early d~claimlng 20 trees
ana cornstalks horses and cattle. as
practising the art Of arts, and says ne
was indebted TO * for the Impulses that
shaped his destiny. Nobody seems 10 Know
just who were MS models. though one OF
his best hsogra piers hits upon Denaosthe-
mes. That. however, is a pretty safe guess
in q general way. and Is ike as not tras-
But no parallel passages Of Clay speeShes
with some famous one OF the Greek era
Tor, for the purpose 81 showing tneir aAe-
ness, IS effective. Calhoun 100, Is sala
TO have been DemosLhenean. Who OF the
oratorical galaxy have not been ike eitfaer
Demcsshsnes or Cicero. just as writers OK
epies ara either Eomeric or Nargiiian3 Inc
weight the good sense or Clay speeches
Is supposed to have come largely from
Franklin. The effalSence was IN hanlsek-
From his entrance into politics he was elo-
quenL and il was his eloquence that &d-
vsnced aim. For twelve years be cham
pioned jefferson and his policy to the osne
OF all his faculties His young mind. in an
idealistic state. found nothing tangible that
surpassed jefferson craftsmanship
The conditions leading 20 the war Of lelz
gave Clay an opportunity. he Was tnea
speaker OF the house, and gave his voice
for war His oratory was one Of the Lead
ing forces that precipitated hostilttes-
About this time Calhoun came TO the front
with one bound through the medium OF a
speech. The searching of the Chesapeake
by Great Britain seems TO have aroused
him to an unusual pitch OF eloouence. *
sent him 10 congress at the age OF -,
where Clay put him on the foreign COM
r11ittee. He soon became leader OF the war
party. Clay not being on the Tio0r. Ais
first speech, within six weeks. was Tor
preparation for war. and was verltabis
prodigy in oratory, judged by its measure
of success, which was iliogically excessive.
But he was q young fellow with good
face and head. and this. with his linguistic
power. won for him instant recognition.
Hs was really thought TO be one OF those
master spirits who adorn an age. Calhoun
certainly had the faculty Of seeing the point
and presenting it in light that was strong
and clear. Its weakness was its falsity.
He advanced rapidly and reached the cab
met and the vice presidency. Like Clay
and Webster, he had his eye fixed on the
first place. and was literally absorbed with
an ambition TO reach it. Everything else
was made subseryient, and in the matter
OF simple habits and courtesy he at least
had the advantage OF his two great con-
temporaries. 1t is singular that Calhoun.
with his correct habits, was not more OF q
student and more patient in thought The
rapidly of his progress blinded him as to
his true position. Like Webster, he did
not see the impossibility or being president.
Clay. Calhoun. Webster and. little later.
Douglas--lt would seem that no orator need
apply.
For quarter Of a century Clay was tyr
annized by hope Of being the chief execu-
tive. lie was one Of the most popular men
In the world and the beau ideal Of an ora
tor. Such eloquence and such responsive
popularity were marvellous. III Is not sur
prising that he believed himself logical
candidate. But. much as se wanted TO be
president, he would rather. he said, be
vi ha hall ha
in his hand, to bestow Ii where he plsased,
except upon himself. and he gave Ii 70
Adams. Jackson nursed his wrath and
waited for day OF vengeance. Clay went
into the cabinet. AT the next election Ad-
ans was defeated and Clay went back TO
Ashland. Three reasons. il is thought. in
duced Jackson to stand for another term.
One was to continue In power. another TO
defeat Clay. and third TO pave the way
for Van Buren, to the exclusion of Clay four
years later. The latter was undaunted by
Jackson's prestige, and reappeared in
Washington. then "a years old, as MEM
Der OF the senate and presidential can
didate. His reception at the capital was
quite enough to turn the strongest head,
and though Clay had lived I'm an atmos-
phere Of adulation for a long time, he
seems to have lost his clearness OF vision
somewhat. Many mistakes are set. down
10 him. But the galleries were crowded 10
hear him speak. The witchery OF his deep
bass voice was still Irresistible. IL did not,
however, win him the prize His defeat
was overwhelming. Jackson was too much
for him. Eight years later he lost the NOM
nation to Harrison in 1874 was defeated on
the Texas issue. and in the next race was
beaten QUITO the nomination byTaylor All
these men figured in the second war with
England, and none more conspicuously
than the eloquent speaker OF the house and
in contesting for the presidency Clay, the
civilian. was each time set aside
Webster divulges the secret force OF his
oratory when he says that the effect of
sentence depends upon its meaning, and
rot upon its language. He reaches
this conclusion comparatively early
in life, after a critical study
Of style lasting some seven
years. At Is he had about mastered his
method. Simplicity was his object. and he
found the way OF getting at II a very Ia
borious one, hedged with countless difff-
culties. When Webster was nearing so,
Calhoun, the same age, was preaching null
LITIGATION, and Hayne was defending il. The
capital fairly trembled with agitation
Among the politicians Webster's was the
only cool head. His appearance was that
of absolute Indifference. And In this care
less way he came upon the scene as the
defender Of the constitution. His powers
came quickly into play. and never before
nor since, ii is believed. was Webster so
commanding. That EFFORT placed him in
the front Of all others. He hoped that II
might combine with other things I'm his ia
yer 10 give him the presidency. So strong
was his desire for this place that u is
thought to have shortened his life He ac-
cepted the state department from Fillmore
with the view OF an election. and fully ex-
pected 20 be nominated at the next eonven-
ton. He died that year. In the following
campaign Buchanan was the Democratic
candidate. Douglas withdrew. and gave
him the nomination on a majority vote
Douglas was another OF the orators who
Black. Buehanan's attorney general said
had been for years a working. struggling
candidate for the presidency Douglas half
way admitted this by saying: Suppose I
am an aspirant9" He was rather UNDER
sized. with a massive head and deep-eef
eyes. As orator he walked right into
the body Of his subject His mind was
mathematical But his calculation and his
aloquenre were unavafilng In his race for
the presidency.
Sumner and Everett should probably not
be mentioned in this connection. though
Summers first fugitive slave speech made
him as aistinctiveiy the representative Of
freedom a. Calhoun had been of slavery
Everett. whose keynote was the education
Of the people. got a vice presidential norni-
nation. CoukIlug was urged three times 70
90 before the convention % his party and
consented once. only 10 be soreIy disap-
pointed. That was when fngersoli made hts
celebrated speech for Blaine As an orator
Conkling had conviction. a vigorous mind
and a musical voice. Blaine WAS also a
cand date at the next two conventions. de-
cllning In issS and withara wing four years
later. when rs might have had the nornl-
nation.