The Houston daily post. [volume] (Houston, Tex.) 1886-1903, 1898-05-08
49, (S<@c.s&Gs
MEN | HAVE SEEN
1Aa.-AND KNOWN.
tBy General Arthur p. parev =,

| """hseon tlty and brought
me III fan''iiar contact with many Of those
VINO tnen controlled the destiny OF the Ma
tion nnd whose names are ,mnsrs,sh,,,
connected with its history
Inc Time TO which I refer WINS IN N
turtles. MY father was in the senate
LAYING with him saw his friends in ,bo
l"n''''ariy oil social life, as boy sees
~ occurs TO me that some reminis-
cehses OF these days may not now be I'M
acceptable
Inc strongest impression which my rec
direction of Washington life at that time
ieVNe upon me was its utter simplicity.
men ike Webster, Calhoun, Clay, Duch-
anan' benton and others of those DAYS.
lNed IN style as devoid of ponlp and
paraue as clerk in dry goods store now
ueeins appropriate. The president. MIR.
nolh' drove in very plain carriage and
hept out single pair of hDrses. Few of
| the cabinet officers and none of tno SON
LUIS LUIS or supreme judges kept carriages
GENERALLY they ali walked. When tbay
rooe' public carriage. OF which the fyed
price was % cents an hour. WAS EMPLOYED
IL was an era of "plalu living and high
I thinking" zen
| Another impression which remains
strongly hNed In my memcry OF Washing
ION society In those DAYS was the absolute
| absence of social scandals. Neither mpn
| nor women were accused or suspected OF
| !, VOCATION OF the coles of social morality.
rant whispers there were that wears be-
| lore during General Jacksons adrainlstra
tloii, there had been scandal in high
poilticai me x was even said that the
,e.usai Oh MI. Calhodn. / man of austere
| hora!lty, to allow his family to associate
| with that OF member of Jaekson's cab
met was the origin o. the quarrel between
| hilnsell and the general But this was
lning OF the past whose reputed actors
mad disappeared from Washington and ia
| soclety' VI the entire freedom from every
thlng approaching corruption Of every man
~ pubic Ire during the admins rations
OF Mr.. Tyler and Mr. Polk, no doubt was
| entertained An accusation thar a mom
per OF congress or any one in high office
mad received a bride would have produced
an explosion, heard from the lakes to the
quit and from the Atlantic ocean TO the
ROCKY mountains How common such
charges now are we know too wsIl and
must sadly reflect that in this regarl "old
times are changed, old manners gone"
At the time OF which | write Southern
manners predominate1 in social life;
Southern ideas controlled the policies of
the government. This was not so much
on account of superior intellect. for the
North had men in public lifc al least the
intellectual equals OF any from the South
as from the greater force of character and
capacity to control men of the slave hold
ing caste. For instance, while Mr.. Clay
and Mr.. Webster We're the great chiefs of
the old whig party In congress, the power
full and imperious will of Mr. Clay easily
secured him the leadership OF he party
though in intellectual ability he was far
interior to Mr.. Webster, who, indeed has
never had an intellectual equal in Ameri-
can politics, unless, perhaps, in the per-
son of Alexander Hamilton.
The two men of the time most inquired
after by visitors to the capitol and about
whom most curiosity was felt were I'M
questonably Mr.. Webster and Mr.. Cal
houn. They were the recognized opponents
Of different views of government. No men
could be more dissimilar in appearance
or in character, Mr. Calhoun TALL gaunt,
haggard. with deep set eyes and long dis
shevelied hair eager. earnest and impas-
stoned, appeared the very incarnation of
intellectual energy His whole soul was
wrapped up in his theories Of government
No stranger ever approached him of whom
he did not seem to make convert. His
influence over those who adopted his views
was absolute During the whole period
of his public life South Carolina WAS full
cf men OF brilliant attainmcnts and large
capacity hut not one Of them could have
y
opinion advanced by Mr.. Calhoun. Men
like Hayne and McDuffie, who but for his
overpowering Influence would have ranked
as great leaders. were content to he recog-
nzed as his lioutenants and the expounders
OF his views. His friends were known
not by party name. but as Calhoun men,
His private life was as moral and austere
as that of a Puritan. He. the leader of
what vas called sometimes in ridicule
sometimes in admiration, the 'chivairy
had none of the amiable vices or weak
nesses which distinguish the cavalier OF
history. For him neither wine nor women.
nor play had any attractions. His soul
was like star and dwelt apart NO
purer man than John Caldwell Calhoun
ever lived. His theories of government
have been submitted to the arbltrament
of battle and the decision has been against
them. His name belongs to the Pantheon
OF history.
No future danger to the Republic is TO
be apprehended from the ideas once ad-
vocated by Mr.. Calhoun. The mimic pa
geantry Of State sovereignty has faded IS
completely as the unsubstantial fabric of a
vision. The future may be full OF danger,
but it Is danger, not from warning anu
contending States, battling for great p IN
ciples and led by great statesmen and ac-
complished soldiers, but from greedy,
ignorant angry mobs, led by m-n more
savage and brutal tnan lHelnSs'N's'
"Panem ct crcenses" will be the war cry
of the next attempt at revolution and no,
patricians, but proletarians will be the
leaders and actors In II.
The opposite in every respect TO MIR. Cal
houn was Mr.. Webster. Large and massive
in frame, slow, deliberate, almost phlsg-
matte in manner, his deep sepulchrai tones
were awful in their solemnity. have seen
most of the very distinguished Americans
Of the last half century. but none OF them
approached in majesty of appearance tie
great New England senator His was m
deed the yerv front of Jove himself He
walked king among men, His manners
to those who approached equality with
himself in position or in intellect were
cold. reserved and somewhat forbidding. Il
required the excitement either of debate Or
of wine to arouse him. OF this later eS-
element he was said 10 be so newhat 100
fond remember 10 have heard an anec-
dote which tends to illustrate this inter
characteristics from one who was presen.
when the incident occurred; Mr. Nehstfr'
witch ,,vo ~. thraa nj gruatO~s had