The Birmingham age-herald., 1908-05-31
A-COMIN' AND A-GOIN'
BY SAVOYARD.

"HE other day I saw on the side
 walk George Gray, of Delaware, ! 1 had not seen him since he left the Senate nine years ago. He is of that order of statesmen who command the confidence of all and get the support or few for first place in the land. They are a numerous tribe-John Forsythe, John M Clayton William NJ. Marcy. Thomas F. Bayard, Levi Woodbury, James Guth- rie, Salmon P. Chase, John G. Carlisle, John Sherman, William B. Allison, All len G. Thurman, Edward Bates, Thomas Ewing, Felix Grundy. John J. Critten- den, Reverdy Johnson Richard Olney. Judson Harmon, Philander c. Knox, Thomas A. Hendricks, Horatio Seymour, Howell Cobb and numerous others.
 Of all men in the world the President of the United States ought to be a man of judicial temper and endowed with capacity for sound thinking. He ought to be man devoted to the Constitution and able to interpret it according to its plain meaning. He onght to be governed by certain fixed principles and immovable in his adherence to them.
 The American people are hero worship CTS. and they are never satisfied till they get up an idol to fall down and worship and sometimes their idol is made or rather poor clay. Henry Clay was one, and a very superior man, real plumed knight who had the most devoted follow ing any American ever commanded Thrice he was a candidate for President and voted for in the electoral college, and thrice he was defeated. In 1S40 more than so per cent. of the Wings demanded his nomination. ife was refused the honor. and the man the party did nomi- nate was elected Precisely the same thing happened in 1S4S. The party de manded Clay: the cool heads, who like wise preferred him to all other men, nominated Taylor, and Taylor was elect ed Why? Because Taylor could carry New York and Clay could not.
 An episode in MT. Clay's life was as follows: A Kentuckian and neighbor who vorshiped him, and a very rich man for that day, proposed to devise him a large sum of money. It came to Claws ears, and he served notice on his friend that he could not accept the gift I have somewhere read of a certain great statesman of our time-made Of less immaculate clay-who allowed guest under his roof to bequeath him s5O0O0. but this is a commercial age, and political idoatry is now become an asset of pounds, shillngs and pence. Indeed, ag I now recOHect, lLlS great iildh Witi his own hand wrote his guests will heoueathing him the sum of s5o,OOo. l believe there was lawsuit about it. and the court awarded the money to the widow instead of to the host.
 While MT Clay was yet alive, stephen A. Douglas succeeded to the chair of popular idol He was very great man the first debater of Senates that con -tained Tocmhs and Benjamin, Davis and Crittenden, Push and Green, Fessenden and Sumner, Seward and Chase, Collamer and Trumbull. He stood intermediate, antagonizng the radical North and the radical South. Had he prevailed, had the people supported him, the big war would have been averted and slavery would have died a natural and finger ing death.
 A few years after the passing of Doug las the groundllnss found another popu- lar idol James G. Blaine. He was a very able man, and even more brilliant than able. Had he not been a most eX- traordinary character, magnetic and forceful, the publication of the "Mulligan letters would have done for him what the credit-moblier did for Schuyler Col fax-sent him dsgraced to private life. I was at the Republican national con- vention in 1888 that was on its head to nominate Blaine. Indeed, the noIaina- ton was postponed at least forty eight hours by his friends. who kept the ocean cable hot-the messages were said to