Albuquerque morning journal. [volume] (Albuquerque, N.M.) 1903-1926, 1919-03-10
MONDAY .-........A

Scarcely a day passes that the jour
nal does not editorially tread on the
toes of some person. The toes gen
orally have corns on them. If we are
TO Judge from the squeaks emitted
Having mentioned the fact that John
C. Calhoun was the great apostle OF
free trade in America. because the
south in his time had unskilled labor
was a producer of raw materials only
and was anxious to exchange those
raw materials for manufactured prod
nets at the least expense now comes
the following in an anonymous letter
Mr.. Editor:-I have read your es-
say on John c. Calhoun OF South
Carolina and the tariff. Allow me to
saw that you know about as much
about John C. Calhoun and the tarlft
as an English sparrow knows OF the
solar system
The letter contained much more
hut the quotation IS a sample of it all
In private life. John G. Calhouh
was a man Of good repute, excellent
morals and fortunate family. But In
public life he was great and sinister
force. the true Lucifef of our history,
the philosopher, advocate, apologist
and inspirer of secession,
The people of the north and the
west revere Daniel Webster, naturally
and rightfully enough. as the eX-
FOUNDER of the constitution mean
ing by that, of union and natlonallsm
as opposed to separation ana locallsih'
And historically, of course, webster
has been indicated. lie had the
larger vision and the higher view
But as an,antagonist Calhoun was at
least his match. and as creative
statesman surpassed him.
But what Calhoun created we now
consider wrong. 1t was wrong, but
what he created was so strong that
it required four years of terrible war
to destroy it; and his free trade theo-
ries still hold the south in its grip.
Calhoun did not merely argue MS
case at Washington, as Webster ar
gued his. but he was busy all the
while building up in the south sem
timent and a resolution to provide
against the day of test which he fore
saw, and which Webster did not.
The whole intellectual arsenal of
the south was supplied by Calhoun
He furnished secession its justification
and the future confederacy its faith
and resolution. without Calhoun the
great rebellion probably never would
have been.
Webster was sufficient for the
north That is to say. he satisfied
the northern intellect and conscience.
But to say that he vanquished CAL
houn in argument would be far from
the truth. Technically, perhaps, Cal
houn had the better case, as in ac-
cordance with the literal text of the
constitution and its nature as an
agreement between originally sover-
eign states. That is the same problem
now before the country in dealing
with the constitution of the society
of nations.
Calhoun's weakness was historical.
lie was not in accord with the spirit
of the times he was at outs with the
progress of civilization, an opponent
of the hopes of mankind. This is the
estimate of it by Henry Watterson IN
his "reminiscences in the Saturday
Evening Post. Europe could not rec
ognze the southern confederacy I'M
less it first abolished slavery. If the
doctrine of states rights was to stand,
slavery must also stand. Technically,
before the world, the contest was over
the rights of originally sovereign
states as against the authority of the
federal government. 1t was on the
doctrine of the paramountcy of the
federal government that Lincoln
fought the war But the real question:
though the other might have come up
later was the abolition of slavery.
Calhoun's was great intellect with
a kink in his perceptions that made
his work harmful instead of beneficial
to mankind. Perhaps but one greater
intellect ever has appeared in Amer
lean politics-that of Alexander Ham
ilton.