Great Falls tribune. [volume] (Great Falls, Mont.) 1921-current, 1921-06-12

leader he was the idol of his follow
ers. Clay began his national political
career as senator for Kentucky and
was next speaker of the house. He was
the leader of the war party in the
house in 1872, and in 1914 a member
of the peace commission. On his re-
turn to the house of representatives he
supported the Missouri compromise. of
which he is frequently but enormously
called the author. Clay was defeated
for president in 1894 by Adams. whose
secretary of state he became He
brought to the office a fine mental
equipment but found few opportunities
to use it in striking way. In 1882
he was again candidate for president.
but Jackson beat him. / 1914 he re-
ceived the Wing nomination. but Polk
was the victor. SO ended the great
ambition of the Mill Boy of the
Slashes.
Webster's Rich After Career
Daniel Webster was twice secretary
of state. In his first period of service.
under President Tyler. he negotiated
the Ashburton treaty by which the
and England's so-called right Of search
removing for. good and all the condl-
tons which caused the war of 1912,
Ten years afterward. in 1850, Webster
became President Fillmore's secretary
of state While acting as the organ
of the government in foreign affairs
Webster showed that his powers as
diplomatist We're scarcely inferior
to his legal and oratorical endowments.
but it is as secretary of state that he
is least thought of now. His country
proudly thinks of him as one whose
brain and voice did more to inspire
Amerlcanism than any other man be
tween Washington and Lincoln; as the
greatest federalist since Hamilton: as
the finest exponent of the constitution
since Marshall. Long after the Ash
burton treaty is forgotten it will be
remembered that Webster's reply to
Hayne. the finest Grafton since the
day of Demosthenes was still ring
ing in Americas ears 30 years after it
was uttered and when the anxiety of
Webster for the preservation of the
union was shared by all the people of
the north.
William L. Marcy, secretary of state
under President Pierce. was big fig
ure in politics, first of his state and
later of the nation. He was success
slvely state comptroller, associate jus
tice OF the supreme court, United States
senator and governor of New York for
three terms. In his fourth campaign
tor governor he was defeated by Will
liam II. Seward President Polk
made him secretary of war and he
filled this difficult place during the
Mexican war.
William H. Seward ranks among
the greatest secretaries of state by
virtue not only of his generally high
qualities as statesman, but OF his
as Lincoln's official
voice during the civil war. Seward
was big man when he sentered the
cabinet and bigger man when he left
t. Not since the revolution had our
foreign affairs called for such com
omation OF wisdom and firmness. The
north expected Seward not only to re-
pei European intervention, but to pre-
rent European recognition of the con-
tederacy, and the secretary of state
was able to do all that was asked OF
Inn. The Trent affair and the French
in Mexico were among the
crave diplomatic problems which Sew
lrd handled with tact and success
his greatest diplomatic triumph in
peace was the purchase of Alaska
rom RussiA Seward was twice gov !