Calhoun as a Lawyer and Statesman.

immortality, Mr. Calhoun yet won an intel lectual eminence, and commanded an. ad miration not only unsurpassed but un equalled, in all its parts, by any of his giant compeers." Among the eulogies paid to Mr. Calhoun none surpassed in grace and beauty those of his illustrious fellow-senators, Clay and Webster. I can only quote a few sentences from each. Said Mr. Clay: " Sir, he has gone! No more shall we witness from yonder seat the flashes of that keen and penetrating eye of his, darting through this chamber. No more shall we be thrilled by that torrent of clear, concise, compact logic, poured out from his lips, which, if it did not always carry convic tion to our judgment, always commanded our great admiration. Those eyes and those lips are closed forever! "And when, Mr. President, will that great vacancy which has been created by the event to which we are now alluding, when will it be filled by an equal amount of ability, patriotism and devotion, to what he conceived to be the best interests of his country? "Sir, this is not the appropriate occasion, nor would I be the appropriate person to attempt a delineation of his character, or the powers of his enlightened mind. I will only say, in a few words, that he possessed an elevated genius of the highest order; that in felicity of generalization of the subjects of which his mind treated, I have seen him surpassed by no one; and the charm and captivating influence of his colloquial powers have been felt by all who have conversed with him. I was his senior, Mr. President, in years — in nothing else." And now I will present the beautiful en comium passed upon Mr. Calhoun by his great rival, Mr. Webster. And what a splendid tribute it is! It is quoted approv ingly by Senator Hoar in his Charleston speech, and the setting which he gives to it adds to its beauty. Gracefully intertwining

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the chaplets so happily, so appreciatively, so worthily bestowed by Mr. Calhoun and Mr. Webster reciprocally upon each other, Mr. Hoar said : " Does it ever occur to you that the greatest single tribute ever paid to Daniel Webster was paid by Mr. Calhoun? And the greatest single tribute ever paid to Mr. Calhoun was paid by Mr. Webster?" I do not believe that among the compli ments or marks of honor which attended the illustrious career of Daniel Webster there is one that he would have valued so much as that which his great friend, his great rival and antagonist, paid him from his dying bed. "Mr. Webster," said Mr. Calhoun, " has as high a standard of truth as any states man whom I have met in debate. Convince him, and he cannot reply; he is silent; he cannot look truth in the face and oppose it by argument." There was never, I suppose, paid to John C. Calhoun, during his illustrious life, any other tribute of honor he would have valued so highly as that which was paid him after his death by his friend, his rival and antag onist, Daniel Webster. "Mr. Calhoun," said Mr. Webster, " had the basis, the indispensable basis, of all high character; and that was unspotted integrity, unimpeached honor and character. If he had aspirations, they were high and honor able and noble. There was nothing grovel ling or low or meanly selfish that came near the head or the heart of Mr. Calhoun. Firm in his purpose, perfectly patriotic and honest, as I was sure he was in the principles he espoused and in the measures he defended, aside from that large regard for that species of distinction that conducted him to eminent stations for the benefit of the Republic, I do not believe he had a selfish motive, or selfish feeling. "However, sir, he may have differed from others of us in his political opinions, or his political principles, those principles and those opinions will now descend to posterity