Speeches of Thomas Corwin: With a Sketch of His Life (Classic Reprint)

Excerpt from Speeches of Thomas Corwin: With a Sketch of His Life

In 1844, he was placed at the head Of the Clay elec toral ticket, in Ohio. Soon after the meeting. Of the State Legislature in that year, he was elected United States Senator by that assembly, both branches Of which were then, for the first time in a series of years, com posed Of a majority Of Opponents to the Democratic party. Mr. Corwin took his seat in that highest legisla tive council in the world, upon the accession Of Mr. Polk to the Presidential chair, in 1845, and served until July 22d, 1850, when, at the invitation of President Fillmore, he entered upon the duties of Secretary Of the Treasury. After the expiration of that administration, in. 1853, and until the fall Of 1858, he attended to his professional duties in his law Office in Cincinnati, maintaining his residence permanently in Lebanon, among his Old neigh bors, comparatively aloof from the political questions of the day. But men like Mr. Corwin are never uncon cerned about the workings of our political system, nor uninformed as to the various phases which such topics as interest the people are constantly assuming. Assenting to pressing solicitations from various quarters, and under a deep sense Of a citizen's Obligations to his country while he has any hopes Of being useful, he permitted himself to be a candidate for a seat in the Thirty-sixth Congress, as a representative from his Old Warren county district, and was, Of course, triumphantly elected.

Mr. Corwin, as will be perceived in the preceding summary Of the principal dates and events Of his history, without the advantages of what is called a liberal educa tion, has attained a degree Of eminence which it is the fortune of few men to reach without adventitious aid.

Modest and unassuming men rarely make much advance ment in the road to fame, unless, as in his case, the fire of true genius, and the possession of real merit and worth, are unmistakeably evident. These in him were observable at an early period of his life. At the age of fourteen, his latent talent for effective oratory, by action, emphasis, and gesture, was exhibited in the part he took in the school exercises of his time. Though to this happy faculty of ready eloquence is doubtless to be attributed his rapid strides to distinction as an advocate at the bar, he was even more distinguished, writes his friend, for his keenness of discrimination. This always prevented him from using any authority not strictly in point, or any item of evidence that could be turned against him. This discrimination, rather than his eloquence, some think, was his forte, though the latter, on occasions when he would be excited in the progress of a trial, was, perhaps, unequalled, in his day, at the bar of Ohio.

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