178 CONFEDERATE PORTRAITS
he was much praised and was efEective and successful.
- All lungs and brains," one admirer said of him.^^ But
to me the most impressive eulogy is Lincoln's. Think of winning these words from such a source: '*I just take up ^ my pen to say that Mr. Stephens, of Georgia, a little, slim, pale-faced, consumptive man, has just con- cluded the very best speech of an hour's length I ever heard. My old withered dry eyes are full of tears
Nevertheless, Stephens mistrusted oratory, as one who knew its dangerous power.^o When he had conviction with him, he could give it all the graces of persuasive eloquence. But conviction was essential. Without it the rest was but as a tinkling cymbal. Where conviction led him he would go, no matter what friend deserted him or what party disclaimed him. He even carried his anti- partisan feeling so far as to hope that the presidential election of 1852 might fall into the House of Represen- tatives. ** It would be a decided step towards putting an end to these party conventions and irresponsible bodies of men who now virtually make choice of our chief mag- istrate to the entire subversion of the theory of the Con- stitution." 51 He argued for the abolition of his own seat in Congress, He told the South that their agitators had He fought secession with all his might. " If they [the se- cession leaders] without cause destroy the present Gov- ernment, the best government in the world," he wrote,
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