Robert Y. Hayne. Hayne, and so reassuring was its tone, that their fears were at once dispelled. After his term of office as governor ex pired, he retired from politics and became president of the Louisville, Cincinnati, and Charleston railroad. His death occurred on September 24, 1839. Hon. Thomas H. Benton, in his " Th1rty Years' View," pays a very high tribute to Mr. Hayne. What he says of him is all the more to be appre ciated when we remember that they served together in the United States Senate, and knew each other intimately. I can only select a few from among the many compli mentary things which Mr. Benton says of him : " Nature had lavished upon him all the gifts which lead to eminence in public, and to happiness in private life. Beginning with the person and manners, he was en tirely fortunate in these accessorial advan tages. His person was of middle size, slightly above it in height, well propor tioned, flexible and graceful. His face was fine, the features manly, well formed, ex pressive, and quite handsome, — a counte nance ordinarily thoughtful and serious, but readily lighting up when accosted with an expression of kindness, intelligence, cheer fulness, and inviting amiability." Mr. Hayne's character was a rounded one, free from angularities and crotchets. He could never have been what we are pleased to term a crank. He was not abnormally developed along certain lines and deficient in others. In this respect he resembled Clay and Webster rather than Calhoun or Jackson. Again, he was a practical man, and a good judge of human nature. These are invaluable qualities to a politician and states man. If a man does not possess them, he had better stay out of public life. In the possession of these qualities, the English people as a rule surpass the French. To these qualities, it always seemed to me, Lincoln owed his success in a very large measure. He seemed to have almost an
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intuitive knowledge of the men with whom he was thrown into contact. Hayne had also great adaptability of char acter. He could regulate himself to suit the circumstances by which he was surrounded. In place of being the mere creature of cir cumstances, he so used them as to accom plish his purposes. Had he lived in this generation, I have no doubt he would have been a successful man even though the times have greatly changed. He was a genial, pleasant man; he was companionable and friendly; he had many warm friends and few enemies. After the debate with Webster to which I have already referred, he approached the latter and extended his congratulations. That was just like him; he was too noble and gener ous to have done otherwise. He was a man of resolute will and great determination. When he made up his mind to accomplish a thing, he bent every energy in that direction, and success was almost sure to crown his efforts. The advice given to him by his law preceptor, " Never dis trust thyself," was one of the guiding prin ciples of his life. To him we must assign a high place on the roll of American orators. Even in his youth he commenced to cultivate the graces of oratory. A distinguished jurist who grew up with him, and was a fellow-member of a debating society in Charleston while he was a law student, says: " In truth, he at that early day, and in these preparatory exer cises, gave evidence of the ability and elo quence for which he was afterwards distin guished." But he was something more than an orator, — he was a statesman in the high est sense of the term. He did not take a superficial view of things. He examined public questions in all their different lights and aspects. He went to the bottom and searched for the underlying principles. Above all else, he was a man of the high est character. That was what gave force and effect to his words. Without character,
