xt7rr49g534g https://exploreuk.uky.edu/dips/xt7rr49g534g/data/mets.xml Corwin, Thomas, 1794-1865. 1859  books b92-191-30610627 English W.F. Comley, : Dayton, O. : Contact the Special Collections Research Center for information regarding rights and use of this collection. United States Politics and government 1815-1861.Strohm, Isaac. Speeches of Thomas Corwin  : with a sketch of his life / edited by Isaac Strohm. text Speeches of Thomas Corwin  : with a sketch of his life / edited by Isaac Strohm. 1859 2002 true xt7rr49g534g section xt7rr49g534g 
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        SPEECHES



              oF




THOMAS CORIVIN,



WITH A SKETCH OF HIS LIFE.





   EDITED BY ISAAC STROHM.










      DAYTON, O01O:
WM. F. COMLY  CO., PUBLISHERS.
         1859.

 










































         Entered, according to Act of Congress, In the year 1869,

                        Br JOHN P. COMLY,

In the Clerk's office of the District Court for the Southern District of Ohio.
              STEREOTYP-D AT T-E FRANII. . Ou.DEry , N. ATII 0,

 


ADVERTISEMENT.



  THE frequent application for copies of one or more
of Mr. Corwin's speeches, and the wish often ex-
pressed that all his reported speeches could be
obtained in a single volume, induced the publishers
to collect and print them in their present form.
Beginning with Mr. Corwin's first effort in the Legis-
lature of Ohio in 1822, and continuing through the
period of his services in both Houses of Congress,
this volume contains every -speech delivered by him
of which a record has been made. To these we
have added the only one of his addresses to a public
society that has found its way to the printing-office,
and so has been preserved.
  Mr. Corwin, we believe, has never written out a
single one of his political speeches before its delivery,
and no appeals from his friends, however strongly
made, have thus far induced him to prepare any
for the press, after the people had heard them
from his own lips. Perhaps no more welcome addi-
tion could be made to the libraries of the scholar,
the politician, and the masses of the people, than the
book which we now offer to the public.
                              THE PUBLISHERS.

                                         (iii)

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                CONTENTS.





                                                 PAGE
MIEMOIR ...........................................................................................  7

SPEECH IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF OHIO,
    AGAINST CORPORAL PUNISHMENT ...................................... 51
MASONIC ORATION, DELIVERED AT HAMILTON, OHIO ............... Cs

SPEECH IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, UNITED
    STATES, ON THE PUBLIC DEPOSITS .............4........................ 9
REMARKS ON PRESENTING MEMORIALS UPON THE SAME SUB-
    JECT .       ............................................................... 160

REMARKS ON THE CONSTITUTION OF MICHIGAN ................. ...... 165
SPEECH ON THE SURPLUS REVENUE ........................................... 173

SPEECH ON THE CUMBERLAND ROAD BILL ................................ 217

REPLY TO GENERAL CRARY .......................................................... 253

INAUGURAL ADDRESS, AS GOVERNOR OF OHIO ......................... 2S2
REMARKS IN THE UNITED STATES SENATE, ON THE ARMY
    BILL, IN FAVOR OF GRANTING BOUNTY LANDS TO SOL-
    DIERS IN THE MEXICAN WAR ............................................. 305

SPEECH ON THE MEXICAN WAR....     .............................. 326

INCIDENTAL REMARKS ON THE " THREE MILLION BILL ......... 3S9

REMARKS ON THE TERRITORIAL GOVERNMENT OF OREGON,.. 393

SPEECH ON THE CLAYTON COMPROMISE BILL ........................... 404

DEFENSE OF JUDGE McLEAN ..................................... I ................. 462
REMARKS ON THE ACTION OF OHIO, IN REGARD TO FUGI-
    TIVES FROM LABOR .............................................................. 471

ON THE BILL FOR THE RELIEF OF Wm. DARBY ......................... 474

SPEECH   AT IRONTON, ON CURRENT POLITICAL ISSUES .......... 477



(v)

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                   M E MNO I R

                          OF

         THOMAS CORWIN.




  IF we were to judge from the apparent facility with
which modern biographies are written, it would seem to
be the easiest thing imaginable to make a hero, and to
surround his deeds, trivial though they may, in reality,
be, with all the charms of romance. Incidents the most
common-place are made to appear striking in magnitude
and importance; and not a circumstance in the life of
the individual whose acts are thus to be registered, but
assumes a character and importance truly astonishing
  The writer of this has little ability, and still less
inclination, to indulge in such an inflated, or rather
inflamed style of portraiture, nor does the subject of
the present sketch need it; and in preparing a memoir
of the distinguished man-a collection of whose speeches
is now offered, in a convenient form, to the public-
he simply desires to present such facts as will, in some
degree, gratify the curiosity natural to the reader.
  To note these, in the history of a living statesman, is,
when properly considered, an office of some delicacy.
But, however averse the writer may be to studied lauda-
tion, he will nevertheless not withhold anything true
an1  deserved because it may appear eulogistic.  The
                                              (7)

 
MEMOIR OF THOMAS CORWIN.



limits which he has prescribed to himself compel him
to be brief; and he will leave to a later period, and for
abler pens, the grateful labor of a more extended biogra-
phy of THoxAs CORWIN.

   The Corwin family originally immigrated to the
American colonies from Hungary, and, it is said, are
traceable to the celebrated Matthias Corvinus of that
country. Several branches of the family subsequently
settled in Kentucky, where, in the county of Bourbon,
on the 29th day of July, 1794, the subject of this Memoir
was born.
   In the autumn of 1798, his father, Matthias Corwin,
removed to what is now Warren county, Ohio, and set-
tled on a small farm near the present site of Lebanon,
in that county. He served for many years in the Ohio
Legislature, after that portion of the North-western Ter-
ritory became a State-a part of the time presiding as
Speaker of the House, distinguished for the dignity and
impartiality with which he discharged the duties of that
office. His name, in that capacity, is still to be found
attached to many statutes yet in force. IHe was one of
the associate judges of the Court of Common Pleas for
Warren county, an office which he held at the period
of his death, in 1829. No man was more esteemed in
the community in which he lived than Judge Corwin.
He was one of the most respectable and honored men
in the State, in his day, and is remembered by his
neighbors as a faithful member of the Baptist Church,
and as a public officer of unimpeachable integrity.
  THOMAS CoRwIN' s early education was obtained under
such limited advantages as were common in a newly -



8

 

MEMOIR OF THOMAS CORWIN.



settled country. "The first school he entered," we find,
in an article published in 1840 by his schoolmate and
kinsman, "w was in the fall of 1798. It was a low,
rough log-cabin, put up in a few hours by the neighbors
who formed the little settlement, and stood on the north
bank of Turtle creek, about half a mile west of the place
where the town of Lebanon now stands." That school
was then, and only for a short time, taught by the late
Judge Dunlevy. Nothing like a regular and'continuous
school existed in that vicinity until the year 1806, when
the Rev. J. Grigg commenced one under more favorable
prospects in Lebanon, that town having then been laid
out about three years, and numbering some forty or fifty
families. During the two years Mr. Grigg continued his
school, Thomas could only attend through the winter
months, his services being required at home during the
busy farming seasons. "It was here, however," continues
his kinsman, "that Thomas completed most of his college
education." An elder brother, Matthias, had been desig-
nated by their father for one of the learned professions,
and was supplied with a good collection of books for his
preparatory studies. Thomas availed himself of these,
and made such use of them during his leisure hours as
profited him vastly in his self-education in maturer years.
  In the autumn of 1812, a sudden call was made for
troops to join the army on the northern frontier, in the
war then pending with Great Britain. It was just after
the disgraceful capitulation of General Hull; and in the
derangement of the plans of the War Department which
it occasioned, the supplies of provisions for the American



A. R Dunlevy, Esq.



9

 

MPMOIR OF THOMAS CORWIN.



soldiers fell short. Here was a demand on the patriotism
of the citizens of a then sparsely inhabited country, and
it required prompt action on their part to furnish the
necessary sustenance upon so sudden an emergency. The
elder Mr. Corwin, in view of this pressing public need,
determined to send his team to aid in the benevolent
work of supplying food to the suffering army, and
Thomas, then a lad of seventeen, volunteered to be
teamster.
   Returning from the frontier, Thomas continued to
labor, as he had previously done, upon his father's farm,
until some time in the year following, when he received,
while driving the team, an injury upon his knee, which
rendered him incapable of pursuing active physical labor.
During the tedious months through which he was com-
pelled to nurse this wound, he again had recourse to his
brother's books, to which "he betook himself with in-
tense application, and" (to quote again from the article
to which we have referred) "before the crack of his
wagon-whip, and his shrill voice at the plough, had died
away in the ears of his neighbors,

        'H e was a scholar, and a ripe and good one."'

   Soon after this he entered the office of the Clerk of
the Common Pleas Court, then in charge of his brother
Matthias; and, in the year 1816, he commenced the study
of law under Joshua Collett, Esq., who was afterwards
successively president of that judicial circuit, and one of
the judges of the Supreme Court of the State. Mr.
CORWIN was admitted to the bar in 1817. He at once
took a commanding position as an advocate in the courts
which he attended, and was looked upon as a leading



10

 

MEMOIR OF THOMAS CORWIN.



spirit by his brethren 'of the legal profession. Of his
achievements in this as well as in every other sphere in
which his talents were called into active play, the writer
may have further occasion to speak.
   Mr. CORWIN'S career as a public man began in 1822,
in which year he was first elected a member of the lower
branch of the General Assembly of Ohio. In this body
he served for a short period only; but his course, as a
representative, "was characterized," observes a writer in
the American Review, "by the marks' of independence,
uprightness, and eloquence which have given him so
much distinction since."
   On retiring from the legislature, for an interval of
several years Mr. CORWIN devoted himself assiduously to
the practice of his profession, which had then become
extensive and profitable, and was retained long after his
public duties, to which, as will be seen, he was subse-
quently called, engrossed so much of his time and atten-
tion. In 1829, he was again returned to the Legislature
of Ohio, under circumstances much to his credit as a
man worthy of public confidence. In that year, for the
first time in the history of the elections in Warren
county, an attempt was made to choose members of the
General Assembly as mere partisans, and a "Jaokson"
ticket was nominated. But the idea, among the staid
yeomanry of that district, in those days, of selecting
legislators merely because they were the adherents of
this or that man for the Presidency, so outraged the
people's sense of propriety, that, without regard to the
divisions in sentiment which had theretofore existed, they
determined to rebuke that attempt. Mr. CORWIN (much
against his inclination) and Ex-governor Morrow, con-



11

 

MEMOIR OF THOMAS CORWIN.



sented to be the candidates of the people, and were
elected by decided majorities.
  In 1830, he was first returned to the Congress of the
United States. Although before that time he had been
earnestly solicited to be a candidate, he had always
declined, from term to term, in favor of others for whose
hopes and aspirations he entertained a tender regard.
The district was then composed of Warren and Butler,
and contained, as was shown at previous elections, a
decided majority in favor of General Jackson, to whose
elevation to the Presidency Mr. CORwiN had always been
opposed. But such was the personal popularity and
admitted merit of Mr. CORWIN, that he was enabled to
overcome this partisan opposition, and he was elected
by a large vote. He was re-elected to each successive
Congress until 1840, when, in consequence of his nomina-
tion for Governor, at the great mass-convention held at
Columbus, on the 22d February of that memorable year,
he resigned his seat, to take effect in May following.
  During the campaign of 1840, he became extensively
known as an effective public speaker, and to his efforts,
perhaps, more than to those of any other man in the
Union, the unexampled majority of General Harrison, in
November of that year, may be attributed. His majority
for Governor was so much greater than was ever before
attained by a successful candidate in a strenuously con-
tested canvass, that it proved a sure precursor of a still
larger one for the veteran of Tippecanoe.
  Mr. CORwE served but one term as Governor, his
former competitor, through a diversion in favor of an
ultra anti-slavery candidate, having led him, in the con-
test of 1842, by a plurality of some five thousand votes.



12

 

EMOIR 0P THOMAS CORWIN.



   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. CORw=N 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.



18

 

MEMOIR OF THOMAS CORWIN.



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."
   Mr. CoRwIx exhibits, when addressing a jury, all that
opulence of legal and miscellaneous information and
philosophic reflection which- are the result of a life of
application to books, and close study of human nature.
No one can more readily or more delicately sweep every
chord by which the sympathies of the heart can be
touched, or find a more direct avenue to whatever feel-
ing, passion, sentiment, or prejudice it may be necessary
to reach to obtain consent to his reasoning. The infinite
humor playing in his countenance, and ever anticipating
the utterances of his eloquent tongue, but adds to his
power to overwhelm with ridicule any unfortunate posi-
tion taken by an opponent; and, though this sometimes



14

 

MEMOIR OP THOMAS CORWIN.



is calculated to divert the auditor from the more pon-
derous logic he uses, it carries with it, nevertheless, an
undercurrent of sound argument, which does not fail to
convince. All his varied acquirements he uses whenever
it may be desirable to give strong probability to a merely
possible fact; and he brings up the known to prove the
unknown by a masterly comparative course of illustration.
   During his brief career in the Legislature of Ohio,
Mr. CORWIN distinguished himself by his opposition to
the passage of a bill proposing to resort to public whip-
ping as a punishment for petty larceny. A law inflicting
such a penalty for like offences had been in force, for a
few years, in Ohio, at the beginning of her State gov-
ernment, but it was repealed. The increase of such
misdemeanors, in a portion of the State, had induced
the attempt, on the part of some of the members, to
procure its re-enactment. It was contended, by those in
favor of this code, that for the crime of theft no pun-
ishment was so appropriate; whipping seemed to them
something inseparable from stealing-it was the obvious
penalty due to the offence. The tax upon the people of
some of the counties, for maintaining the culprits in
prison for such periods as the laws prescribed for minor
offences, had, from their frequent commission, become
burdensome; and the disgrace attached to the penalty
which it was proposed to revive, it was argued, would
prove to be a more economical as well as a more effica-
cious remedy. Mr. CORWIN's remarks upon this question
show not only the repugnance to such means for correct-
ing evil entertained by a person of refined sensibilities,
but also a profound knowledge of the objects and prin-
ciples of law, as well as an intimate acquaintance with



15

 


6MEMOI OF THOMAS CORWIN.



the motives of human action. The bill was ultimately
defeated.
   As a representative in the popular branch of the
National Legislature, Mr. CoRwiN was industrious, and
faithful to the trust reposed in him by his constituents;
and his course "was that of a careful, thoughtful, con-
scientious man. His appearance in debate was rare, but
always effective. The announcement of his name was
an assurance of profound stillness in the House. That
stillness continued while he occupied the floor, except as
it was sometimes broken by demonstrations of excite-
ment, such as wit, argument, and eloquence like his
must occasionally produce."   Though our National
Legislative literature is by no means meagre, further
contributions from Mr. CoawIN would have been a most
welcome relief to the folios of heavy essays, written and
plodded over, with anxious care, for days and weeks, by
members at their private apartments, to be "read" in
committee, to few listeners, at the first convenient oppor-
tunity. His remarks on the Surplus Revenue, criticizing
the report of Mr. CAMBRELNGo, is a masterly effort, deliv-
ered without time for preparation, and upon the sugges-
tions of the moment. His well-remembered reply to
General ORAiay is another of those happy impromptu
speeches; and is unapproachable for overwhelming sar-
casm and ridicule, and its abounding good humor. This
speech was delivered in committee of the Whole on the
Cnmberland Road bill, on the 15th of February, 1840.
At the next sitting of the House (Monday, the 17th),
Mr. Couww again spoke-this time to the question



American Review.



16

 


MEMOIR OP THOMAS CORWIN.



before the House-and entered into the constitutionality
of Internal Improvements by the General Government.
The reporters failed to write out his remarks, expecting
him to prepare his speech for publication from their
notes, and alleging that they could not do him justice-
so fully were they impressed with the able manner in
which he had treated the subject. This, however, it was
not convenient for Mr. CORWIN to do, from the multi-
plicity of duties and engagements then demanding his
attention; and hence one of the best of his congressional
speeches has never been given to the public.
   When canvassing the State as a candidate for Gov-
ernor, in 1840, Mr. COwtw's power to sway the masses
as a popular orator became widely known. " The
Wagoner Boy," as he was familiarly named, from the
circumstance of his driving his father's team with pro-
visions for the army, proved a rallying word of that
campaign. A gentleman, who had been spoken of for
the nomination at the same time, thus addressed the
thousands assembled at Columbus on that occasion, when
Mr. CoRwX's name was announced as the candidate
selected:
  " When the brave Harrison and his gallant army were
"exposed to the dangers and hardships of the north-
"western frontier-separated from the interior, on which
"they were dependent for their supplies, by the brush-
"wood and swamps of the St. Mary's country, through
"which there was no road-where each wagoner had to
"make his way wherever he could find a passable place,
"leaving traces and routes, which are stilll visible for a

                  General C. Anthony.
      2



17

 


MEMOIR OF THOMAS CORWIN.



"space of several days' journey in length-there was one
"team which was managed by a little, dark-complexioned,
"bardy-looking lad, apparently about fifteen or sixteen
"years old, who was familiarly called TOM CORWiN.
"Through all of that service he proved himself a good
" whip' and an excellent ' reinsman.' And in the situa-
"tionI in which we are about to place him, he will be
"' found equally skillful."
   This was received with great enthusiasm. There was
a happy coincidence in the object accomplished by the
wagoner candidate for Governor, and the achievements
of the military candidate for President. It was to succor
the army under the command of the latter, that the
former performed his humble though honorable mission.
There was much in it to touch the sympathies of a
grateful people; and it is not surprising that the popular
heart should have responded in song, as it did, during
that exciting campaign.
   Among the spontaneous effusions of that contest, is a
tribute to Mr. CoRWiN, published in the Dayton "Log-
cabin," and adapted to a popular air, by his friend and
admirer, the late JoHnx W. VAw CLEvB, of Dayton-a
gentleman of fine talents and varied accomplishments.
Though somewhat foreign to the purpose of this sketch,
the first two stanzas may be given as a reflex of the
sincere regard felt for Mr. CoRKwi by his early acquaint-
ances and friends:

         "Success to you, Tom Corwint
           Tom Corwin, our true hearts love youl I
           Ohio has no nobler son,
           In worth there's none above you;



18

 



MEMOIR OF THOMAS CORWEN.



           And she will soon bestow
             On you her highest honor,
           And then our State will proudly show
             Without a stain upon her.

          "Success to you, Tom Corwinl
             We 've seen, with warm emotion,
           Your faithfulness to Freedom's cause,
             Your boldness, your devotion;
           And we will ne'er forget
             That you our rights have guarded;
           Our grateful hearts shall pay the debt,
             And worth shall be rewarded."

   The office of Governor of Ohio, though a position of
dignity, did not afford much scope, limited as were its
duties and patronage under the constitution then exist-
ing, to exhibit the talents for which Mr. CORWIN is most
remarkable. He is himself reported to have facetiously
remarked, that the principal duties of the place were
"to appoint notaries public and pardon convicts in the
penitentiary." It may be observed, however, that, in the
exercise of the latter prerogative, he acted in accordance
with that humane reformatory spirit for which he has
always been noted. As in his capacity of legislator he
had been decidedly opposed to the degradation of the
whipping-post, so, as Governor, he did his utmost, con-
sistently with the purposes of justice, to remove from the
punishment in the State prison the stigma of its disfran-
chisement; and he made it a subject of special inquiry
to ascertain the habits and deportment of a prisoner
during  his confinement.    Whenever these evinced     a
degree of reformation, and a desire to lead a better life,
Governor CORWIn would sign his pardon, to take effect a



19

 


MEMOIR OF THOMAS CORWIN.



day or two before the expiration of the term for which
he was sentenced; thus restoring the released convict to
all the franchises which he had previously possessed.
This course, laudable as it was, subjected him to the
animadversion of political opponents, who, without ap-
pearing to appreciate the motive, represented it as an
attempt to thwart the administration of justice; and was
used, among other things, to his prejudice in the contest
of 1842, when, as has already been stated, he failed to
be re-elected.
   In his inaugural address, delivered before the Legis-
lature on the 16th December, 1840, speaking in relation
to the division of legislative power, under the Constitu-
tion, between the General Government and the States,
he remarks:
   " On all subjects of this character, prudence and
"patriotism alike demand that both parties should for-
"bear, if possible, to enter the field of conflict in pursuit
"of a questionable claim of jurisdiction. That spirit of
"concession, so powerfully operative in the formation of
"the Federal Constitution, should always be invoked by
"those whose duty it may be, either as officers of the
"General or State authorities, to fix its true interpreta-
"tion. When we regard, however, the invariable ten-
"dency of power to reach after still further and more
"extended dominion, and when we consider the obvious
"advantage which the National Government enjoys in a
"coniflict with a single State of the Union, arising from
"its greater wealth and patronage, and by consequence
"its superior influence over public opinion, it becomes
"the obvious duty of the State Legislatures to watch
"with vigilance, and, on all questions not within the



20

 


MEMOIR OF THOMAS CORWIN.



"province of the judiciary, to assert, in a peaceful yet
"resolute tone, the claims and powers of the weaker
"party."
   Governor CoitiWN's annual messages to the General
Assembly may be regarded as model documents of the
kind. Such matter as he deemed it essential to treat
upon, is presented in a clear and perspicuous style; and
he never lengthened his remarks to the extent to which
many similar State papers are too often elongated. They
are principally confined to matters pertinent to State
legislation, and do not argue national politics; though,
incidentally, the policy of the General Government is
courteously and freely commented upon. The following
extract from his first annual communication to the Legis-
lature, exhibits the deep interest he has always felt in the
cause of moral and intellectual improvement, as well as
his just appreciation of what constitutes good govern-
ment. Seldom do we find in executive messages a pas-
sage combining so much truth and sound doctrine, and
so happily expressed:
   " It is in times of profound tranquility, when the
"people are undisturbed by the tumults of war, that the
"duties of enlightened patriotism invite us to the grate-
"ful task of giving depth and permanency to our free
"institutions. It is only at such periods that a common-
"wealth can hope to deliberate calmly and successfully
"upon systems of policy, calculated to stimulate industry,
"by giving it legal assurance that it shall be protected
"in the enjoyment of its acquisitions; to strengthen
"general morality by laws which shall tend to suppress
"vice and crime in all their forms; to give energy and
"independence of character to all classes by measures



21

 


2MEMOIR OF THOMAS CORWIN.



"which will promote, as far as practicable, equality of
"condition, and thus establish rational liberty for our-
" selves, and give hope of its countenance for ages to
" come.
   "Of measures which contribute to these ends, edu-
"cation, comprehending moral as well as intellectual
"instruction, is of the first importance. Under a con-
"stitution like ours, which imparts to every citizen the
"same civil rights, education must remain a subject of
"vital interest in reference to the general welfare of the
"State. If we are to trust the lessons of history, we are
"brought to the conclusion that government is, and
"always has been, the most efficient of all the causes
"which operate in forming the character and shaping
"the destinies of nations. Where the right of suffrage
"is so unrestricted as with us, government is necessarily
"the offspring of all the people, and will reflect the
"moral and intellectual features of its parent with un-
"varying fidelity.
   "If the operations of the most profound thinkers had
"left us in doubt upon this interesting subject, the familiar
"history of the last century alone has furnished numerous
"and melancholy proofs, that no people, to whom moral
"and intellectual culture have been denied, are capable
"of achieving or enjoying the blessings of rational liberty,
"founded upon any system which tolerates popular
"agency in the conduct of public affairs. So profoundly
"impressed with this great truth were the framers of our
"constitution, that they did not leave it to the judgments
"of the future to decide. They did not allow the subject
"of education to remain in that class which might be, in
" after times, adopted or rejected upon the doubtful test



22

 


MEMOIR OF THOMAS CORWIN.



"of expediency. They incorporated it into the Constitu-
"tion. In the 8d section of the 8th article of the Con-
"stitution, it is expressly declared, that ' religion, morality
"and knowledge being essentially necessary to good gov-
"ernment and the happiness of mankind, schools and the
"means of instruction shall forever be encouraged by legis-
"lative provision, not inconsistent with the rights of
"conscience.'  In the schools, the encouragement of
"which is thus enjoined as a proper subject of legislative
"provision, it is apparent that the makers of the Consti-
"tution intended to combine moral with intellectual
"instruction. All experience and observation of man's
"nature have shown that merely intellectual improve-
"ment is but a small advance in the accomplishment of
"a proper civilization. Without morals, civilization only
"displays energy, and that the more fearful in its powers
"and purposes, as it wants the restraining and softening
"influences which alone give it a direction to objects of
"utility or benevolence."
   At the Whig State convention, held at Columbus, O.,
in January, 1844, over which Mr. CoRwIN presided, he
was tendered a unanimous nomination, and urgently
solicited to permit the use of his name a third time as
a candidate for Governor. This he declined, in a speech
which will be remembered during the lifetime of man+
of those who were present on that occasion. It was one
of those grand efforts which leave their impress upon
the auditor, but which, like too many others fro