rom Mr. Fillmore's administration, was indeed
secretly betrayed by it everywhere, and quite openly by its officials
in the Southern States. He did not receive the strength of his
party, and the strength of his party would have been insufficient
to elect him. But overwhelming as was the defeat, it did not
necessarily involve destruction. The Whigs had been beaten almost
as badly when Clay ran against Jackson in 1832, and yet the party
had rallied to four earnest contests and to two signal victories.
The Democracy, now so triumphant, had been disastrously beaten in
the contest of 1840, but in the next election had regained strength
enough to defeat Mr. Clay. The precedents, therefore, permitted
the Whigs to be of good cheer and bade them wait the issues of the
future. They were not, however, consoled by the philosophy of
defeat, and were disposed to gloomy anticipations.

MR. CLAY AND MR. WEBSTER COMPARED.

As if to emphasize the disaster to the Whigs, Mr. Clay and Mr.
Webster both died during the canvass; Mr. Clay in June, a few days
after Scott's nomination, Mr. Webster in October, a few days before
his defeat. They had both lived long enough to see the work of
their political life imperiled if not destroyed. They had held
the same relation to the Whigs that the elder Adams and Hamilton
had held to the Federalists, that Jefferson and Madison had held
to the Republicans. Comparison between them could not be fairly
made, their inherent qualities and personal characteristics differed
so widely. Each was superior to the other in certain traits, and
in our public annals thus far each stands unequaled in his sphere.
Their points of contrast were salient and numerous. Mr. Clay was
born in Virginia. Mr. Webster was born in New England. Mr. Clay
was a devoted follower of Jefferson. Mr. Webster was bred in the
school of Hamilton. Mr. Clay was an earnest advocate of the second
war with Great Britain. Mr. Webster was its steady opponent. Mr.
Clay supported Madison in 1812 with great energy. Mr. Webster
threw all his strength for De Witt Clinton. Mr. Clay was from the
first deeply imbued with the doctrine of protection. Mr. Webster
entered public life as a pronounced free-trader. They were not
members of the same political organization until after the destruction
of the old Federal party to which Mr. Webster belonged, and the
hopeless divisions of the old Republican part