as a peace
commissioner he backed out of that war without having a single one of
those grievances indemnified or redressed.

After the treaty of peace had been declared and "the war was over," that
fighting Irishman, Andrew Jackson, Irishlike, gave the British a black eye
at New Orleans, just for luck, and this is the only thing in that whole
misunderstanding of which we should not as a nation be ashamed.

If England had not had Napoleon on her hands at that particular time,
Wellington would probably have made a visit to America, and might have
brought along for us a Waterloo. And these things are fully explained in
the textbooks on history used in the schools of Great Britain, on whose
possessions the sun never sets.

But as Henry Clay had gotten us into war, his diplomacy helped to get us
out, and as it was a peace without dishonor, Clay's reputation did not
materially suffer. In fact, the terms of peace were so ambiguous that
Congress gave out to the world that it was a victory, and the exact facts
were quite lost in the smoke of Jackson's muskets that hovered over the
cotton bales.

Later, when Clay ran against Jackson for the Presidency he found that a
peace-hero has no such place in the hearts of men as a war-hero. Jackson
had not a tithe of Clay's ability, and yet Clay's defeat was overwhelming.
"Peace hath her victories"--yes, but the average voter does not know it.
The only men who have received overwhelming majorities for President have
been war-heroes. Obscure men have crept in several times, but popular
diplomats--never. The fate of such popular men as Clay, Seward and Blaine
is one. And when one considers how strong is this tendency to glorify the
hero of action, and ignore the hero of thought, he wonders how it really
happened that Paul Revere was not made the second President of the United
States instead of John Adams.

Clay was a most eloquent pleader. The grace of his manner, the beauty of
his speech, and the intense earnestness of his nature often convinced men
against their wills.

There was sometimes, however, a suspicion in the air that his best
quotations were inspirations, and that the statistics to which he appealed
were evolved from his inner consciousness. But the man had power and
personality plus. He was a natural leader, and unlike other statesmen we
might name, he always carried his town and district by overwhelming
majorities. And it is well to remember that the first breath of popu