I rejoice that our venerable friend, when in the prime
of his extraordinary powers, and at a period of life when the flame of
ambition glows wildest, turned his back upon the gilded phantoms which
have lured so many to destruction, and sought repose in the bosom of
domestic life.
The conduct of Mr. Tazewell in respect of public office has also been
misunderstood. He would hold no office in perpetuity, and I have already
shown that, whenever called upon to render public service, he obeyed the
call without a thought of the pecuniary sacrifices which he inevitably
must incur;[12] and it would be easy, if it were proper, to show that
Mr. Tazewell, though in retirement, afforded most valuable assistance to
those who held office, and indeed to all who chose to consult him. He
held it as a settled maxim, that it was the first duty of every citizen
to serve his country; and I have no doubt that, if the office of Chief
Justice of the United States had become vacant during the first fifteen
or twenty years after his retirement from the bar, and he had been
called to fill it, as perhaps he would have been, he would have accepted
the appointment; and I further believe that if the presidency of the
Court of Appeals had been tendered him, or even the judgeship of the
Superior Court on the Eastern Shore, provided in this last case he did
not interfere with the expectations of his brethren of that bar, he
would have accepted either, and held it for a certain time, and for a
certain time only; for he had no respect for perpetuities in great
public trusts.
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