“My being a soldier, had much to do with its beginning. Man is a fighting animal and loves a fighter. Particularly if he win. Now, were I to advise one to a short cut for public favor, I would say, 'Be a soldier and win.'” “Especially 'win,'” I returned. “By all means add the 'win' and emphasize it. That is my rede: Be sure to win. No one is made to explain a victory, no one tries a conqueror; the error of all errors is the black error of defeat.” “And yet a good man may lose.” “Sir, the best man may lose. But you are to consider: When he loses, the public owes him nothing. A farmer toils like a slave; a drought kills his crops; is he paid for the corn he does not raise? The public owes the successful soldier for that profit it takes from his sword; and the public pays its debts. I won at the Horseshoe, at Pensacola, at New Orleans; and the public pays me with a White House. Had I lost my battles, I would have been cashiered a score of times. Calhoun would have succeeded with his scheme to court-martial me in the Seminole days, save that I was armored of my victories. I would never agree to less than victory, and that stubbornness for triumph has even defeated enemies I did not know I had.” “You have had vast success,” said I, judgmatically, “when one remembers the blindness of your prejudices, and how you will help this one or hurt that one for a no better reason than love or hate. There is your defect; I have often wished that to your honesty and ardor you added the just fairness of Jefferson.” “Jefferson!” This with a snort: “I am a fairer--a more just man than was Jefferson! He was just to his enemies and unjust to his friends. Now, I am strong enough to do justice by a friend. It hurts no man with me that he has been the friend of Andrew Jackson.” “But you can not do justice by a foe. You are all for a foe's destruction.” “I am all for a foe's defeat. And defeat of a foe is justice to a foe. 'Woe to the vanquished!' said Brennus, and the barbarian was right. Being in the field, your business is to conquer.” “You talk like a philosopher,” said I, “but you never feel like one. Here: I will show you your prejudice in the face! Give me now your estimate of Clay--of Webster--of Hayne--of Calhoun--of Randolph!”