Virginia statesman. [volume] (Wheeling, Va. [W. Va.]) 1828-1829, 1829-06-17
MR.. CLAY'S SPEECH
AT THE PUBLIC DINNER
AT FoWLERS' GARDES.
MAY is, 1929.

j
of his worth, we delight to renew the assurance
of our confidence in his patriotism, tsleIts and !,
incoruptibility-n health and happiness attend
him in retirement, and grateful nation dIu5tlce
to bis virtues
After the above toast was proposed, Nr. Clay
rose, and respectfully saluting the nnmese null
titude that stood before him. addressed thin from
a porch in which, elevated somewhat abo,e them,
he was situated, substantially as follows
fear, friends and fellow citizera, that
| if | could find language to express the
feelings which now animate pc, / could \
not be heard through this vast assembly. |
My voice, once strong and powerful, has |
had its yigor impaired by delicate health
and advancing age. You musthave been
separated as | have been, for four years
past, from some of your best and dearest
friends, with whom, during the greater
part of your lives, you had associated in
the most intimate friendly intercourse
! You must have been traduced as | have
been, after exerting, with zeal and fidelity,
the utmost of your powers to promote the
welfare of our country: And you must
have returned, among those same warm
hearted friends, aud been greeted g. vel
coined and honored by them, as | have
recently been, before you could estimate
the degree of sensibility which | now feel,
or conceive how utterly inadequate all hu-
man language is to portray the grateful e
motions of my heart. | behold gathered
here, as have seen in other instances,
since my return among you, slres, far adj
yanced in years, endeared to me by an IN
terchange of friendly office & sympathetic
feeling, beginning more than thirty years
ago. Their sons, grown up during my
absence in the public councils, accompany
ing them; and all, prompted by ardent at
tachment adectionately surrounding and
saluting me as if belonged to their own
household. Considering the multitude
here assembled, their standing & respect
7 ability, and the distance many have come
personally to see me, and to testify their
respect aud confidence, ! consider this day
aud this occasion as the proudest Of my
life. The tribute, thus rendered by my
friends, neighbours and fellow citizens,
flows spontaneously from Their hearts, as
it penefrates the inmost reccsses Of mine.
rendered in no seryile spirit, it does Got
aim to propltiate one in authority. Power
could not buy or coerce it. The offspring
of enlightened and independent freemen, 1t
Is addressed to a beloved fellow citizen, in
private life, without Office, and who can
present nothing, in return, but his hearty
thanks. | pray all of you, gentlemen, to
accept these. They are due to every one
of you for the sentiment Just pronounced,
and for the proceedings of this day. And
owe a particular expression of them to
that portion of my friends who, although |
had the misfortune to differ from them, in
the late contest have honored me by their
attendance here | have no reproaohes to
make them.-Regrets have. But give.
as have received from them, the hand Of
friendship as cordially as it is extended to
auv of my friends. It's highly gratifying
to me to know that they and thousands Of
others who cO-Operated with them, in pro-
ducing the late political change, we're un-
affected towards me by the preiudices at
tempted to be. excited against me. en-
terrain too high respect for the inestlmabe
privilege Of freely exercising ones inde
pendent judgement, on public affairs, TO
draw in question the right of any Of my
fellow citizens to form and to act upon their
opinions, IN opposition to mine The best;
and wisest amongst Us are, at last, but
weak and fallible human beings. AID no
man oughtto set up his own Judgment. a.
an unerr,ng standard, by which the correct
ness of all others is to be tested and tried
Il cannot be doubted that, with individ
ual exceptions, the great body ofeyery po-
litical party that has hitherto appeared, in
this country, has been honest in its inten-
tentions and patriotic IN lis aims. Whole
parties may have been sometimes deceiv-
ed and deluded, but, without being consci.
Gus of it; they no doubt sought 70 advance
the welfare of the country. Where such
a contest has existed as that, which we
have recently witnessed, there will be pre-
JUDGES on the one side and predictions
on the other. If, during It's progress, we
cannot calm the passions, and permittru
and reason to have their undisturbed sway,
we ought at least, after it has terminated,
to own their empire. Judging of public
men and public measures, IN a spirit of
candor, we should strive to eradicate every
bias, and to Danish from our minds every
consideration not connected with the good
Of our country.
do not pretend to be more than other