Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1829-06-23
Mr.. Claws last Speech i,

! Mr. Ciay's last Speech.
How many more % Last words we are vet 10
have, before Mr.. Clay plunges into his .s retire.
, ment, unqualified retirement; and before he
goes to correct &c the sloveniy cultivation" Of his
farln, put h- house in repair, his ''arm in order'
and pull up the standing &c corn-staks Of the last
years growth, we at some loss 10 conjecture.
But, as the sluices Of his Eloquence are inc X
hausiibic. as an Orator OF his ingenuity is never at
a loss for arguments to make +" the bad appear the
better reason;-as the fire Of his ambition is I'M
queuchabie; and as there always Z" applian-
| COS" enough to bring together dinner party to
devour the dishes or his strains, we may look out
Tor succession Of speeches, from this time 10 the
end Of the Chapter.-Mr. Clay takes the field as
| Table Orator, Philadelphia wit some two
years ago most happily called him--Every day
shows how we'll he deserves tho title. He seems
determined 10 carry on the campaign, uot with
casque. and spear, but Z" words. words, words"
| And If he means 10 take his promised Excursion
| to New Orleans, there will be firing Of verbal
artillery from Louisville TO the Mouth Of the Mis-.
| sssiPpi. The Father Of Rivers will he continual
| ty echoing his stra;ns--from the highest to the
lowest note in the gamut Of his passions-,,o,o tho
loudest thunders Of his wrath at the reforms Of
Andrew Jackson, and then the pathetic whispers
| oil his own woes soft &C as any turtle doves"
| AS we shall not have room enough during the
| dog-days, for Mr.. Clay's Iliad of complaints we
must henceforth excuse ourselves from re-pub.
| fishing all his Iamentatous.-His Speech at Lex
ingon,is the last one which will probably grace our
| columns. II Is the most elaborate effusion which
he has yet published-thc best calculated for
the effect which il is designed to answer-and il
! is most strongly descriptive of the real character
of the Orator himself II is ingenious and plausi.
| BILE, and all hGt-5ut IL is also adrot, and artul
and willy throughout. 1t is an echo of the ceIe-
brated harangue of Mark Anthony, TO the Roman
Peopiean attempt to veil the fiercest attacks and
| the most artfu insnuations, under the cloak Of
| candor and conciliaton-and to press his own
views of power, upon the ruins Of men who stand
| in his way. The Orator seems 10th TO strike
while he is adroitly dealing ms blows around him
like Anthony, who was rousing the Roman peo-
| pie to mutiny, while he was exciamng, I" But
Brutus is an honorable man--but they are all, all
| Honorable Men,
1t was ambition (they say) which ruined the
Angeis-And it is the restless lust Of power
which has shed its baleful influence over the des-
| tiny OF this singular man. II has hurried him to
| an omnous conjunction with the fallen Adams II
has pushed him into such schemes, as have eclips-
ed his tame-and probably forever blasted the OBJ.
| ject to which it aspired
We shall not at present analize at any length
his speech at Lexington The following article,
which is extracted from the N. Y. Evening Post,
exposes some Gifts sophstres.-A correspondent
may hereafter take il up more in dctal---In the
mean time we shall touch only one two points.
Suppose all the exception, which Mr.. CLAW
takes to the Presidents course, to be we'll founded
yet he is the very last man in this nation who
| ought 10 have urged them. There is no one, from
WHoih Nicy Woutu uot nave come VIII n Detter
| grace. Gen. Jackson is successful rival. Mr..
Clay dislikes him, from various considerations.
de Is moreover ambitious himself OF the very dis
! tinction, which A. Jackson has attained. Urged
| on, therefore, by these powerful motives. how
could he expect 70 do any thing like Justice 10
Gen Jackson or how could he expect, that the
world would allow him credit for any such attempt:
He should have recollected therefore in what
delicate situation he stood before the People
and forbone 10 magnify objections, which every
honorable xvfn .r,,.I
caution and the most jealous suspicion.
No smooth assurances can remove this difficulty.
The world will judge by practice in such cases.
rather than by professions. They will look to the
scrupulousiy weigh every assertion which he
makes.-It is in vain. that he sounds his own
praises, and reminds his hearers Of his being
beloved feow-citizen;" that he seeks TO propitiate
the friends of Gen. Jackson by extending F" the
hand of friendship cordially" to them " as it is
extended TO any of (hs OWN friends's-tha, he
soemnly repeats his sincere desire " in reference
10 the present Administration, to discard all pre-
JUDGES, and 10 judge its acts & measures they
appear TO (hm) to affect the interest of our coun-
try"-lt IL in vain, that he expresses the extreme
regret with which he is constrained to notice the
innovation" Of Gen. Jackson upon he-principles of
our nstitutons;hat hs"yet hopes that il will pause
and hereafter pursue course more in unison with
the spirit OF free government that he assures
them, that he " now performs most painful du-
ty."-In vain, that Mr.. c. repeats, sincere
Iy hope that he will yet DO this"-If these things
are so obnoxious TO criticism, why does he not
leave il TO others the " most painful duty" Of ex-
posing them. Why does he come forward TO
fling the stone when there so many Coalition
Editors who cheertuly prepared for this " most
PAINFUL office' Why does he profess 10 be so
anxious to pour oil upon the waves. and 3yet at
tempt to lash them up to the utmost furyi
Mr.. Clay certainly is not the man to do Justice
to the present Administration .-What better evil
dence do we require, than the erroneous view
which he presents of its policy? There is no proof
before the public ofits treating 'hones and sin
cere preference of A. to ). crime"-of its
furnishing the citizens of the District "not for what
they did, but for what they thought" There is
no reuouuf. for which this reason can fairly he
assigned. No man has yet been punished for the
decent expression OF an honest opinion.-If there
be, the public not yet in possession Of the fact
Mr.. Clay ridicues the idea of reform-does he
then find fault with the removal Of his busy and
confidential friend, DR.. Watkins, OF Of Nourse,
or of Fillebrown'
He says that members Of Congress have been
appointed to all sorts Of ofices-that none is "too
high or two low TO be bestowed by President Jack
son on this fayoured class. from that Of head of
department down TO an inconsiderable collector
ship even subordinate Office under collec-
tor.''-This assertion only goes TO show, how in
competent Mr.. c. is 10 judge correctly Of the
acts and merits Of Gen. J.-No Office has been Of
fered TO member OF Congress, except il be one
of the highest importance-Such member Of
the cabinet, foreign Minister of the first grade
No man who was in Congress has been appointed
10 as low an office as the coilectorshp.
The incorrect view which he has given Of Mr..
Jefferson's course Of removal, is sufficiently ex.
posed by zone of the People" in this days paper.
MIR. G. objects to the appointment Of so many
Ediiors-and we agree with him in the exception
But Mr.. G. is guilty of the miserable sophistry
Of excusing the last administration from similar
transgressioDs, by saying that the Publishers of
the ldtcs are not officers of the government We
will not split hairs upon such occasion; but we
al once 10 the nlnfines Of The act WHY rvcre