Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1832-03-13
POHICICS.

fORlEASS.
The length of Mr. Clay's worty decamatorv
and upgentlemanly Speech about half of which we
publish to day, must be our apology, such it is,
Tor the OMISSION of matters of greater entertainment
and rs not much TO say, of least equal instrt,c
ton Though warmly opposed, on principle to the
views and means of the aspiring dcmagogue from
whom this weak and unbecominy trade proceeds
wo confess we have read il with feeling akin to
commiscration, excited 10y the evidence which il so
abundantly contains, that his brilliant though
never very accurate or profound mind, has fallen into
irrcuievabIc decay In answer to the general cX-
preston OF surprise, which the poverty of thought
and Language in his former speech accustomed, the
Irehfs OF INC waning orator begged the public to
wait Tor tins, his great effort assuring them that il
would show his mind he as vigorous his l;,ncv ms
hvc'y, and his language nervous and glowing az
Mt any period of his career. The reader has now
before him, in the speech ITSELF melancholy con
tradctlon OF this assurance 1t is verbose and tur
GU III style, weak and iuconcusive in argument, and
violent IN temper. What, for example can be moro
tahie and flat, than the short passage in which Mr.
Ciay has evidently laboured to give n gowiny pi.
lure OF the prosperity of our country? son n gen
efai survey, he says, eve behold cultivation extend
Ell, the arts lourishng, the face of tho country i'm
proved our people fully and proftably employed,
ana the public countondnce exhibiting t,ana,,iIitv
con'entment, and happiness" In this brief sen
tehcc, what congregation eff errors of STYLE! The
TWO phrases c'Hrat'om ertended, and he face Of the
country Improved, arc of precisely equal in,port and
therefore, of them is needless repetit;on Tho
same may DO said of the phrase The peopre fJ and
PToftdofy employed, which being an Obvious and ne
cessary consequence of the other position dill no,
require 10 be separately mentioned Then we have
thc tace OF the country" aud "countenance of the
public, IN the same BREATH showing a poverty in
mr. Gays hgnra'ivo language, of which his readers
had not once TO complain. In tho next sentence he
talks OF "innumcrabe flocks and herds browsing
ana galnbolng on ten thousand hills and plains CO.
pered ic,fh rich anil reridm grasses" Mr. CLAY
should nave gone on to specify that some of these
are the long prairie grass, and others the short lsea
dow grass, some timothy, some clover and so on
lie next adverts to tho rivers of the interior which
ne says are animated by the perpetual thunder and
Hgh'nng of countless steamboats," Rivers anima-
ted with thunder and ligItningi We SHOULD like In
see that fancltl'l idea illustrated upon canvass.
but we wish there were no more serious obiec-
lions to Mr. Clay's speech than the errors of STYLE
with which 1t is repcte It's errors of argument are
even more numerous; but, fortunately they are so
glaring they are urged with such imsy sophisirv
that the cause OF free trade is in little dang ger from
thom We should think their tendency would "a
ther he tho other way; one predisposed in lavor
OF the tariff might naturally say himself If the
head and front of tire American system, its author
ana principal champion can urge nothing better than
this i'm support of his views, the doctrine must be cs
sentially defective, and is not formc
Ihetempcr of the speech is worse than its reason
ing, and displays MIR. Clay in the ptluI light OF
one whose passions have increased while his
mind has decayed, and who, in losing those powers
which once enabled him,
"Ihc applause oil listening scnatcs TO commando
has also lost not only proper sense of the deco
to-
sy of n gentleman. His attack or the octoycnorion
Senator rom Maryland is not in that part OF the
speech which we copy to-day; but we ask the rca
der TO perise with attention the acrimonious and to-
tally uncallcd-for aspersion of Mr. Gaatin-a man
esteemed Tor ms worth, admired for his talents and
requirements, and honorcd for the scrupulous iutcc
rity aud earnest patriotism which distinguished him
throughout his long career of half n century i'm to
public service. Mr.. Clay once before insul,cd MIR
Galaun When that gentleman was sent, under the
administration OF MIR. Adams, to represent this
country at the Court of st. James, Mr.. Clay, then
secretary OF state, Ill order tn recover CONNER
cial pFiClteges' we use his own wordO which had
been lost through his and Mr. Adams preudices and
folly, made use of Mr.. Galatin to convey a lie to
the British Cabinet. When Mr.. Gallan asccrtain-
ed Tins from the reply of the British Secretary for
foreign affairs his indignation may be imagined: and
when he afterwards received from Mr. CIov n 60
ph'sca and fliinsy argument aiming to show that his
talsehood was not exactly falsehood but n sort of
diplomatic subtcTfuge nc showed his contompt for
the miserable shift and equally miserable apoooy
by never presenting the letter the English, Minis
ters. In the recollection of this Circumstance tho
reader may perhaps find the cause of the acrinony
now INDUCED by Mr.. Clay towards MIR. Gallatin.
The passage III his published speech has evidently
been socned down since it delivered; but it
still retains enough of its original character 10 xcite
the disgust of the render standing as il does in
contrast with the fulsome ecctoneerng paragraph
which precedcs it, and in which The table orator en-
neaVors 10 WIN over the votes Of rishmen by wheed-
ling them on the ground of n fanccd resemblance
between Ireland and Kentucky. IL the Kenfucki-
ans bear any resemblance to tho brave warn-beart-
ed and SINCERE sons the Emerald isle Mr. Clay Mt
cas mas iilen heir TO very small part of the ike
ncss.-.N Y T.. Post.
MIR: CLAWS ATTACK ON MIR. GALLATIN.
I" But, SIR the gentleman to whom nm nlo,,, ~
alde, although long resident of this country has
no feelings, no attachments, 40 sympahies, no prin
cipes, IN common with our People. Nearly fifiv
years ago, Pennsylvania took him to her bosom and
warmed, and cherished, aud IGNORED him: and how
does he manifest his gratitude? BY aiming yitoI
blow at a system, cudcarcd to her by thorouoI,
conviction that il is Indispensable to her prosper
W lie has filled, home and abroad some of thc
highest offices under tlis government during 30
years, and lac is still ut heart an alien The nufIori-
~ OF his name has been invoked and te Jnbors of
ms pen, ~ The form Of memorial to Congress Iove
been engaged to overthrow the American system,
mud to Substitute the foreign. Go home to yoi,r ma
tive Europe, aud there uculcatc upon her sovc.
re,gns, your Utopan doctrines Of free traAc and
when you have prevailed upon them To- unscnI f,c,r
ports and freely admit dic produce of PennsvIvn
MA, and other States, como back nud ,vo ,sIl l.