Burlington free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1827-1865, 1839-03-08
HENRY CLAY.

" The pnb,ic Career of HENRY CLAY we're dis.
tinsuished for no,hing else than his enlarged views,
his cons isrenl, selr.devotins course on The public
Land question, he would have done enough 10 place
him second 10 no living Statesman. Of course,
this is not the fac, ; here has hardly a wise, pat.
r;o,ic. b%enifcen' measure heen engrafed upon our
national policy within tie last thirty years, Of
whicl, he was not either the originator OF a leading
su1J orter; and, on the other hand, there has hard
" bern a project of mischief, co'ruplipn, r~apacity,
or Injustice brought forward Mat he has not pow
erfullv opposed. and # possible defeated it. ihe
lie of NO other statesman ever exhibited 80 bril-
iant and useful a career NJ that, OF MIR, Clay. The
leader and champion Of the dcmoc,aiic party in
Congress, almost as soCn as his years were sufi.
cient TO allow him a seat there ; it's A * through.
out the embarrassing and prrilou. period Of The
last war with Great Britain; employed with great
success 10 negotiate the peace which concluded it /;
the early. ardent, and at length, rnCcessfuI cham.
pion Of Sonlh American Independence the paciii.
Gator Of The Missouri question the champion Of
American industry through the long term of It's
i%nfan,ile conflict ; the preserver Of the manuiaclu.
ring interest by the compromise act when threaten.
ed with total ruin in 1888 these are but a few of
the leading points in his career. No other man
was ever 90 remarkably successful in CARRYING
great measures Of legislation in The teeth OF an cn.
Uttered and drilled majority If political adverse.
Ties. And among his many lriumpls Of This class,
perhaps here has been none more signal, or which
promised greater usefulness, Than hs land dislribu.
ton bill of 1882, which passed both houses of Cons
gress by overwhelming maioriiies, so great as 10
defy even The terrors of HE veto, but which was
most outrageously killed BY being thrust into The
poke, of Gen. jackson. and llle'c retained UNI
Congress had adjourned! Such was The high.
handed usurpation which robbed our state Of her Just
share Of the avails Of The public ls~nd,-amoun,ing
by this time, 10 eight millions, four hundred thou
sand dollars, which a few years would swell ,c
ffv millions.
We have not room to-day 10 enter more largel,
upon the public land question. Suffice il that WE
fully concur with Mr.. Clay in the conviction tina
if the land bill of 1882 had passed into u law raih
er than into the unfallomable ab,ss Of Gen. Jack
sons pocket, there would have been no undue ex,
pansion OF The currency and rise of prices in 1886
no extrayagant speculations, excessive importa
lions and was,eful excess in that year, and o
course no revulsion, prostration. suspension and
general bankruptcy the next. The excessive, self
stimulating and geomelrically accommodating recent,
for public lands forming a surplus revenue and M
extra capital for the deposit hanks, was AZ IN,
bottom of The evil. Had this been every month NJ
quarter distributed to all the states, il wonld hnv,
regulated exchanges, kept bank discounts with,
true limits, restrained issues, repressed specula,,o,
and ex'ravagant prices, and KEEP; The cour,ry in 81
sound a condition that neither specie circular no
bank Of England limidty-%neithe folly abroad no
madness at home could have so disaslrousIy over
wbelmed us.-N. Y. Express.