Litchfield enquirer., 1840-09-10
MIR. CLAY'S REPLY.

l
 Hermitage, Aug. IS, lS4O.
 ] MIR. CLAY'S REPLY.
 l Frou, the Nashville Whig, Aug. 21, lsio. | We have been favored with the following card iron, l MT. CLAY in reply to the foregoing extraordinary pa.
 per- His treatment of the attack, it will be seen, af
 lords singular to the rude, ungenerous and | uncalled-tor language ot hls accuser
 TO THE PUBLIC.
 Your surprise, am quite sure, will be as
 great as mine was, on the pcrusal of note
 signed Andrew Jackson, addressed to the
 editor of the Nashville Union, and bearing
 date on the 18th inst
 The circumstances of my present visit to
 Nashville are well known here. l declined
 repeated invitations to attend the Conven-
 yielded to an unusual appeal, with which
 was honored, and which it would be diffi-
 cult for any man to resist.
 was called upon to address the Conven-
 tion. In what terms ofrcspect, and, for his 1 military services, of praise, l spoke of the | distinguished individual who is the occasion of this note all who heard me can testify Among the subjects which 1 discussed, was that of the degeneracy in public virtue, and especially the delinquency and infidclity in ] public officers, of which within the last few years we have had such lamentable proof. In assigning the causes for this deplorable state of things, I stated, as among them, the subversion of the rule laid down by Mir. Jefferson of honesty, capacity and fidelity to the Constitution, and the substitution to it of one founded on devotion and subservi- ency not to the country, but to the chief of party. That persons appointed to office too often considered themselves as being only put in possession of their legitimate share of the spells of victory instead of feel ing bound by the obligations of sacred trust confided for tho benefit of the people,
 In respect to defaulters. referred to the case of MT. Livingston, of whose attachments as a jurist, not moro consistent with truth than my feelings, I spoke in the highest terms. He was one of the earliest and ono of the greatest defaultcrs. His case occur red under MT. Jefferson's administrations The records both of the Executive and Judi cial Departments established his dcfault.- He remained defaultcr about quarter of century, if not more. How he finally li- Guldatcd the balance against him,and when, do not certainly know, but 1 believe it was by property and under the first term ot General Jackson. But whenever and however it was a tardy payment or compo- sition of the debt could not and did not cX- punge the fact of his original default
 In arguing from cause to effect, contend ed that the appointment of Mir. Livingston was pernicious precedent. That it was a virtual proclamation to all who were or might be defaulters that their infidclty, in public trust, constituted no insuperable bar rier to promotion to one of the highest of fees in the government. I did not attribute to General Jackson knowledge of the de- fault. Iwcnt even so far as to say that he might not have reflected upon the conse- quences of the appointment of an individual so situated. l must now say that, until General Jackson otherwise asserts, I am constrained to believe that he could not have been ignorant of q fact, so conspicu- ous in the annals of our country, as that of the default of Edward Livingston, Esq.,, Alt torncy of the United States, in the District of New York, during the administration of MT. Jefferson, to the amount of $l00,0O0
 It was in the train of the same thought and argument, that adduced the appoint ment of Mr. Swartwout to the office of Col lector Of the most important port in the Uni ted States, as one of most important and in- furious example. His participation in the schemes of Col. Burr was fact of such uni versal notoriety that l supposed, and yet suppose, that no man the least conversant with the history of the country, could be ignorant of it. But it was not upon General Jackson's knowledge of that fact, it was up- on the tact itSeF that dwelt.
 IL IS now said that the appointment of Mir. Swartwout was recommended by citizens of New York. know nothing of these recom- mendations. Whether they were cause or efiect-whether they were gotten up to pro- duce or to give color and cover to the ap- continents, previously determined to be made-their secret history only could dis close. The appointment Occasioned gener- al surprise among the friends and foes of the administration, at the time, and the sequel demonstrates how unwise it was.
 These topics of my address to the Con- ventlon on Monday last, have been selected by General Jackson for comment and ani- madversion. He was not present on the oc- caslon. He has made no application to me Tor correct account of what I actually sad but has been contented to rely upon being informed" by whom, with what mo- uves, and with what objects, I have no means of conjecturing. Whether his infor mer may not be some friend of MT. Van Bu- fen' who, m the present desperate state of ms political fortunes, wishes to bring the general into the field, and to turn the tide of just indignation on the part of the Peo- pie from the Generals protege, the exhibi- M non ot his name only would enable the pub- lie to decide
 With regard to the insinuations, and gross eplthets contained in Gen. Jackson's note,