Edgefield advertiser. [volume] (Edgefield, S.C.) 1836-current, 1840-06-18
EageGela Court Mouse, S. G., June 49, Ae4o

dnu liuTC esleCHhiy vi lHiS DOuy, WHICH repre-
scn:s tie States in their corporate capacity, to
resist all attempts to discriminate between the
States, III ext ndiug the be ctits of the Gov
ernmenl to tho several portions uf the Union
aud ihut 10 refuse 10 extend 10 the ,Soulhcrn
and ;he Western Suites, any advantages which
would tcEd to streg" then or render them more
secure. or increase their liplits or. population,
by the annexation Of new territory or. States,
on the assumption or under the pretex. that
The institution of Slavery rs it exists among
them is, immoral or sinful or otherwise obnox-
ious, would be contrary TO that equality Of
rights and advantages which the Constitution
was Intended To secure to,all ,he members Of
the Union, and would III effect disGrancEize
the slaveholding States Withholding from them
the advantages, while it subjected them 10 the
burdens of the Government"
Here nrc great principles-such as it should
seem no Southern man could fnl TO find ample
motiyc for supporting. Does Mr.. Preston re-
persisted against the earnest requests of his COL
member that he rose in his seat and moyeG aud
league in hls motlon, TO lay this resolution on
the tablet II. he. has forgotten, he will excuse
the people, more at leisure for remembering.
What was hts motive tor thus 10 appearances
directly and positively acting against the South
Why. lie had ii in meditation 10 move for the
admission of Texas into the Union, as lie did
some days after the Introduction of NJ. .Cnl-
honns Resolutions. id this interfere with
his pian7 By no means. II looked to tile
sanction Of general principle Of which his ill.,
tended motion was an individual application.
But itwould he seemed 10 tlinB, take 4 little Of
the gloss off ftiom his movcmeut-so, as it ap
feared. from little personal vani'y.a speck
Of self interest, he opposed and deiealeda reso-
IntiQn affirming thc equal rights of the South
ern States under the Constitution. Had we
not Ia right 10 suppose that he. might have an
equal selfinterest in pleasing Harrison and his
Gorlhern allies on the Bunm,da question, and
if so. that like motive might possibly produce
like effect7
There is one other instance which may have
been in the Minds ,of, ,lhc Charleston Meeting
when they ihdulsed in sr,Pposition which
Mr.. Preston considers so derogalory to his
well kuown and unimpeachabc devotion to the
Sonlh. The following paragraph has to our
eye the aspect off very old and familiar ac-
quainlance-hasH " Senator forgottcnitl
Anendote Of Mr.. Ciay.-In his recent speech
at Philadelphia, Mr.. Preston related the follow.
ing characteristic anccdote Of the distinguish.
cd Senator from kectucky. On one occa-
sion said Mr. r he did me. tie. honor to send
for and consult with me. it was in reference to
astcp he was nl''it TO lake, ard which will
perhaps Collie 10 yc,,r minds without more
direct aiins;cns. After stating what lie prn.
posed, l suggested whether there would not
be danger Ini!-wh"ti:er such course woli id
Eoi ininrc his own prospect rs we'll na. those Of
tic sthiG.rarly III s"nera!. His tcplv ""as, "I
did rot send FOR you Id sal :, lat might be tie
effects of tie proposed movement or my pros
poets but whether II was right HAD RATHER
BE RIGHT. THAN BE PRESIDENT"
This Philadelphia speech Of Mr.. Preston's,
was made OH the | lth of March Is39-a conf
otis description of it was published in tie u. s..
Gazette. two days after, olwIlich the above was
one of the most shining paragraphs. The an
crdotc was straiglItway rcncatcd with great an
plansc by the party every wlerr--it travelled
to Charleston and here met with commentary
Was it trre,we asked. that Senator from S.
Carolina had been consulted by the great lead
er Of the Wing party as to The rifopriety of;
throwing his influence into the scale against the
principles ard designs of the Abolilinnists. and
thai he had advised him 10 consult his prospects
and tlie interests Of party triumph raiher than
the safety Of the South? The article was pub.
lisI,ed in the Glpbe. apd then. two weeks after
ihc anecdnte commenced its run, Mr. Preston
discovered that he had been very badly used
by the Philadelphia reporter and published the
following card
To the Editors Of the National Intcliigencer:
WASHINGTON, May 2S. 1880.
Messrs Gales and Seaton-i find in the
Globe Of yesterday the following:
(IIere is quoted At length the "Anccdote OF
Hr. Clay" and the comments of tic Mercury.
If tho nnecdo,e has been thus related by the
Philadelphia papers, they msquoted file. Ibid
not state or ultimate that hnd enteitained the
slightest doubt if the propriety of Mr. Clay
making his c,a!lSeRraEd Speech on Aboli:ion.-
when he read that speech 10 INC (amongst
olhcrs) a few days before ii was delivered there
wAs some conversation as to the probable effect
upon the public mind; and it was remarked
that it might be offensive 10 Tie ultra of both
parties 10 the great excitemt nj which then cx.
listed. To this Mr.. Clay replied, 81 trust the
sentiments and opinions are correct. had
rather be right, than he President"
| beg the favor Of the Charleston Courier
and The South Carolnian 10 rcpublish this
nOfe.
am, gentlemen, your obcd;cnd servant.
w. e. PRESTON.
This letter was 1.-THE time compared 10 Mr..
Webstcrs lannon's "some Fourth of July" ex-
planation tn Nr. Ogden the Whole object of it
being apparently to show that the unecdotc
which had been a great point" in his speech,
had in fact no point wha,e, or. However as
the exposition spoiled the anccdolc, it was vcry
much neglected b. all parties; probably few
persons sawi il, fewer treasured it p-tlle Wings
we believe did not contribute to disseminate it.
and there is 20 doub, but The anccdote was re-
membered long after the cxplllinlion was for
gotten. 1t might have been so in Charleston,
where there is as keen sympathy with ro-
mantle and self sacrificing heroism, MS any
where. They mi ght,hus have reasoned. MIR.
Preston cautioned MIR. Clay of The danger TO
his prospects and those of his party, from Of
tending The .Abolitionsts. Mr.. Clay neglected
his advice and destroyed his prosects. In sim
dr circumstances, especially after tho event
had proved lhe policy Of his suggestion wond