The Madisonian. [volume] (Washington City [i.e. Washington, D.C.]) 1837-1845, 1842-04-07
MIR. CLAY.


nent part, and however persons may have diff
fered with him opinion, they are willing 10
forget his faults and unite in the general COM
mendation awarded to his virtues. Such, we
believe, was the sentiment almost universally
entertained when the veteran politician whose
name appears at the head of this article address
sed, for the last time, the august body OF which
he had so long been an ornament; and, had he
been contented to retire into the shades OF prl-
vate life with simple expression of gratitude
for past confidence and regret for past errors, he
would have left the scene of his usefulness with
fame identified in great measure with that Of
his country. In speaking thus, we give express
sion to our honest sentiments and only regret
that in making his last exit from the stage of
public life, the subject of these remarks should
have preferred the character of disappointed
partisan leader to that of dignifed and hon
ored statesman. Such has nevertheless been
the case, and if in making his choice Mr.. Clay
has laid himself open to just censure, the fault
is his own, and he must abide the consequences.
If, as Mr.. Clay says, we now behold the Pre-
sident of the United States without party, and
parties without a President it is to him, and to
him alone, that the country is indebted for
state of things without precedent in its annals,
but, as we hope and sincerely believe, not
without the richest and most induring
good effects. Should it turn out in the
sequel, that the present Chief Magistrate
will find himself sustained, not by a party,
but by the universal confidence of grateful and
happy country, the late Senator from Kentucky
and he alone will have been, however uninten-
tionally, the instrument of comforting greater
blessing on the American People than could
possibly have been procured in any other way.
If, by his well turned phrase in the North Caro-
lima letter, Mr.. Clay means to say that the Pre-
sident does not depend on party drill and the
Vaccinations of scheming politicians for the
success of his measures, he is right but if, on
the other hand, he takes the term party in its
broad acceptaton, as intended to express the 90
luntary union Of the umbought democracy Of
the land in support Of good measures, he and
his friends will find that they have fallen into
most fatal error. Does Mr.. c. hatter himself
that, however his Bank movements during the
special session may have been served up with
ostentatious professions of zeal for the public
welfare, their real character could not be de-
tected by the scrutinsing glance of the indepen-
dent yeomanry of the country? Can he have
teen so blinded by gazing on the Presidency,
that dazzling object of his untirng and ever
watchful ambition, as to imagine that men of
common sense not operated on by the same de-
lusive influence, either could not or would not
detect the true nature of movements that
seemed, atleast, to seek a Veto, as the means of
estranging, at all events, portion of the Wing
party from the Executive in whom he thought
he saw formidable rival for the next Presi-
Dental term? Will any one believe that any
other than selfish views could have induced
him, in the face Of the ascertained opinions Of
Mr.. Tyler-opinions expressed on all oc-
casions and il all places, to offer scheme
which, as he was we'll aware, Embodied
all the points on which that distin-
guished man had entertained and con-
tinued to entertain sentiments in direct OPP
position to his own and those of his exclu-
sive friends? 1t is not for us to assign motives,
Il
ter, and see what might have been the case; it is
only necessary, we think, to turn to the his
tory of the transaction, to be convinced that
none other than views connected with the
succession to the Presidency could have dictated
course not to be satisfactorily accounted for
case? Congress makes call on Mr.. Ewing,
then at the head of the Treasury Department,
TO furnish plan for fiscal agency. Mr.. Ew-
ing, himself understood to be Bank man, as
sisted, as is presumed, by the other members
of the then Cabinet, all of whom were, as was
believed, friendly to Bank, go to work and
prepare project. The project SO prepared is pre-
sented to the National Legislature, and, almost
without the formality Of consideration, is
laid upon the shelf whilst committee OF the
Senate, at the head of which was Mr.. Clay, re-
port bill containing all the essential character
istics of can old-fashioned Bank" This bill
is urged, Notwithstanding the repeated requests
on the part of Mr.. T. that the subject should
not be agitated at the particular juncture, until
it is ascertaIned that it must fail in the body
with which it originated, and that consequently
there would be no necessity for the exercise Of
the Veto poarer, which was looked upon as GER
tain, should it find its way to the Presl-
dent Under these circumstances, a dis
tinguished member of the Wing party, ac-
tuated by the most patriotic motives, Oh
fers such a modification as he hoped would
meet the appreciation of the President. To
this modification Mr.. Clay, knowing that the
bill reported by himself must be jected by the
Senate, yields tardy and most unwilling con-
ditonal consent, and it is, consequently, passed.
Being adopted by the House of Representa-