The Madisonian. [volume] (Washington City [i.e. Washington, D.C.]) 1837-1845, 1842-06-16
SON OF THE MORNING, HOW ART
THOU FALLEN!


Clay, crushing and burying the prospects his
most sangune friends may have entertained for
his elevation to the Presidency. IL settles his
destiny forever His standard was everywhere
hoisted his own bold and indomitable spirit
was transfused into his followers throughout the
Commonwealth; his inAammatory letters from
Washington were everywhere circulated; his
pathetic, beautiful, subtle, eloquent farewell, ne
yer exceed since Mark Anthony's Grafton over
the bloody corpse of Cesar, was repeated in
thrilling tones from the sea-board to the noun
tains by the unrivalled popular orators of Virgil
MA; everything of clap-trap and deception
every incident of past and brilliant career
every appeal to the pride of Virginia fo' her ma
tive son-every apology for political errors-eve-
ry promise for future orthodoxy thing
that would deceive the mind enlist the feelings,
inhame the Imagination and kndle sympathy
all-al were put in requisition. The Wing par
ty was induced to rally under the banner of
Henry Clay-a banner stained with disasters
and Furnished with no victories, but still radi-
ant like the sun struggling amid clouds, with
the lustre of the great man whose genius it re-
fleets. Never did party march with more en-
thusiasm to the strife. Drilled like veteran gre
nadiers, moving but by one impulse, fighting but
for one object, marshaled by experienced Off
GERS, hanked by every advantage and precaution,
supplied with all that wealth and capital could
furnish, and knowing that the utter and final ex-
tinction Of their cause would follow failure, they
shouted the name of Clay and rushed glorously
into The battle. And aohdt is the result? A
San Jacinto defeat-routed horse, foot, and dra-
goons-cut up in detail and In mass-extin-
guished, exterminated, and annihilated-their
camp deserted, their entertainments abandoned,
their fortresses surrendered, their standard bro
ken, their army disbanded, and now the banner
of democracy, planted on the tomb of Jefferson,
pours its floods Of light and glory over the broad
limits of that noble State. We rejoice at the
result. We rejoice not only that it forever puts
to rest the possibility of Mr.. Clay's accession to
the Presidency, but 1T redeems the Wing party
itself from the tyranny Of the Dictator. Mr..
the mass of the Wing party. The farmers, the
mechanics, the retail dealers, the laboring men,
the pre-emptioners who may be attached to the
Wings, as a body, have never preferred him.
He has always been the organ of the cliques,
the companies, the banks and the manufactu-
rers-and these, from their superior wealth, IA
cities Of concert and influence over the press,
have uniformly, save in one memorable instance,
contrived to rule the Wing party. Time after
time have they forced Mr.. Clay forward as the
Wing candidate, and as often has he been de-
feated Does any man believe that he could
have defeated Mr.. Van Buren, in 1910. 1t is
folly to think so. On that occasion, the Wings
gained two victories. The workingmen of the
party reused themselves to put down the ciques
in their own ranks; they determined to be led
no longer by politicians; they went to Harris
burg, put down Mr.. Clay and his wire-workers
and the very effort, union, vigor and ZEAL it was
necessary to create to do that, enabled them the
more easily win the great victory that followed
Had Harrison lived, or had they rallied around
Tyler, adhering to the Harrisburg policy of rul-
ing off Mr.. Clay, they would have been irresist-
ible. But the men who elected Harrison were
not politicians-they had no mercenary views
they suspected no fraud-they laid aside their
arms and went quietly to their occupations-and
Men-lhe cliques again came forward-again
commenced plotting for Mr.. Clay-again at
tempted to force their accused banking system
upon the People, sick to the heart of shinplas-
ters-quarrelled with the Preside unprotected
tax on the necessaries Of lfe-diagrammed
course of measures to be adopted, to make the
declared that Henry Clay should be the Wing
candidate for the Presidency, without any refer
ence to a convention or to the wishes of the
Wing party. What has been the consequence?
Why, the Wings have lost all they gained by
the election of Harrison. In this State, the
Clay canddates-in spite Of the money, the ira
duction, the cowardly bullyism brought into
play, were distanced-and the elections through
out the Union have Teen series OF unparalleled
Democratic victories. The Wings have all the
elements of great party. Numbers, intelli-
gence, talents, patriotism, perseverance But
they are cursed with cliques-with castes-with
an aspiring, but shallow
who rely on the length Of their
purses and not on the size of their brains-with
men who underrate the understanding and indie
pendence of the People-who are aristocrats in
principle, and become rowdies when they affect
familiarity-and who never feel that their party
can do enough for them, although that
party may have been defeated for them dozen
times. Men who are ambitious but heartless-
lavish of money for themselves, but mean and
selfish towards every one else-and whose kind
ness, friendship, and intimacy with their pcliti-
cal friends uniformly evaporates with an cleo
tioneering canvass. The Wing party cast off
his class Of xxyhap thnv tho