Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1842-09-30
Mr.. CLAY AND DEMOCRACY.

sons in the country who have imbibcd the
idea that, somehow or other, HENRy CLAY
has ceased TO be Democrat. They know
well that he once was the leader and chief OF
tie Democratic bost-loremost in council,
in conflict, and in the hearts of the masses
"But he has changed" say they; che has
deserted tho Democratic party" But when
where how? We press these questions
home on his adversaries, and receive hun
dred discordant answers, which plainly uul-
lily and destroy each other. ooh, it was
when he turned in favor Of National
Bank" says one. But this change was
made, not merely in obedience to the die
tatcs Of severe National experience, but
in company NTH the great mass Of the Dem
ocrotic party When Mr. Clay opposed the
rc-charter Of the first bank in lS4I, he acted
with the Democratic party when he advo-
Gated the creation Of the second bank he
had the same good company. The creation
of that bank was the work Of JAMES MADI-
SON, WIN. ii. CRAWFORD, JoHN G. CAL
HoUN, JoHN FoRsYTH and two-thirds of the
Democrats III Congress, opposed by two
thirds of the FederaIists. The argument
that would prove Mr.. Clay deserter from
Democracy in supporting bank, proves that
JAMES MADISON and the supporters of his
! Administra alton through the War all turned
Federalists AT its close, while Tfmothy Pix
ring, Rufus King and their associates as
suddenly became Democrats This will
hardly answer.
But The Morning Post, (late New York
New Era) of yesterday, discarding all the
old hypotheses TO prove Mr.. Clay a Federal
list, strikes on, new path. 1t admits what
1t would be rather silly to deny, that Mr.
Clay was once first-rate Democrat, and that
"the eye of the Nation was fixed upon him
as man Of surprising ability and lofty ell
thusinsm," but it continues;
In a little while he fell away from his
first love to the broad interests of the many
He became the advocate of particular class
es the originator of special projects, the au-
+ thor of system-an Amricdn system, it
was called, but narrow, exclusive, desplca-
BILE system in reality. From that fall MIR.
Clay has never recovered"
4 So, then, we discover at last "that it was
in advocating PgoTEcTioN TO AMERICAN
Industry that Mr.. Clay become a Federal
the greater part of his life, as every body
, has been blindy supposng, Mr. Clay's "falp'
! appears 10 have been nearly as ealy in life
as Adams. His first great speech in advo-
cacy of Protection was made in 1906, thirty
three years ago, and just after his entrance
upon the stage of public life. How much
earlier his delinquency commenced, we can
not say but il is very certain that his '!all''
from Democracy TO Federalism according to
the Posts notion, took place before he was
elected Speaker of Democratic Congress
by the votes Of the Democratic Members
! station to which he was reelected by over
whelming Democratic votes up to lS23 =
And all this time Mr., Clay continued an ar
: dent, conspicuous, advocate ofthe Protective
Policy, a loved and honored champion oil
: Democratic Administrations, and not a soul
was shrewd enough to discover or suspect
that he had had "fall' aud turned FEEDER
, aist
2 But then it m; ST Be considered, in palIia.
ton of the extraordinary blindness of the
! whole world, that the circumstances Of Mr.
: Claws "fal" were very bewildering. 1t was
J not a solitary precipitation; as III the bank
5 case, he fell from the Democracy in compa
!. ny with the Democratic party. Before he
V took ground in favor of the Protective Poll
! cy, its adoption had been urged by THOMAS
: JEFFERSON, GEoRoE CLINTON, DANIEL ID
. ToMPkINs, aud men of their stamp all ovei
: the country. Mr.. jefferson in 1896 con
I templated Just such a stage of things as now
t exists with regard to the Tariff and the Pub
: lie Lands. ".ShaH are suppress the impost,
D says he, "dnd thus girc advantage to TIN
t Foreign Ocfr the Domestic H0nufdcturrr
: This question the Po.t'S sort of Democra
n cy answers in the affirmative. but Mr.. JEr
= FERsoN answered il in the negative, recon-
= mending that the Proceeds Of the Publ,
Lands be divided among the States, for pur
o poses of Internal Improvement, &c, while
c the Federal Revenue should be raised from
| imposts alone. The Post ought to apprise it:
c readers that It's Democracy is another sor
v from thatof Jefferson, Madison, and such old
r fashioned people, or it will lead them into
/ sad blunders.
v But not merely was Mr.. CLAY, in his "fal'
a into Federalism through his advocacy of Tho
l. Protective Policy, accompanied by the grea
a mass of the elder Democrats, such as tn,
Dalases, Dickcrsons, Calhoun, Snyder
Baldwin, 81 c., while il was opposed by near
~ " all the Federasts, who advocated wha
{, they mistakenly believed the commercial in
u tcrest of the Country, but it was supported
u by our own peculiar Democrats more espe
IL cially. The Tariff Of 1924 was supported
\, by Van Buren, and Benton that of 1875
,e (the most protective ever establshed) b.
Y, Van BURN and SiiaS Wright with nearl
h every one of their Northern allies i'll tn
,r lower House. How in the world is it tina
,r to favor Protection causes Mr.. Clay to "fall
NJ into Federalism whites it leaves Mr. Va
= Buren, and his set, standing high and dr.
l. an nomocracv1 Will the Post evnl,in d