Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1842-04-08
up cIay,s rREwELL OF THE SENATE.


NATE today was for the most part appropriate, grace
FIJI we'll tempered, and it well received His ac-
Lnowedoment of obligation his friends, and particu
lav the sensiby with which he required to his early
history and the kindness with whrh ne mao oeeh
ed bv Kentuckv-its long continued favor, and the
load Of honors it had conferred upon hun, seemed 10
come from the heart, and had the expression oftrue
elequence. , :: -,
Some of Mr.. Clny's topics were, however, 10 ou,
opinion badly chosen for the occasion. lie aoVer'eo
10 the presen calantes of the country, and after por-
trayinr them with partisan aspect, concluded ny Turn
;nr them from his own door and laying them at some
oher-uo, saving whether Of this OF The past Admins
ton Why did MIR. Clay, in taking his farewell OF lhs
Senate and making his peace with The who'e ooay a.u
every member of ill., deem it incumbent on MN " sur
up the very question at issue in the present party
strife, Ii was certainly in bad taste, ana IN Gao het
inr with his professions of amy towards all, aiu ne
oblivion which he proposed 10 consen every 'fI'.a'
inn occurrence which calculated To awakenan I'M
kind sentiment But, probably, Mr.. Clay considered
himself, having taken leading part IN the pc'''cai
affairs of the country for years past, as deeply npl'-
Gated in their results, and therefore called upon u lake
this last opportunity 10 absove himself py son OIL
dv;ng denial in this light of deathbed declaration,
Mr. Clay may be justified in expressing The convnlon
to which he has no doubt lubored 10 bring hs mid -
Blu, if he can acquit HIMSELF we think, all the crum-
stances considered will be difficult for the country TO
do il.
What is the malady which aiflicts this county at
this moment, and which has afflicted it for years buck
Is it not the Bank the paper money, and creditsys
tens, which has brought on country blessed WITH
every natural and political advantage all the grievances
so loudly complained of Was not MIR. Clay, dIer
having put down the old Bank of the United States as
a foreign curse, pregnant with dangers and dsoser
to our Government and people, the founder OF The ale
Bank of the United States, which has spread such &c.
neral ruin over the nation in morals, IN politics, mo
| pecuniary concerns? Has he not iostered the Sale
Banks and proposed by resolution to make tier
irredeemable paper the currency OF the Government
and receivable for dues the Treasury Was he lol
the champion Of the system of Internal improvement
which threatened the General Government for TINE,
and which, fastening OIL the States, has involved tmn
in inexricube debt Was he not the advocate and De
fender of all those monopolizing and specializing n
t,rests which, under the encouragement OF The poal-
cal and banking influence which he led have run INTO
all the extravaganza that now has its consummatoni IN
his Bankrupt act?
| And what has been Mr. Clay's share in the more
cent public events which have placed the General Co.
yernment in the condition of the States and indvdua's
the first 10 suffer under the ntoxcaton of the stnr
an,s administered by banks, driving on speculation
stockiobbng, landjobhing, &c. &c' Was not Mr. Clay
the author Of the Extra Session, and ell The mischieis
which il has entai!ed the county, Did not that ses
sion and its results run up the national debt to fourteen
millions at the same time that the public domain
sary 10 maintain the national credit, was alienaed from
the purposes to which it was devoted by the Con,tiu
ton5 And now, after four months session, wha
have Mr.. Clay and his riends zone 10 restore the "
nances and e-estabsh the credit which they found un
furnished when they came into power? They have
done nothng-iierally nothing The Senate, on which
MIR. Clay to-day pronounced what would have been
few wears back just euogiun, has been engaged fol
four months In debating abstract resolutions about The
veto power of the Constitution, and abstract resolu
tons about reform and retrenchment, while the very
spirit of the Constitution has been sacrificed TO The
personal views contemplated by these resolutions, ane
all actual reform and retrenchment obstructed BY
truilless discussion And now Mr.. Clay takes hi!
leave of the Legislature of the Union in the midst
the public dstresses which he seems to think requires
the greatest craftsmanship to remedy, leaving behne
only his legacy to effect relief mere strings OF asser
lions about The veto-about cconomy-about raising
the tariff beyond the Compromise act-and repeating
the clause by which the lands were to revert TO The
Treasury in case higher taxes than twenty per cent
nd raioreu, should become necessary TO the Govern
ment.! This is the legacy Of relief bequeahed TO TIT
Wing maiorities he has left behind him in Congress-
And how far they will the mschefs ofhs banking
sys,em-hs internal improvement system and the sPe
culating mania which grew out Of them time will show
TIL.