The Madisonian. [volume] (Washington City [i.e. Washington, D.C.]) 1837-1845, 1842-04-14
MR.. CLAY'S ASPIRATIONS.

Dement'S likely 10 enure 10 hiIuseH anu INC GUM
try from Mr.. Cay's election to the Presidency,
should such thing occur. We have now a
word or two to say about the probabilities of
such an event.
We must premise, by once more adverting to
the fact that Mr.. G. has now been regular
by the People, or in convention, in every one
Under whatever favorable auspices the Wing
party began the canvass, with whatever advan-
tage of position, whatever popular feeling and
excitement in its favor, whatever well founded
topics of complaint against its opponents, the
adoption of Mr.. Clay, as candidate, has proved
invariably fatal to their cause.
The inscription Of his name on their stand
ard has been the signal for general dispersion,
and the sure harbinger of total overthrow
Like the Carmach Dell to the McIvors, Mr.
Clay's appearance to the Wings has been the
certain presage of impending destruction. A
conviction of this, Boon Upaslke property of
his, was the potent cause of his REIMBURSEMENT
by the Harrisburg Convention. All felt that to
sustain him was to court defeat.
In 1897, '38, and $50, curious scene was
passing in this country. Mr.. Clay's friends
were moving heaven and earth to make him the
Wing candidate for the Presidency; but they
were not the only persons DESTROYS Of bringing
about that state of things. In different way
and under the operation of far different motives,
the friends Of the late dynasty necessarily la
bored TO produce the same result Mr.. Van Blu
rem spared no means which he could employ,
and he is man who can work by many indi-
rections, to keep Gen. Harrison out of the field,
and 10 reduce the controversy to contest be-
tween himself and Mr.. Clay The late Mr.
Grundy, man of some talent and great shrewd-
ness and Mr.. Sias Wright, man of shrewd-
ness also, and whose self-possession has some
times enabled him, in the Senate, even though
on the wrong side, to foil the great Wing lead
er of the present Congress, are known to have
desired nothing, and to have sought nothing
more than that Mr.. Clay should be the Wing
candidate nor did ever any thing inspire gen.
tlemen of their politics with such thorough fear
and dread, as the announcement from Harris
burg, that Mr.. Clay was not the candidate, and
that General Harrison was. From that mo-
ment and never before, alarm spread itself
through the Locofoco camp.
In short, the sober truth, of which Mr.. CIay's
friends can never be convinced, and Of which
he is less likely even than they to be persuaded,
is, that with no nconsiderable striking reputa-
ton and always put forward by his Jealous
friends, he has yet no hold upon the confidence
Of the great mass of the community. Twenty
years have proved this. The People of the
United States, not undertaking. his talents and
abilities for certain objects, yet do not see in
him that mild, moderate guardian and parental
character in which they love to contemplate the
Chief Magistrate. Mr.. Clay is 6ogmatical,
opinionated. Between him and his friends
even the most attached, there is no intercourse
of independent mind with independent mind !;
there is no mutually of respect and Difference !;
nothing like confidence upon equal terms
Years have not softened these repelling quail
ties, and when his supporters approach him, he
expects and will admit nothing but feahty and
homage. All this is not said loosely and ncon
siderately. There is not one of his friends who
will not admit its truth. With these charac-
teristics, however he may draw admiration, he
cannot inspire love and confidence. The feel
ing is general and it is true, that he has no
sympathy with the great body of his country
men, but that he builds his hopes of success up
on brilliant achievements, on political manGu-
vres, on compromises, of which he has as ma
ny, and is generally as successful in them as
Sir Hugh Evans in the Merry Wives of Wind
sor and on the INSCRIPTIONS devotion of his up
holders and partisans.
Even, then, if Mr.. Clay were to be supported
now once again for the seventh time, by the
great Wing party, there would be, there could
be no hope of his ultimate success, unless in
Decd within the last few months he has him
self wholly changed for the better, or new lights
have broken in upon the People. OF the fate
of the Wings, should they put Mr.. Clay's
name forward, let the recent events in Con-
necticut foretel The very suspicion that
he is to be the candidate, joined to the know
ledge or his late movements in Congress
and his conduct during the last six months
has been sufficient to change triumphant Har-
rison Wing majority into a wellbeaten Clay
minority. Connecticut prefers even Mr.. Niles
in the Senate to Mr.. Huntington, if the friend
of Mr.. Clay. Every where will the result be
the same. Every where will thousands of
friends disappear and thousands of enemies
spring up.
To raise Mr.. Clay is impossible. To sink
with him, if the attempt is made, inevitable.
THE CLAY BALL.