The daily Madisonian. [volume] (Washington City [i.e. Washington, D.C.]) 1841-1845, 1843-10-27
MR.. CLAY's LAST EPlsTLE.

Wings Of Hanover county, Virginia, urging
him To visit some central point Of that noun
tain district, ssas much good would result TO the
Cause from such visit As TO what The Peo-
pie may do or say, or any portion OF them, we
have no commentary TO make. They may pirate
of 1.-The unparalleled treachery Of the acting
President" until doomsday, il il so please
them. We can only express our regret that
they should permit themselves TO come TO
erroneous conclusions. As free citizens, en-
gagged IN the work Of maintaining free inslilu-
tons, il behooves them 10 hear before they
strike; to ascertain facts truly. before they
come to conclusions. They should bear in
mind, continually, that the readisat rode for the
thief to escape pursuit in a crowd. is TO
be the Ioudest TO CRY out "stop thief" thereby
to direct attention from himself to another. Blu,
II the People, OF any portion of them, choose to
be cheated, and to assail The true man and let
the thief pass, why they must even do as they
please, and we have not one word to say against
it.
We cannot, however, withhold the express
sion Of our extreme regret that an open aud
avowed candidate for the Presidency-a man
who has been highly distinguished in the country,
and has rendered her some good service and done
much harm-who has filed elevated positions in
the public councils. and who therefore should lie
presumed TO possess some decency of deport-
ment should have resorted to repetition of the
abuse of the President in which he has in
duged from the time Of the extra session, and be-
fore any Democrats tcere appointed to office
and has persevered in, with increased malignity,
to the present hour-we say that we cannot
but regrel this for the sake of the country, and
himself He has yet some character to lose,
and we fear that he is 10 fair way Of losing it,
Considering the youth Of our Republic, and the
viruous and iiiustrious who have filed the Office
OF Chief Magistrate Of the Union il is painful in the
msnt Of all the obligations Of honor of duty and of
fidelity"
Such is one of the sentences in the letter of
Henry Clay. Instead Of using broad express
sions like those, which any BLACKBOARD in the
street could use as well as Henry Clay, we
should have been better pleased if the candidate
for the Presidency had gone into particulars
What obligations Of honor, of duty and 6deli-
ty" have been violated2 Mr.. Tyler vetoed Mr.
Clay's Bank bill, and so he would do again with
a similar bill, come fom what quarter or party
II might. Was this to violate &c the obligations
of honor, Of duty end or ndeityY" Was il a
violation of duty, to uphold his settled and Of
ten expressed convictions of what the Consti-
tuition required2 Wa, ita violation OF the obi
cations Of honor for him to avoid an act Of per-
jury2 Is it by surendering the Constitution 10
the silly whim of some imperious leader in
Congress, and by the commission of perjury,
that MIR. Clay, when he comes TO be President,
is TO give 10 the country so pure an adminsira-
too as he would seem 10 promise
What Mr.. Clay means by "a violation of The
obligations Of fidelity" we cannot understand
Fidelity TO whom or what7 Fidelity to the
Consti'ution-6deliy to Pary-or 6deliiy to
Henry Clay7 Will he tell US which or what
he means? Does Mr.. Clay mean that fidelity
TO ones oath Of Office is to yield to fidelity to
party or TO HIMSELF Does he mean 10 tell his
known friends that when he is President--God
save the mark! -he will care nothing for his oath
nothing for the Constitution -noihing for any
thing or person but party or Henry Clay7
For his constant hit at the President as being
an accidental President, we commend him
to Lord Biougham. II President dies and
the Vice President succeeds, why he is an
accident, and nothing more, and Mr. Clay
takes great delight in telling him so. Now
we cannot regard this so much an attack on the
President as on the Constitution. If King
dies and King succeeds, why Lord Brougham
and Mr.. Clay think that there is no accident
in the way. Oh no, that is all legitimare-the
offspring of legitimacy but if the forms Of our
Constitution are observed, and death occurs,
why, then, no respect is to be paid to the Presi-
dent, because he has succeeded by accident
Mr. Clay certainly shows very exquisite taste
in the use Of the following language:
against Mr.. Tyler no excr,,on is necessary. n,
will retire with The contempt and amidst the .coG,
Of all honorable men. Our efforts should be directed
against those who first scduced and then pro6ted bv
him those who, alter having won him 10 their own
uses, now affect TO shrink from the communicating
association; those Who after his complete identi.
hcation with them, and at the moment when he il !
spproprating to their exclusive advantage the whole
patronage OF the Government, unjustly upbraid US
with the failure Of measures the adoption OF which
was prevented by his perhdy and their countenance
and supper, Of him"
This letter, it is to be recollected, was written
before the late elections. Mr. Clay had no,
then heard Of the New Jersey election, an cleo
ton staked, 10 great extent. on Mr.. TYLER,
name and Mr.. Gays. If to be defeae ed in a
popular election is evidence of the contempt and
SCOTS OF all honorable men, then Mr. Clay stands
in that unfortunate predcament in New /
Jersey There he was defeated, and by the
man whom be rretcnds to despise as one not
to be noticed in the approaching struggle We.
moreover. tell Mr.. Clay, that il the Republican
party should conclude 10 rally around Mr. TYLER