The Middlebury people's press. [volume] (Middlebury, Vt.) 1841-1843, 1843-10-04
HENRY CLAY.

"Ihe Ssarcher of all hearts knows that
every pulsation of mine beats high and
strong in the cause of Human Freedom. -
- Extract from the speech Of Henry Clay,
on the subject Of abolition Petitions IN the
United States Senate, in 1888.
There is now hardly doubt existing in
the mind of any rational and intelligent
Wing and all Wings are rational and In
telligent-ihat the peerless Statesman of
Kentucky will be the next President of the
United States. Some of our Abolition
friends, however, are at present inclined to
withhold their votes from him, not because
they dislike the man, but because he holds
slaves This. we admit, is an objection 10
him, and so it was TO General Washington,
and John Marshall, and James Madison.
and Thomas Jefferson. But these men all
expressed their adherence of Slavery, and
so has Henry Clay, who is undoubtedly
willing, at this moment, to cooperate with
the great mass of Northern Wings in any
proper means to abolish it. 1t must be rec
objected that all the Southern States throw
great obstacles in the way Of individual
emancipation, some of them prohibiting it
altogether, unless those who are emanci.
pated are sent out of the state. But Mr..
Clay's real sentiments on this subject may
be inferred from the fact, that, when he
first entered public life, he took jealous
and powerful stand in favor of the immedi.
ate abolition of slavery in Kentucky, that
he has from that time TO this, been a most
uncompromising advocate of the Right Of
Petition, and that he is now denounced, by
the whole Loco Foco Press of the South,
as an abolilionist. At the time Missouri
was admitted into the Union, Mr. Clay de.
clared, that were he citizen of that state,
be would oppose any constitution which
tolerated slavery. as he had done before
when Kentucky was new state. And at
a meeting of the Colonization Society, in
1927, long before theAboition excitement
commenced. he used the following Ian
guage in reference 10 such as objected to
the agitation of the slave question.
"lf they would repress all tendencies
towards liberty and ultimate emancipation,
they must do more than put down the be.
nevolent efforts Of this Society They
must go back to the era of our liberty and
independence, and rnuzzle the cannon
which thunders its annual joyous RETURN
They must revive the slave trade, with all
its train of atrocities They must sup
press the workings of British philanthropy
seeking to ameliorate the condition of the
unfortunate West India slaves. They
must arrest the career of South American
deliverance from thraldom. They must
blow out the moral lights around us, and
extinguish the greatest torch of all which
America presents to benighted world,
pointing the way TO their rights. their lib
critics and their happiness. They must
penetrate the human sonl, and eradicate
the light of reason, and the love Of liberty.
Then, and not till then, when universal
darkness and despair prevail, can you per-
petuate SLAVERY, and repress all sympathies
aud all humane and benevolent efforts a
mong freemen, IN behalf of the unhappy
portions Of our race who are doomed to
bondage"
In another part of the same speech, he
spoke in the following emphatic and lofty
strain:
''lf could be instrumental in eradica>
ting this deepest stain slavery upon the
character of our country, and removing all
cause for reproach on account of it by for.
eign nations--if l could only be Instru-
mental in Kidding of this foul blot, that re-
vered state (Virginia) that gave me birth
or that not less beloved state tKentucky)