The Illinois free trader and LaSalle County commercial advertiser. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1841-1843, 1843-05-19
rrr. Clny and the spoiis.


rrr. Clay and the Spots.
lf there ever was one point IN relation to which
there existed such thing as communityef SEN
timent among the whgs,it was in denouEcing the
democratic presidents for preferrins democrats to
wings in most ofthe appointments to office. ''Pro-
scripiion ~ "Proschption!' "Proscrption - was
perpetually on the tongues of whig orators from
Maine to Louisiana, aud Prescription proscrib-
ed was to be one Of the distinguishing features
of the reign of whigery. Nay so well was this
understood as good wing doctrine, that General
| Harrison, in a speech at Cleveland in 1910, So
| lemnly affirmed that, before he would remove a
man from office for mere difference of opinion, he
would suffer his right arm to be severed from his
body = and Mr.. Clay, in 1884, went so Far as to
introduce resolutioninto the United States Sc
nate declaring it unconstitutional for the president
'to remove. at his pleasure, officers whose offices
have been established by law" TWAS, therefore,
with surprise that we read the following extract
from a speech recently delivered by Mr. Clay at
Lexington, and published in the Kentucky Repor-
ter from which it appears that be no, only cons-
dcrs it no longer uacOastiaioaaiior the president
to remove officers at pleasure, but, il wing pre-
sdcnt is elected, he considers it his imperative d.
N to do it, and to bestow the offices on his own
partisans:-
Mr.. Clay went on further to say, ''that in his
opinion, II a whg president should be elected, il
would be his imperative duty to do ample Justice
in the administration Of public patronage, to the
great wing party of the country-which he verify
believed for years had embraced majority of the
people of the United States That party, for up
wards of fourteen years past, with the exception
Of one month, had been Systematically prescribed
and excluded from all public employments Not
only from original cmployments, but, when they
held Office, they have been hurled out to make
way, often for unworthy persons, of opposite POI
litics. And so far is Mr.. Tyler now pursuing this
practice, that he is dismissing men whom he put
in, not only without charge, without fault, with
out any species of trial, but with ullknowIedge
that the duties of their Office have been diligently
honestly, and faithfully executed, and putting
back in their places men whom he had himself
dismissed! Every consideration Of equality, of
equity aud of justice demands, said Mr.. Clay, |
that the most foil and complete reparation of the
injuries done the wing patty should be hereafter
made. Nor would that be prescription. ltwould
be the sevcrcst rebukc of prescription. On the |
contrary, TO continue in office men who had been |
put there by the dismisslOn of other and better |
men, for political reasons would be to sanction.
consumma.c and perpeuatc prescription. Bot if
il could be regarded as prescription, who is to be
justly reproachcd with beginning prescription in
this country !"
But this extract is remarkable on another nc
count. It's the frs, time in the history OF this
country that candidate for The presidency has held
up to the greedy gaze Of his partsans the spoiA
of r'ciory to stimulate them to renewed excr,ions
in his behalf This is depth we had not reach
ed before. The patriot Jackson, in 1924, when
asked if he would appoint Mr.. Clay secretary of
state if he would use bis influence to have him
elected by the house Of representatives, replied
that she would make his appointments after he
was elected president The reply was worthy
of the "old Roman" and can,ras's strkingy with
the unbluehng ayowal made in the above extract
Historians have recorded the purchase of the
Roman purple of the Pretorian guards for q sum
of money about the riddle of the frs, century,
10y a wealthy Roman senator, and they have mark
ed the transaction with the justesl note of infa-
my. Yet there can surely he no difference in
principle between paying men in gold for the pur-
pie, and paying them in good fat Offices, which
Mr.. Clay offers TO do if his partisans will but
give him the purple of the United States. The
infamous offer should excite the Indignation of
every patriot in the land, and consign its author
to contempt and oblivion. Degrading and humi-
liating as were the coonsliu exhibitions and hard |
cider orgies Of 1916 yet even the great campaign .
Of tint year has no sain-no degradation that can |
vie in inlamy with this.