Burlington free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1827-1865, 1843-09-29
QS|UrIuo;su.)
FRIDAY MORNING, SEPT. %, 1913.
henry CLAY.

"The Search. GFai hearts krows that every
"pu,sa,ion of mi1c bcass high and strong in
1.-the cans: o.: Human FreedOm."- EEr'rnet
from he SPEECH Of Henry Clay on he subject Of
Addition Petitions in he Cnittd States Senate in
1898.
There is now hardly a doubt existing in
the mind Of any rational and intelligent
Whig-and all Wings are rational and in.
elligrnt-tl,at tho peerless Statesman of
Kentucky will be the next PrcsiJrn, of the
United States. Some Of our Abolition
friends, however,, mr." -, present inclined 10
withhold their votes from him, not because
they dislike the man, but because he holds
slaves. This, w admit, is an obJrc,ion to
him, and So it was an objection to General
Washington, and JOHN Marshall, and James
Madison, and Thomas Jefferson. But these
men all expressed their adherence of Slave
ry,, and 50 has Henry Clay, who is undouhl-
eddy willing, al this moment, to Cooperate
with the great mass of Northern Wings in
any proper means TO abolish, it.. 1t mnst be
recollec,ed that all the Southern States throw
great obstacles in the way of individual
emancipation, some Of them prohibiting it
altogether, unless those who are cn,ancipated
arc sent out of the state. But Mr.. Claws
real sentiments ON this subject may be in.
tcrrcl from the fact, thai, when lie first en-
tered public life, he took ii ~z.alous and pow
rrfnl stand in favor Of the immediate abnli-
ton of Slavery in Kentucky, tina, he has,
from llar time To this, been Il most nnro,i-
promising advocate of the Right Of Petition,
and that he is nov denounced, by the whole
Loco Foco Press Of the South, as AN Abnli-
ZIONIST. At tie tine Missouri, WIS admit. d
into the Union, MIR. Clay declared, that,
were h. riiiz"n Of that, state, h. would np.
pose any cunsii,ulinn vi icl, tolerated slave.
ry, as he had done before when Kentucky
WAS Il new state. And at II meeting of the
Coloniz 'ion Society, in 1927, long before
the Abolition excitement commenced, he
used the following language in reference to
such as objected to the agitation Of the slave
Qrcs,ion.
"If they would rcpress all tendencies ,ow,rds lib
ertv AMI ultimate emancipation, they must do more
than put down he benevolent eif,rts of this Snc;etv.
They ma I 9, back 10 The era of our liberty and indie
pc iiencr, AMI m,izzle the cannon which thuniers its
annual jnyous ieiurn. They must revive the slave
ira lc, with aiiiis IRAN nf atroc lies. They must sup
ptess the workings of British philanthropy. seeking
l., N lioraie me ~cnniiion of the u iforluna,e West In.
Vi, Slaves. They must arrest the career of South
| A nrriran del .vernncr from ihr.ljom. They must
blow out The moral gus around us, aud e~x,inguish
the greatest torch of all whic, America presents 10 a
henigiiiri world, pointlrg the way II Their rights,
their liberties, and their h%1ppness. They mus pene-
traie The human soul. and eradicate the lighi of rea-
son and the love of liberty. Then, and MT nil then,
,rhcn unire,sai darkness and despair prerat, can you
pERpETuATE SLAVERY, and rrpress all sympaMies and
aHhumane and ben,roient forts dmone .freemtn. in
behaf Of he unhappy portions Of our race ,rho are
doomed TO bondage.
In another part Of the same speech, he
spoke in the following emphatic and lofty
strain.
"IfI could be instrumcn'al in eradica,ing this deep,
est staiWs!avery) upon the character of our country,
and removing all cause for reprnach on account Oft
nv fnreign nnii'Hs-ifI 'onl only he insirum" ntal IN
Kidding. Of thi@ ioul blot, that revered State (Virglnla)
that gave me tir,h-or that not less elnved state
(Len,ncky W ,hich kindly adopted me as her son, !
would not exchange the proud satisfaction which ]
should enjoy for all the honor of all The trinmphs ever
decreed to the most successful conqueror."
Sucl, are the sentiments which HENRY
Cray has repeatedly expressed, and aloays
entertained in regard to the accused system
of slavery. Whether our Abolition brethren
are prepared to vote for him or not, i, is bu,
just that they should understand his true po-
si,ion. They should recollect, also, that he
incurred the fierce and invetcrate wrath Of
the whole south when he voted for JOHN
QUINCY ADAMS for President of the
United States. For this the stakeholder,
have never forgiven him. But they have
Sc, all their bull dogs upon him to bark a
and hunt him down. His real offence wal
that no disrcgarded the policy of,he Rich
mond Jun,o" which for years had made ev,