New-York daily tribune., 1844-09-30

A'44'''SN' ''-'
the report N the Philadelphia Inquirer.
u Tho Democrat of this City publishes wha;
it declares 10 30 confidential letter from Henry
Clay to Cessius nj. Clay 1t had previously
been Offered to the Evening Post and Morning
News, bp; neither would publish it. Whether
genuine OF not, it is perfectly proper and hon.
orabe letter, such as Mr.. Clay we'll might have
written without sub ecting him to the least GEN.
sure or unkndness from any quarter. If any
body has manufactured it, he has shown his good
sense and appreciation Of Mr. Clay's character
by writing such ettcr--hc knew the public
would not credit any other. If genuine, ii has
certainly been obtained by naked felony, as Cas-
sius H. Clay has aeper receiued any such letter.
OF course, if genuine, it must have been inter-
cepted, broken open, and published while on its
way from Kentucky. Won't the News and Post
abuse II. Clay for soon again obtrud'ng him.
self on the public
u The Morning Neos states that the Oath
required of those who took British Protection in
the Revolutionary War, which We understood
the Louisville Journal 10 quote from Stedman's
History of that struggle, is not found in that
History, and that the Journal does not say ii is.
We have neither the History nor the Journal at
hand, and copied from the latter at secondhand,
Crom the Courier Il Enquirer we beheve,) and
will of course accept the Newss statement
true till we reason to think otherwise. Right
well Goes the News knOw that we copied honestly
and in good faith, undoubtedly believing every
word stated was the simple truth.
And now, neighbor News. come out Of your
hiding place and meet us fairly on this matter.
You kno,c that we never reproached James X.
Polk for the acts Of his grandfather-we but re-
buked the falsehood of his biographers and adu-
lators, who vaunted him descendant of a Reyo-
lutonary patriot and signer of the Mecklenburg
Declaration You know that it is proved by
your own witnesses that Ezekiel Polk took
British Protection from Cornwallis when the lat.
ter overran and held North Carolina Now we
admit that we were entirely mistaken about the
oath we coped-will you be good enough to tell
ns what oath or obligation he did take a con-
dition of such Protection 2 British Pfotec
ton was notoriously two.sidcd mattcr-the re-
Cever covenanted to do something as we'll as the
yrantor Will you give your readers the real
oath taken by Polk and those like him? We
have the evidence of several living men who DO
know that Ezekiel Polk was regarded at the
time by those cognzsnt OF the facts as recre-
ant Tory; will the evidence of ten thousand
men who heard and know nothing of the matter
outweigh theirs He was not man to make
much noise about probably his very name was
unknown out of his State and to but small
proportion Of those in it, and il is easy to bring
any number of partisans, sixty odd years after
ward, to swear that they neuer heard any thing
to his prejudice. 1t took US a long time to oh.
tain an admission from your witnesses that Polk
ever took British Protection at all. 1t is proved
also that Polk left North Carolina in hurry
about the time that Cornwallis retTcated-wil
the News tell us why What means his reno.
val to Pennsylvania, and remaining there till the
close of the Revolution
u The Wings Of our City and vicinity who
will attend the Young Mems State Convention
at Rochester on Wednesday, must take the night
boat for Albany this epening. We trust New
York will send goodly delegation.