Herald of the times. [volume] (Newport, R.I.) 1830-1846, 1844-09-26

THE CILLEY DUEL.
Loose libels, we have lately shown
high authority for saying, ought general
lv 10 be passed by in silence and all our
experience approves this judgment Of a
profound intelligence. The case may
however occur of libel, in every sense
loose and in every light Infamous, attain
ing, from the vcly elevation of the char
acter at which it is aimed, such a degree
of conseg guence as to Justify public re.
uiation of it. We had not, we confess,
supposed until very lately that the impu.
talon to Mr.. CLAY Of an agency in pro.
noting the C,lley Duel was Of such a
character. The facts concerning that
unhappy occurrence, we had thought,
were too notorious to he misunderstood al
the time, aud too recent not to be rcmcm.
bered But we find that we have decci
we'd ourselves, and that, between base
misrep,e sentaiion on one hand and honest
credulousness on the other, that calumny
has, from deserved contempt, risen TO the
dignity Of formidable lie ; formidable.
that is to say, for its magnitude aud ls
power of mischief
Under these circumstances, having at
hand materials, which are not within the
reach Of every one, even OF our readers,
for a complete reiulalion OF thus false "a
persion, we think 1t proper to place them
ia our columns, not without the hope that
they may be of use TO some Of our proies.
sional contemporaries and 10 others Of on,
irieDds who go forth among the people to
expose the wrong and vindicate the right
Before we proceed to the examination
oflhe matter of the CiIey Duel, howev-
er, let vs. premise that never was more
injustice done TO any man than to Mr..
CLAy VIXEN he is represented as an advo
cate or admirer OF the practice Of Due l.
ling. Ills sentiments on the subject are
well known to his personal friends,
They were publicly expressed twenty
years ago, in his Address TO his cons'i,u-
ents on the Oath day Of March, 1925,
Just after his accession to the Department
of State, from which VIC quote the follow
Ing passage
"a crisis appeared to ne to have arisen in
my public life. issued my cnrd, iof def
ancc Of his ma lguant accusers IN reference
to the then pending election Of Mr.. Adams
! ought not tn have put IN II The last para
graph. because, although II does not ncccs
SarIy imply The resort tot personal combat.
II ndmns Of that construction nor will
conceal that such possible issue was with
IN my contemplation. I owe II To the com
munltv TO say thai, whNlepcr heretofore ]
may have done, or, by inevitable circunstan.
ccs, might be forced to do, no man IN u
/ holds IN deeper abhorrence than | do that
pctnIciuus practice. Condemned, a. IT mus,
be. by the Judgment aud philosophy, TO say
nothing oi the religion, of every thinking
man, II is an affair ol feeling, about which
we cannot, although we should, reason H.
true Corrective will be found when oil shall
uGile, as al ought to unite, ~ It's unqua fled
prescription. - National inttii,ssncv, ,yNirch
/ l-2j.
These sentiments, thus frankly unfold
Cd to his constituents, Mr.. CLAY repeated
more than ten years afterwards ~ The
face oftbe Nation, when, on the !lnor oi
the Seoa,e, voted ~ favor oi the bill iol
tho suppression oi duellng within the
District of COLUMBIA. On that occasion
he exprcssed himself 10 The following
effect
"Mr CLv said be- hid taken mo- part ~
! the discussion which had hecn gong nn ~
g. lalion to tlis maiier not, however, itou
any lndl-posillun on hl, part TO do all this
/ no. could to AID m the very lnudible "hJrci'
conicmplatcd by the bill. No nan would b.
jhappler than hmsell T., see the whole b't
birous system irovaf cr,dicsi"d. " va.
well known hat. ~ C.tt-tn quarters Ui tht.