The Evansville journal. (Evansville, Ind.) 1834-184?, 1844-10-24
From the RiehmOnd Wing.

Efom tho Richmond wing.
Ma. CLAY'S LETTERS TO F P. BLAIR
The reader will be attracted to the perusal
Of these long talked Of and foully misrepre
scented letters, and by the chaste aad oppo,I
site introductory commentary Of Mr.. Leigh.
For nineteen years they have been the basis
Of the most malignant calumnies upon Dir.
Clagis public and private character. They
are At length given up to public inspection,
and now letthe hardies OF the fraducers-I
lei Blair, Kendall or Richie, who from the
middle period of life have advanced to old
age in slandeing Mr.. Glay-let either of
them come before the American People, and
appealing to Heaven TO witness his sincerity,
say that he bellows these letters of Mr.. Clay
contain one little of proof against his honora as
man, or his integrity as a Patriot Neither
Of the TiumyiEate burst dat. We defy ahsm
to it!
And yet these men for nineteen years, full
" aware of the true character of these let
tsrs, bat rely ing upon Mr.. Clay's continued
refusal TO publish them, for reasons the most
highly honorable to his character, have per-
severed in representing them to contain dam
ming proof of the sbargain," and have turned
Mr. Claws refusal to publish them, origina-
ting in the most pure and lofty motives, into
admission of guilt! Partizans will possibly
be found, ready to palliate this as they would
any coRdu CT conducive to the interests OF
their party; but all the rest of mankind can
entertain but one opinion of its. fragrant IN
? Justice and contemplate meanness and IL
liberality. Blair has had the letters in his
possession for nineteen years. Kendall had
had access to them, as his garbled extracts
prove: The senior editor of the Enquirer,
ifhe has not seen the letters, has at least has
the opportunity of doing so, OF which he re-
fused 10 avail himself, while his ISLANDERS
were c continually repeated, and these letters
appealed 10 as containing the evidence to
establish them. He has been assured for II
years, by those who hadread them, that they
had no a~llusion TO the "bargain p he has beer
informed what constituted Mr.. Clay'shon-
orable objection to publish them; be has
known that they were exhibited years ago IN
Kentucky, TO whosoyer wished to see them
end yet he has persisted for a whole genera
ton, con6ding still that they would not be
published, in demanding their publication
and in deducing from Mr.. Gays refusal Il
publish, the consciousness and the confession
of guilt! If the annals of party can pro
duce an instance of more utter party de
pravity, than has been displayed toward
Henry Clay in the long tract of 10 years. b,
these three Enen, We know not where to loo
for it.
Mr.. Clay is not only right for departin,
700, from his original resolution of not pub
fishing his letters to Blair, but he ought year
ago to have surrendered that resolution ;fror
the moment indeed that the seal of privat
confidence was broken by Mr.. Blair. A
these letter rs were made the foundation {
criminal charges against him, there was n
mode of repelling these charges, and of viz
dicating himself, but by the production c
the letters. A correspondence is no-longe
confidential when one ofthe parties to it, ha
betrayed the trust reposed i'll him: nay {
make it public is often, as in this case, til
only means left of sustaining innocence, an
holding treachery up to merited scorn. A
will admire Mr.. Clay's 6rmness and foFtitud
in bearing for nineteen years, the most I'M
rious imputations upon his character, rattle
Shan clear himselfby the commission of a
act which he misrepresentation of being az
cessary TO a violation OF the confidence
private correspondence. This passive fort
tude is more truly glorious and heroic tina
tue ilSehslolIity 10 DANGER WHICH Ieads u
soldier to face the lannon's mouth. n
man values an honest fame and the goc
opinion of his country more than Henry Cla
and yet with the power at any moment Off
polling the SANDERS of his dastardly traduce
and of exhibiting them in The odious colon
oflibellers and calumniators to the counr,
he has been content 20 suffer for ninetee
years under foul and unfounded imputatior
in preference TO transgressing whathe deer
ed a proper social rule! When will the T
umvirate and their confederates initiate th
magnamity? When will they learn to unde
stand or appreciate il?
And now let US see, and let the count
mark, ifthey will publish these letters, viii,
they have SO often called for, and so aud
ciously g~arbled?