Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1844-01-27
RICHMOND, SATURDAY, JANUAR,
4 MISTAKE EXPLAINED.

paragraph has recently been publsned IN several oil
the papers, hch has betrayed US into mistake 10
pnper nf tie 6h inst II states the opinion which MIR
], .rson expressed about Mr. Clly-and attributed IL
"Mr Thomas j. Randolph, the grandson OF Mr.. Je ef
son, the PRONUNCIATION Of this opinion When we saw
this paragraph of circulation, it struck us
that Mr. T. J. Randolph had written 1t 'severa years
aco when The forged letter from Mr.. Jefferson 10 Mr.
t'lay was exposed" and we slated the fact. Mr.
Randovh no sooner saw the Enquirer than he address
ed ia letter. on the 18th, from which We make the
following extract:
sin your psper Of yesterday, you give extract OF
letter said TO contain the opinions OF Mr. Jefferson
of Mr. Clay ard ascrbe the authorship 10 myself Are
YOU not Mistaken 1t certainly is rot mine. have
never assumed TO be the exponent oil Nh Jefferson 4
opinions as to principles. II | had my Fed
raj friends, their descendants and pfose!ytes, would
hay long since thrust from the Tripnd and seated
themselves upon it. To them, have lett the profes-
Sims of principles which fhave been cont,nl 10 prac
lice do not think that have, at any time, written
or spoken u word personally against Mr.. Clay cited
any personal opinion Of NJ. Jefferson against hun =
Mr. Clay, his whole party and myself, differ toto o@io
in our pnlit cal opinions; and should view, in the tr
umph of their principles the most disastrous results
to the liberties and happiness of my country, al the
sane time that concede to them rs much ,nesy IN
their ultimate objeo,S e. | nave in my own
II was net in our pGwer,n make the necessary inyes
pation to assist us correcting and explaining the
mIsake, until Thursday list. We made these
s-arches wIthou: being aware Of what in the
Richmond " big. On that morning, the Richmond
Wing takes lie Hia:i.r up ana states bail' ~ IN pcs
session Of litter from Mr.. Randolph 10 nr. Clay,
written IN the 18th of September, 1927" The
term "confdcatiai employed in the body Of the letter
which gives The most unqualified contradiction
Mr. R,ndop h's paragraph quoted ahcve from The En-
auirer" But The Wing Itself ;as INTO an error, when
Il says
one year, s- .i,~re appeared IN the Charlottesville Jefsr
a N
sGrnr.t. created strong sensation ,tea ard
fra not now either by NJ Randolph
OF a party friend who knew tine fact, 10 ar Ais."
few words VIII clear up the whole mystery, and
/" place the saddle on the right horse We found
some difficulty in identifying the time when tie torgcd
letter from Mr.. Jefferson to Mr.. Clay "espostd
but the finding OF that fac, gave key the whole
The Enquirer of the Gin July 1880 has the following
editorial paragraph, latter quoting passage from the
forged letter published by MIR. Souihworh the Ed.-
tor of the r. |. "Lterary Suba;efn The SAID letter
vas subsequently found TO be forgery, aud was
la;terly admitted TO be so by several Of the Wing
presses) The following is our Gander # tint day
The contents Of this Latter different from the
character which we understood Mr. Jefferson 10 have
expressed about Mr.. Clay. that confess we have
some doubts of the authenticity OF the passage Ger
it is, that If Mr. dd express ths favorable opn-
ION of Mr. Clay, he had occasion I, ch.nge 1t after
wards. and upon nearer acquaintance with hlrn -
Col Thomas NJ Randolph, his son-n-aw. in u letter.
which he published on the Is August lc21, declares
as follows Towards Mr. Clay, as polit cian, Mr.
j. strsou constantly manifested very strong repue
nance and often sad that he merely splendid
Orator, without any valuable knowledge from e2pe
renee or study or any determined public principles
funded in saund political science, either practical
theoretical With ,h,s impression my mind let
Mr. Ciay al Monticello, when | went 10 the Legisn
tur. three days before the meeting If the Electoral
Colleges, Dec 1924 had heard some i!e dis :us-
sion between him and Mr.. j., upon those important
points OF constitutional doctrine and political economy.
upo which they differed 'cideiy i did not appear
10 me- that Mr. J. viewed Mr.. Clay in the hgh;
lie is now viewed, By numbers, as likely TO be
dangerous the Union, from his principles; or that ne
ever contemplated for him any other elevation than
VIVA, he had already enjoyed in the H. of Representa-
tives ;"
This is extract Of q letter from Colonel 7 NJ
Randolph, published in the Charlottesville Advocate Of
that period (Augnst, 1870 Tho e,ror. therefore.
consists in this that it ascribes 10 ".ir. Thomas j.
Randolph" the extract ola Letter, which pcnned b.
his father, Mr.. Thomas 81 pinot 'anonymous,
then" the Wing states, bat signed dy The author
himself