Carroll free press. [volume] (Carrollton [Ohio]) 1834-1861, 1844-09-20
AN INTERESTING LETTER FROM MR.,
CLAY-Steadtaa IN his Friendship for
American Labor!
BLUE L1cKs, Aug. %, 1914.

If CLAY-&eadtast in his Friendship 70,
:. American Labor!
S BLUE L1cKs, Aug. %, 1914.
Ny Dear Str:-Your supposition srght
p as to the oppressive extent Of my cores
: pondence 1t is utterly impossible to an
- swer all the letters which | receive. | am
afraid that cannot reply to many that de-
, serve it. Mr.. Madison once remarked to
t me that Mr.. Jefferson's correspondents
were killing him; but they were furnished
by population of about ten Millions
Mine are supplied by population ofnear
, twenty millions. | can feel and conceive
. the possibility of q homicide, committed in
the mode which Mr.. Madison suggested.
| request you to attribute to the above
cause, my omission to express to you be-
fore, the sotifaction derived from the peru
sal of your admirable speech on the Com
promise law. No man knew better tAe
motives and considerations which prompt
ed its passage than you did, and you have
ably and truly exposed them, We were
upon terms of the most confidential init
macy and friendship. You, daily, in the
Senate, sat near me. You knew Of my
consultations with the practical manutac-
lures, and their coincidence with us. |
believe it was upon your invitation that
the lamented Dupont came from Delaware
and conferred with us. Upon more occa-
sions than one, while gazing upon the care
worn countenances aud haggard looks of
some of the delegation in Congress from
South Carolina, you said to me, "CIay,
! these are fine fellows. 1t won't do to let
old Jackson hang them. We must save
| them" You lived in a mess of some seven
or eight Senators, and it was your mess
that insisted upon the Home valuation, as
sine Qua non. Mr. Calhoun opposed it,
Your mess persevered. The fate of the
bill was threatened; but he, at the last mo-
ment, withdrew his opposition, and the bill
finally passed.
have again and again asserted, on the
! floor Of the Senate, that two principal OBJ |
jects were aimed to be accomplished. One
was to avert civil war; the other was to
preserve the policy Of protection. 1t was
threatened by Mr.. Verplanck's bill, with to-
tai subvcrsion; and | believed then, and |
believe now, that if the Compromise had !
not passed, at the next session Of Congress, |
all traces Of that policy would have been |
elfaced from the statute book.
You and both maintained that the mea-
sure Of protection, preserved by the Com
promise, would be sufficient until about
1842. But we were taunted by our oppo-
ueuts toknow what would be its condition
when that period arrived. We replied |
there were the home valuation, cash duties,
long list Of free articles &c. But | said |
also, let us take care Of ourselves now; the |
people of f842 may be trusted to take care |
Of themselves. Public opinion, in the mean
time, may become more enlightened, and
the wisdom Of the protective policy may he
demonstrated, lhave not been disappoint-
ed; my predictions have been fulfilled
The people of 1842, the Wings, at least,
every where, and many Of the Democrats,
are now fully persuaded that the industry
Of this great country ought not to be pros
trated at the feet of1oroign powers. Every
where the preservation of the Tariff Of =,
I012, which has worked so well, and is de-
Iivcling Us from embarrassInents, is loudly
demanded.
The circumstances which led to, or at
tended, the enactment Of the Compromise,
may be curious and interesting as matters
Of history; bat, in respect to the policy Of
protection, the great, practical, absorbing
question is, shall the Tariff Of 1912 be pre-
served or repealed! That question is to
be solved in November next. | have re-
peatcdly expressed my opinion UNEQUIV-
0CAILY IN FAVOR OF IT.
thought we achieved a great triumph
in placing the protective policy, by the
Compromise act, without the reach and be-
yond the term OF Gen. Jackson's admins
ration. And we avaicd ourselves of the
fact that the South Carolina delegation
were much more anxious that the difficulty |
should be settled by us than Gen. Jackson. !
You tell me that am accused Of having
abandoned the protective policy. That |
would distress me exceedingly, if | were |
not accused of all sorts of crimes and mis- |
demeauors. | believe have been charg- |
ed with every crime enumerated in the |
Dccaogue. / laugh at the straits to which
my opponents are driven. They are to be |
piied. Shrinking from all the issues, a
rising out Of the greatquestions Of national
policy, which have hitherto divided the
country, they have no othcrrefuge left, but
in personal abuse, detraction AND detama-
ton. have lived down these attacks
heretofore, and with the blessing Of provi- |
dencc hope to survive those which are
now directing AGAINST me, Most certainly
my surprise at the attempt to make me out
aliiend of free trade with foreign countries,
and an opponent to the Protective policy,
ought not to be greater than that Of my
competitor at the effort to establish his
friendship to the Protective policy,
remain, always true and faithfully
Your friend,