Baton-Rouge gazette. [volume] (Baton-Rouge, La.) 1819-1856, 1844-05-04

Casius NJ. Clay, Of Lexington, Kentucky,
the sincerity Of whose opinions in regard to
slavery IL faithfully proved by the fact Of hin
having emancipatsd his slaves, of the value
Of S40.O has written h reply 10 yariouB let.
terra from Abolitiouists, inquiring whether he
intends to vote for Henry Clay ag President
we make the following extracts from The TO-
ply: r.
III u my m0at decidcd determination 10 rotg
far Henry Ciay for PresideHA' Men never
have and never will, in al cases, think alike !;
al Government IL Hscce8arily d sacrifice, to
some extent, Of individual will that ID the
best Government TO each individual which fog-
terB OF allows The most Of @94at that indiyidus
I'll believes n be conductive TO his best inter-
esls. Tho question then is not, can / find
some man 70 vote for among seventeen mil
lions, who thinks IN all tho respects Az myself
But, who il the man, all things present and
remote considered, that will most probably be
able by success TO give effectuatlon 10 those
great measures which ! deem conductive 10
ny welfare, and the welfare of my whole
country This question every voter in tho
Republic mast determine for himself. For
myself, after looking calmly upon all The sur
rounding circumstances, conscience, patriot
lBllt Aiil VI bbHgIb pItiEi tiH ebIliy EtljtgEEIDils
cd eslf,intefast, co1straia me to vote for Hem
nv Clay. Tho tariff, tho currency, the ianda,
economy, Executive and ministerial respongi-
bility, and many other interests, all depend, in
my humble judgement, on Mr. Clay's election
for beneficial determination. And if he is
elected, the decision Of 1910, passed by tho
people, will be confirmed, and The policy Of
the country settled.
a. Ne. Sata, t48aiAaI . a1a4a Iata.a III
he were not. Yet il does not become me, who
have 50 lately ceased to be a slave. holder my
self, 10 condemn him. II lie not my province
to defend Mr. Clay this he ID abuhdantly able
to do himself 1t remains with p~osterlty 10 de-
]terfnine how much shall bs duo him for the
glorious impulse his feryent spirit has given
to liberty throughout the world and wifhthem
also to say, how much Blall be subtracted from
this appreciation, for his having only failed to
do ali that could be done in this holy cause.
T. b. Macauly, one Of the mort acute aud en-
lightened men Of this or any era, in his review
Of the life Of Franeia Bacon, Justly says
awe should think it unjust to call st. Lou
is a wicked man because, in ar. age in which
federation waa generally regarded 10 a sin, he
prosecuted h]eretice. We should think it un-
just to call Cowper's friend, John Newton, a
hypocrite and a monster, because, at a time
when the glave.trade was commonly consid.
cred by the most respectable people as an in
nocent and beneficial traffic, he went, largely
provided with hynn.beoks aud handouts, on a
Guinea voyage. An immortal action being in
a particular society generally considered as
innocent, is a good plea for an individual who
being one of that society, and having adopted
the notions which prevail among his neighbors,
commits that action
Il cannot, then, because Mr.. Clay is slave
holder il a community where the whole Chris
tian church Of all denominations-the only
professed teachers of morals among the peo-
ple-are also shareholders, prescribe him for
that SINGLE thing Of difference hetNeen na.,,