Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1844-05-31

the American SYSTEM" If they had told us that
he is the father Of many of those chGttels'' which
constitute the patriarcha system, they would have
hit much nearer the mark. True, Mr.. Clay, and
the whole slave holding representation were in
favor of the tariffs of 1916, "a, '2S. Why so?-|
Simply because our large national debt, unless
paid off indirectly by tariff, must have been IL
quidated by direct taxation: and Mr.. Clay's nifty
slaves, under direct tax, must have paid into the
treasury an amount equal to the tax on thirty tree
men; and this sum Mr.. Clay could not quite make
up his mind to pay. He preferred the indirect
method, by means of a tariff: and by this system,
the freemen of the north have been compelled to
pay great share of the national debit which Mr.
Clay must have paid as n tax on his slaves, had
there been no tariff That covEToUsNEss was
Mr. Clay's sole propeng principle in his action
as to the tariff laws, is farther shown concuslvey
from the fact, that ust soon as the national
debt was liquidated and he was relieved from the
fear of paying taxes upon his slaves, then Mr.. Clay
and the southern savocracy all faced right about
and destroyed their own system Of tariffs by the
{" compromise" BILL If supreme selfshness is
patriotism, and if by the g American System" is
meant, the building up Of a thing to-day 20 tear
down tomorrow, why, then, Henry Clay should
stand recorded as a staunch patriot, and one Of
the fathers of the " American system"
But what is Henry Clay? Ianswer, sir, that,
whether viewed in his social, civil, POLITICAL NOR
ALL or religious relations, his life is foul blot on
our national character; long, dark, unbroken,
unreeved, scandal-stain upon the page of mans
history;-and he himself, sir, (nstead of being the
pride and the glory) will be reproach and a dis
grace, to any nation of the present age that should
own him as q citizen. Look, sir, at some of the
individual characteristics, which make up the
man, and then tell me elf | have exaggerated or
set down aught in malice" against him. And |
shall mention none other but such as are notori-
ously his,-those characteristics which his friends,
who know him best, dare not deny do justly be-
long to him.
/. First, say then, Henry Clay is a GAMBLER,
not merely of bye-gone years, but fresh in the
practice. Were to use the western parlance, |
should call him q Liackleg''-a term applicable
to those men whose covEToUsNEss is so controll-
ing as to urge them to attempt to spindle their
way through the world, independently of honest
industry.
2. Henry Clay is a pRoFANE swEARER.
8. Henry Clay is wINE-BIBBER.
A, Henry Clay is a sABBATH-BREAKER.
s. Henry Clay is DEBAUcHEE.
g. Henry Clay is DuELIsr.
T. Henry Clay is SHAREHOLDER; buying and
selling men, women and children for gain.
T =. a.,
made up of such catalogue as this, should be
compelled to give security ["be put unde,
5onds"] not to murder his fellow man' Is it sin
gular that man so destitute Of all regard to the
laws of God and man--so void of honesty and hui
manity, can be made to obey the Almighty's voice
mid Snn's thunders uttered, '' thou shalt not kill, )
only by the degrading appeal to his sordid covet
BUSINESS, his base idoary? And if such a man
, with his right hand heavenward raised, dripping
with the blood of the murdered Cey, should
f swear to support the Constitution could you rely
4 on his fidelity then? No, sir, you must make hin
} swear by dollars and cents. You must "put hin
under bondS," or the nation would be withou
guaranty in the matter.
; Such, sir, is Henry Clay, whom the wing party
have recently nominated to the presidency Of this
, republican,, Christian nation, and at a convention
: which was opened by the reading of the " chap
f Ephesans, three verses of which chapter reaC
| thus:-'' For this we know, that no whoremonger
nor uncean person, nor cOvelous man, who is al
idoater, hath any inheritance III the kingdom o
Christ and of Cod" verse 5. "Be not ye there
! fore partakerS Nth them;'' verse 7. And hav
e no fellowship with the unfruitfu works of dark
ness, but rather reproUe them;' verse IL. A sacri
e ege and blasphemy parallel to that, thus commit
n ted by that wing convention, is not to be found i
st history. To my mind, it would be no more inap
+ propriate or basphemous for christian body t
y read the second commandment of the decalogue a
u preparatory exercise to the setting up ofan IDOL
Z, or tremendously to deposite copy of the aceFt
a commandment beneath the corner stone Of 6rOH
/? eI about to be erected.
If Such is the man, sir whom you are laboring t
d elevate to the highest Office in nation whic
Il claims virtue and morality and religion the col
ST ner stone of all its past and present prosperity, an
l. of all its hopes Of future advancement;-a ma
ID destitute of virtue and directed only by sefshnes
IS and that of most groyelling cast: man wit
4 whom neither you nor any other vlrtuous cltlze
of New England would choose to have his wife {
n children associate: man whose crimes would di
m qualify him from either giving or receiving vo
70 for anv office in Vermont: man whom for h