Litchfield enquirer., 1844-04-11
FtOm de Ne.v YovA 7sl5uae q A1areA 81.

~ r. ~ r
ING toiiOwin8 letteF nom Casslus M Clay t.
one Of the many who have written him for an ex,
nro..;on NJ HI. v;.,,,. ,..,,,.xS.,. .r-
= : $50 "e ftesl0eDcy'
nAS "een "anSm'tteo W ior publication. We ask
all opponents Of slavery to give it that considera.
-. :. :. ~-'' e-'A "e'A
A"o"n' eLnPnstlc Anti-Slavery sentiments Of the
writer entitle il. He has just given new proof Of
his sincerity and den,h of h;s con;ct;o,, IN,
u, -. -. y s'
F..'s .s' ~ 0'O'. S's'Ose-sn"s olVesung himself
on 'egaiy enuencned Nlghts OF Property worth
some $4,000. Let the man who has done more.
ris,e8 uore. ..cr,6eea r,o,. g.
49, - 60 -. o.''aP"''0l'
than Casslus M. Clay, condemn the decision an
nounced in the following noble declaration:
-I.-,~.-.,. NJ. 49,. 90 ,a..
~ "AAA'a' 80 1851
w.; l. McHINNET, Eso, Mayor cf Dayton, Ohio
DEAR SIR your letter o. FEBRUARY 18th last,
was IN due time received, and have waited thus
tong with the intention Of not answering it at all
because as am private citizen, not seeking Office
az tne nanos OF the People, It might seem to place
me IN tne Presumptuous attltude Of attempting to
lnnuence, ~ mere weight OF opinion, the votes Of
my eountrymen In their choice Of President: when
neither my age, experience. nor fame, warranted
: sne assumption. but since the reception OF your
letter. nave received many Of similar import, from
Nortnern Ssates' pressing upon me an expression
o. 'oPiHi0n' IN such manner that should prove
ia!se 10 that spirit OF candor which should cher
ish as characteristic Of the principles which adj
vocate' did through any afiectation Of humility,
remain longer silent; You ask me, 'Will you
yo9 nVe. and are aole to vote at the approaching
the third party or Liberty men, should have an e.
lec:oral ticket IN your State would you vote that
ticket in preference Were you citizen Of Ohio,
which Of these tickets would you votes The last
two questions are such as would require curious
other suggestions to be made, before could give
suitable answer in justice to myself and all the
parties concerned, which would be too voluminous
for the space Of single letter. and, for all pract
cal purposes, they will be sufficiently answered in
my reply to the first question that, 1t is my most
Decided deterxssaGtsO'e to cote for HENRY CLAY
lOr President. Men never have and never will,
IN all cases. think alike; all government is neces.
sarly sacrifice. to some extent, Of individual
Will: that Is the best Government to each individ-
aai wnich fosters or allows the most Of what that
Individual! believes to De conducive to his best IN.
tefests The question then is not, 'Can ! find
'ome man to vote for among seventeen millions,
VINO thinks IN all respects as myselt: but Who is
me mar, all things present and remote considered,
NAT VIII most probably be able by success to give
enectpation TO those great measures which deem
conducive TO my welfare. and the welfare Of my
y Nnole country? ms question every voter a tne
ltePuDHc must determine Tor himseif: Tor myself,
atter looking calmly upon oil the surrounding cir.
conscience, patriotism and ~ Others
prefer tne terml cOnstrain
me- 10 voNe III aensy clay. Inc Tariff, the Cur.
Fency, the LAnngs Eeonomy Executive and minis
eEial responsibility md many other intereets, all
aepend, N m~humble Judgement, on Mr.. Clay's e.
scted, the decision Of 1910 passed by the people,
Pill be confirmed, and the policy of the country
settled. Them and (such 10 the anarchy Of the
public mindO not till then, shall we have time to
look about US, and project that other great reform,
the reduction OF American Slavery to its constitu-
tional limits, and to concentrate the united con.
OF the civilized world to its final and
utter extinction.
Mr.. Clay is indeed slavebolder-I wish he
were not. Yet it does not become n'e, who have
10 lately ceased to be STAKEHOLDER myself, to con-
1emn him. 1t is not my province to defend Mr..
clay; this ne II abundantiy able TO 40 niinseH-
It remains with posterity to determine how much
shall be due him for the glorious impulse his fer
vent spirit has given to liberty throughout the
world; and with them also to say, how much shall
be subtracted from this appreciation, for his having
only failed to do all that could be done in this holy
cause. Cyrus, ThemistOcles, Plato, Cato, Aris-
tides, Demosthenes, Cincinnatus and Cicero sacri-
feed to base heather gods; yet no man, because
they knew not the true God, will say that they
were not religious, great, good and patriotic men.
T. b. Macauley, one Of the most acute and enlight-
ened men Of this or any era, in his review Of the
life Of Francis Bacon justly says:
We should think it unjust to- call 81. LOUIS
wicked man, because, in an age IN which federation
was generally regarded a. sin, he prosecuted her
cites. We should think It unjust to call CowPers
friend, John Newton, a hypocrite and monster;
because at nme: when tne slave 'raos was eon.
monty considered by the most respectable people
as an innocent and beneficial trafnc' ne Went
largely provided with hymn books ana hanecuns'
on q Guinea voyage. An immoral action Delng IN
particular society generally considered eslnnocent