The Whig standard. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1843-1844, 1844-05-20
A LETTER FROM MR.. CLAY.

"A LETTER FROM MIX CLAY.
The Central Clay Club of Dauphin County,
Pennsylvania, recently received the following re-
ply to a letter addressed by them to the Hon.
Henry Clay:
WASHINGTON, May IL, 1874.
| Gentlemen: received the letter which you did
me the honor to address to me, inviting me, prior
| TO my return home, to visit the capital of Penn
| sylvanIa. Subsequent 10 lis date, thought 1t
right to announce to the public my determination
to make no visits, nor attend any public meetings
which might be deemed political, until the Presi-
dental election was decided. To that determi-
nation shall adhere. 1t deprives me of the plea
sure OF accepting your friendly Invitation.
Gentlemen, ! agree with you-"No State in
this Union would be benefited more by the per-
manent establishment of sound Wing policy
than Pennsylvania" have had the great salts
faction, always, 10 agree with Pennsylvania in re-
gard to public measures, whenever the genuine
feelings of Pennsylvania have been fairly express
ed. There was not merel y cordial concurrence,
but an intimate friendship between her Finley,
Smiley, Lacock, Roberts, Brown, and other dis
| tinguished sons and me, in the Congress which
declared the last war. | united also with the sur
vfvors of them, or other eminent citizens of that
State, in laying the foundation of the National
prosperity, after return of peace. have no re-
collection of any important public measure re-
specting which have differed from Pennsylvania.
| was perfectly aware that "the time was when
the people of Pennsylvania were made to believe
that you were not their friend" Acting under
| the maxim that honesty was The best policy, and
upon the conviction that truth is omnlpotent and
public justice certain, | bore the unmerited re-
| proaches cast upon me, as became me- have
not been disappointed. | stand vlnd:cated, IN the
| hearts, and by the spontaneous acclamations OF
| INV fol citi
of my enemies will no doubt prompt perseverance
! in these attacks. Perversions of my language,
misrepresentation of my course, old scraps from
battered and obsolete newspapers-even tabrca-
ton and forgery-are and will continue to be en-
ployed to vituperate and Witty me. But like all
preceding assaults, they will be unavailable, and
| shall remain invulnerable to them all.
| In the mean time, | congratulate you on the
bright and cheering prospects Of the establishment
| of that Wing policy so essential, | believe, not
only to the prosperity of Pennsylvania, but that
of the whole Union. | happened to be in the
House of Representatives when an important
part of that policy sgnally triumphed. The Ia
riff of 1912 has been bitterly denounced, and
gross epthets applied to it. Its repeal was pro-
nounced to be tavorite object of our political OPP
ponents. They have ma ority of some fifty or
sixty in the House. A bill to repeal that Tariff
has been pending great part of the present ses-
sou VI So'SiCe 1Auu yc', yeo'CiudJ, VII q IOo'
vote, majority Of the House derided against the
repeating bill, leaning the Tariff Of 1912 in FULL
and sALUTARY oPERATIoN This decision was
an involuntary concession Of our political oppo-
nenrs to The ,0iscom and benefcence Of Wing po-
cy, produced by the returning prosperity of the
country and the enlightened opinion of the people,
But, gentlemen, have much higher gratiti-
cation than any which could be derived from that
decision of the House of Representatives. 1t is,
that the people of the United States, from the ST.
Johns to the Sabine, who have been SO long dvi-
ded and agitated on the question of the encourage
nnent of domestic industry, are about to settle
down in union and harmony upon the equitable
basis of raising, in time of peace, the amount Of
revenue requisite to an economical administration
of the Government, Exclusively from foreign i'm
ports by ia if SO adjusted as that by proper
determinations, just and reasonable encourage
mem sfaU be ertended to American industry
May this happy union and harmony pervade all
other great measures of public policy, and moth
ing occur to disturb the peace, to sulIy the cha
racter, or check the onward and glorious march
of our country.
| am your friend and obedient servant,
Fl. CLAY.
SAMUEL H. CLARK, Esq, and others.