New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1844-06-18
THE TRIBUNE
Reported for the rho. North American.
SPEECH OF HON. JOHN N. CLAYTON
AT the Delaware WhIS Convention.
Md IN H'Hmmc'op. SATURDAY., The l5ik inst.

| nd IN UiintRcfOR, SATURDAY, ne lJf thSt
IA vast concoursc of the Wings of Delaware
land many from adjacent counties oil other States
met at Wilmington on Saturday. 1t was anti
|cioatcd that Hon. John NJ. Clayton would
speak upon the Compromise Act aud great in
tercst was manifested to hear him. The pre-.
lceedings generally, were OF the most enthusiastic
character. The following report of Mr.. Clay
tons speech comprchcndS the leading points, anc
Iofen the precise language which he used Th,
delivery occupied about three hours
Hon. Jons NJ. CLAYTON presented himself u
1.-The meeting and saddle rose for the purpos;
of rendering them in the first instance his thanks
ior the honor they had done him III appointing
him to preside over solarge and respectable an as
lsembage of Wing ircemen here convened. With
la single exception, he had not Witnessed, at any
period of his political life, So great Convention
LOT any political party as he then saw before him
His chief object IN attending the Convention to-
Ilay was for the purpose of endeavorlng to bring
hack their attention and that of the country from,
1.-The many dlstracting topics which now aglta,ed
land disturbed the public mnd,-to that greatest
Iof all issues involved IN the approaching Pres
identical election In his view, that question was
Iengage the consideration Of the country.
It was question whether we should sur ender
1.-The protection of the Wing Tariff OF 1912 {;
Iwnethcr we should abandon that Act which had
lextended to the laborcr, for the first time The
Hast ten years at least, that protection which
|hiriy belonged to him whether we should return
10 that state of coiouI, vassaage III winch tins
Icountry existed before the Wings of the Amer.
can Revolution had achieved our liberty and IN
dependence by the great struggle OF the Revolu-
Itonary War.
This was AN effort of designing politicians o.
the opposite party 10 withdraw The attention u
the voters Of the country, at this ilme from tins
which was the true issue-thc greatest, assurediy,
of all the issues 10 be decided they ", re con.
scious, as all intelligent men must ne, that there
was IN the United States at the present time. IN
immense majority Of the voters OF the County IL
favor of the Tariff OF 1872, and opposed TO tn
modern doctrine of Free Trade. But ell the
other questions which the ingenious men of the
opposite party could press into the canvass were
now brought forward studlously and avowedly T."
be discussed, and for the express purpose Of
covering, as with Il mask, the great question
upon which their happiness and true interest &c
pend He would say that they were aware oil TIC
| consequence of the decision on Tins Issue. lie
declared that this was common trick OF design
my politicians to withdraw the people from the
questions which they dreaded, and to present
others, for the purpose Of avoiding defeat. lie
remembered an anecdotc which was related {"
him at the time the Sub Treasury Bill was passed
| Here MIR. CLAYTON, after an apt Illustration
of his point, proceeded in most humorous
strain to depict what was the condition of Tyler,
and that of his instruments, in their efforts TO ub
tain the annexation of Texas to the Union. His
portraiture Of the functionar!es of the present
| Administration, and of the Loco Foco candidate
| in reference to the Texas question, drew forth
| repeated bursts of laughter from the assembled
thousands.
MIR. C. went on to culogze Henry Clay, and
affirmed that if fairly dealt by he must be our
next President loud, long, reiterated and Gu
lhusiastic cheering
He would not predict the fate of James IA.
Polk and his followers. He invoked tho attcn-
ton of the meeting TO the issue which must TIC
decided at the next election. Ii the election
goes against US, as a Republican nc was wiling
10 submit to the majority of his countrymen, and
he would sit down with whatever OF patience
and resignation he could command. When, lie
repeated, that decision should have been madc,
then as Republican he would submit to 1t, lie,
however, often thought he would be glad 10 drive
barrain with the opposite party, III order that
We should get rid entirely and for ever oil the
Thrift question. Indeed, in his opinou, such are
The prospects of the Wing party that he would
be willing to risk the final decision OF the mater
on the approaching election. He had received
nany communications from different parts OF the
United States inviting him 10 explain the facts
in relation to the course pursued by Henry Clay
Of Kentucky, and Theodore Frclinghuysen OF
New jersey, in reference to the Act OF the I'd oi
March, 1888, commonly called the Compromise
Suanyc as it might seem, these tired Patriots
and able Statesmen had been charged by our 0p
vonents with abandoning the Protective folicy
of the country lie found 1t impossible To an
swcr all the letters that he had received on the
SUBJECT; but if his fellow citizens would have pa
dence, he would attempt reply to all 'hosc III
,errogatorics in what he was now about to say
He was member of the Senate OF the United
States a, the time of the passage OF the Compfo.
mise Act, and was also member OF tnc Com
mi,tee to which it was referred. lie was one OF
those who voted to- it in all lis stages, and Tor lis
passage (; and he thought he had as great all op
portunily of knowing the motives and Objects Of
; Mr.. Clay and Mir FrclinghuySen, as any other
man belonging to that honorable body and he
would now say briefly before he proceeded farther
that the great Objects they had in view, were not
only 10 save the honor of the States then IN dan
ger, but also 10 save the Protective Principle and
the Protective Policy itself 1t was quite u com
mon error, even among intelligent men, 10 sup
pose that the act which these gentlemen voted
for, did, IN some part of il, abandon the Pro,cc-
tive Principle. 1t was by some supposed-.n-
deed, ii was by many believed, that the act
an act 10 reduce the duties down 10 % per cent.
a, the end of nine years and four months, and
that the ac, contained binding stipulation that
after the Seth day of June, 1912, the dur'es
should not be laid higher than twenty per cent
duty insufficient for protection, and IN fact IN
Sufficient for the purposes Of revenue itself. He
knew that IN order that the meeting should nn
certand the subject, they must accompany hun
through dull detail OF drowsy facts, but the
Question assumed an interest II had never as
sumed before, and il very important, nay
absolutely necessary, that il should be placed in
proper light before the People, as well for their