The northern galaxy. [volume] (Middlebury, Vt.) 1844-1848, 1844-08-14
1.-THE SPIRIT OF THE AGE"

ions are attempted 10 be fixed upon public
men utterly false in their application ard the
very reverse of what the whole production
would warrant. BY thus wrestling a few par
agraphs from their connection the most pious
preacher might be converted into an infdelor
a b~lasphemer, and the holy scriptures be made
to prove that there is no God. This desper-
ate game has been played by no one With
more consummate effrontery than the editor
of the Age. For a long time the following
sentence among others equally false and de-
ceptiye has been continued with a steroiyped
perseverance, in the columns Of the Age ~
expressive of the true sentiment of Mr.. Clay
upon the subject to which it refers
agriculture needs no protection"
Henry CLAI.
knowing how falsely this sentence repre-.
scented Mr.. Clay, a friend to whom for two
weeks in our absence from Middlebury rs
had entrusted our papernot fully approaching
how little confidence was attached to any as
s%crtions Of the Age, condescended to notice
aud we regret TO say, in language more per-
sonally offensive than We should have done,
and boldly challenges Eastman to produce
the speech containing it, remarking that ''uu-
til he does so he;stands forth as acalumniarOr
and a deceiver." In answer TO this Eastman
replies in his Age OfJuIy 18th as follows:
TT will be readily seen hat the charge
- -. - l., 81. 49, ~ the
Galaxy is of a character rather 100 grave
and expressed in language rather too person
ally offensive to be allowed to pass uunCticcd.
We therefore take occasion TO refer rhs
editor of the Galaxy to Greedy and McElrath's
edition Of 'the Life and speeches Of Henry
Clay" and demand OF him that he publish
the sentence commencing, agriculture
wants &C., twenty third line from the top Of
the l55th page, vol. /, accompanied With this
article, including the extract from bis paper,
"a here quoted above"
or SO little consequence did the leprous
Age or its editor appear to us at the time, that
we took no notice Of it. This circumstance
it seems has given new courage TO our valiant
editor. lie berates US in his most approved
style of low bred rebaldry, and accuses US Of
injustice and unfairness lin Sneaking Out q
the contest leaving our charge resting against
him which he vainly pretends be has reiuted
by referring to a speech Of Henry Clay. And
now out Of his w mouth will we condemn
this noted garbler. We called upon him
- prove that Henry Clay ever said 'Agiieul-
ture needs no protection"
In reply he CITES us to a single passage in
a speech Of Henry Clay of more than p pa
ges, found in Greely's life, throughout which
hi. nobly ~sustains the great cause OF protection
TO American industry. 1t is as follows:
agriculture wants but lille or no protec-
ton against the regulations offoreign powers"
Now put the language which Eastman puts
into the mouth Of Mr.. Clay in juNta position
that actually used by him, and mark The
difference.
agriculture needs agriculture wants.
protection" lille or no protection
Ace. ag'nst The regulations
OF foreign powers"
CLAY.
Thus to escape from,he charge OF deception
our friend brought against him he has
obliged 10 resort to tie wretched expo
dent Of cutting a sentence in two in the mid
die, where even a comma could not be in
with any propriety, and with no
more justification than an infdel would have
to prove that there is no God. by leaving Of
The fool hath said in HE own heart and re-
the rest of the sentence. Now re-
Of the old maxim that the truth half
told is a lie, by what authority can Eastman
take out a part OF a sentence and Withhold
the rest, and even from that part of the SEN
tence suppress the word little and escape from
the charge of ~mis-quoting Mr.. Clay
Both Of these suppressions materially va
ried the meaning Of the language of Mr.. Clay
which Eastman retains sterotypcd in his eel
umns. Little" means something, and az
riculture might and does want much Protc-
lion in some Of its branches although not in
all, and in a thousand and one other respects
than by the regulations Of foreign powers
These however. we cannot now stop TO enu-
But suppose our editor can save himself
the odium Of a downright fabrication of
the language of Mr.. Clay, how can be shield
himself from the guilt of attempting to givce
~coloring to Mr.. Clay's remarks which in the
in which they stand, aud the time
at which they were uttered he must
have Known would have created a false
impression of his sentiments IN relation TO
protection This language is used il
speech Of Mr.. Clay in 1920 on a bill to Pro-
tect and foster the productive labor Of the l.
States, especially manufactures. Mr.. Gay
commended that a due attention had not besS
paid to this subject. while owing to eur Pesh-
position and the ohcapuc's ard Se"