The Evansville journal. (Evansville, Ind.) 1834-184?, 1844-12-19
lFRoM THE NEW YORK TRIBuNE.l
LETTER FROM THE HON. :. P.

|
Mems Clay association of this city, has been
put into our hands for publication. We shall
show our estimate of its quality by assigning
it TO the most prominent place in our col
umns,w with the full conviction that it will not
fail to arrest the attention of true-hearted
Wings in evsry quarter of the Union. AS a
clear statement of the causes which resulted
in the defeat of Mr.. Clay, and a CALM re-
view ofthe past and present condition of the
Wing party, it is above all praise; while, for
purity Of sentiment, elevated patriotism, and
classic elegance of style, it has been excel
led by no political document that has fallen
under our notice since the election. On one
point only-we refer to the writer's remarks
on the naturalization laws-wili any Wing
dissent from the views so forcibly and elo-
quenily expressed. But enough. The let
Ter shall speak for itself:
BALTIMORE, Nov. 81, 1874.
DEAR SIR; | have received your note Of
the Goth ult, informing me that | had been
unanimously elected an honorary member Of
the Young Mems Clay association of the city
and county of New York. Idesire that you
will express my thanks to the association for
this compliment, and assure them that | set
the highest value upon their esteem SO kind
ly rendered to me by your letter.
This manifestation of the good opinion of
the young Wings of New York. is not the
less grateful for reaching me at a moment of
most unexpected disappointment to that no.
bic party of which it is our pride to be menr
bers. We may all gather consolation in this
disaster from the generous alacrity with
which every true Wing in the land reaeys
his VOWS of devotion to his country in this
her moment of peril. We have lost our bat
tie, it is true. Our present hopes have been.
crushed in a great National calamity, but the
spirit Of the Wings has not been crushedI
and we look steadfastly forward to the dawn
ing of . brighter day when the still persever-
ing energy of our friends may retrieve the
shattered fortunes of the Republic. The
whole land, not the Wing party alone, is like
ly to suffer under the scourge of the recent
election. The tribe of demagogues may re-
joice; a few political leaders may rejoice;
some chosen seekers of Office, out of the.
thousands who hunger and thirst for Govern
ment emolument, may rejoice; the tens oil
thousands who have been duped may rejoice,
perhaps, for little while; but the great o-
dy of the American people, even those who
have won, as well as those who have lost the
victory, wAlmopsD oyer a triumph that, it
will eventually be found, has struck down
the integrity and the prosperity of The ma
ton. 1t viii turn out TO be a triumph only
gained by the temporary alliance of discor-
dant factions who can come to no reckoning
with each other of the true issues for which
they %stroye, without a mutual scorn for the
dissimulation by which each has deceived
the other.
In the midst of this general sorrow which
pervaded the ranks of the Wings, we are not
without topics of JOY and congratulations
We have a joyful pride in the consciousness
that the great mass of the worthy, the patri-
otto, and the intelligent of the land are uni
ted, strong, and true TO our cause.-The more
united. stronger, and truer in this its adver-
sity, because they feel that now it inyoke s a
still more earnest proof of their attachment
TO the country. Never has there been a more
visible demonstration of the hazard to which
popular representative government is expos
ed. than that exhibited in The elevation of
James X. Polk, with all the inpediments oil
his un~distinguished history, and Of his E.
quiyocai principles, which no zeal of inves-
tigation has been successful to explore, over
Henry Clay, the most eminent of lv ing states
men, the purest and brightest ornament oil
the nation-that man who, of all others, has
most thoroughly identified his name with
whateyes, in the public annals of his time,
has made our Union a powerful and happy
community. When such a man as the first
is deliberately preferred to the latter, we may
cease TO boast of that distinctive excellence
III our scheme of Government which attrib-
ptes 10 the selection by suffrage the certain
ty OF an ADLER chief than he who succeeds
10 magistracy by the accident of birth. The
history of this canvass has proved to US thai
in an unhappy emergency, men of renown, OF
known service, of accumulated honors, and
Of long ayowed political sentiments, must
needs be thrust aside for one whose whole
strength is found in his restitution of all
these, and in the UNEMPLOYED mediocrity OF
his fame and talents. In the antagonism be-
tween these two opponents the wiser and the
letter has been overthrown. What true low
er of his country would not CO unit it a great
er honor to fall with Henry Clay than rise
with such an adversary? To fall with all
those who have striven TO promote the great
American aims emblazoned upon his banner.
than rise with the shifting eqciyocati0n,
which on the opponent flag, have fiuttered
in the not less variable breeze 10 which il has
been flung! Ashamed ofits false pretences,
IFS conceaIments, and its discords, Locofoco-
ism made no PROCLAMATION 10 the people of
its designs. Its May convention p~ractised
the ruse of appointing a committee to pre-
pare an address OF exposition of principles,
but November came without that document.
No caponoffFao Iol IT. IZ.1.l--