Martinsburg gazette. [volume] (Martinsburg, Va. [W. Va.]) 1833-1855, 1844-10-17
Mr.. Ciay's Letters to Mr.. Blair
TO THE PUBLIC.


Some time during the las, summer, Mr..
Clay sent me copies OF his letters to MIR.
Blair, written in January, 1925, and ou-
thorized me to show them TO any one who
might wish TO see them. Finding that
the charge Of Bargain and Corruption, "
which was made at the time, and refuted,
was revived, aud was now seriously
urged agains, Mr.. Clay, that i, was al
lodged TO be susceptible Of proof under
his own hand, and that these letters were
referred to as containing TIE proof,
caused notice to be inserted in THE
WHIG, that copies Of the letters were in
my hands, and that they were open to
the inspection Of any gentleman Of either
party. thought il impossible, that any
could read the letters, without seeing and
admitting, that they contain no evidence
prejuicial to Mr.. Clsy-uo evidence OF
any improperly in thought word or deed
mo evidence Of any selfish or personal
fsellng--no evidence OF aught bu, pa,riot-
ism; and that his btterest foes would be
compelled to acknowledge this, upon the
perusal Of them. Many Of The friends Of
Mr.. Clay have called upon me, and read
these fsmouse letters. Not one Of his
enemies has asked to see .hem they
have been unwilling TO have any commu.
nicaton with ME on the subject, or, per.
hsps, they wish to remain in ignorance.
III am rightly Informed, no apple alton
has ever been male directly to Mr.. Clay,
by Mr.. Blair, or by Linn Boyd. or by
any other Of that party, TO consent to the
publication of these letters. Mr.. Clay
woulj doubtless have consented, II his
consent had been asked by any Of the
leaders OF the party hostile to him. They
hsys imputed whatever sentiments IL suit
cd their purpose to impute TO Mr.. Clay,
under the impression that rs conld not re-
flute the iinputations they made, wthou:
violating the sanctty Of private cores
pondence under the seal Of which the let
terra vera written. Overcome by the
earnest entreaties ofhis friends in Virgin
10, Mr.. Clay has reluctantly consented to
the publication (if they think it proper Of
these Letters. private end confidential as
they are, ard even playful and sporiive in
their character. That he is right in do
ing this, canno, be doubted, since he seal
Of private correspondence has in "a been
broken; The letters have been seen by hun.
dfeds--by oil, indeed, Who wished to see
them, and the only question is, whether
MIR. Clay ough, TO suffer all the evils
Of misconstfuction, which longer sup.
preston Of them might apparently war.
rant, and which a publication Of them
will refutc. But the publication is now
made by me--not without Mr.. Clay be-
ing ap1rsed of the purpose, nor without
his acquesence-b but still, | take the re.
sponsbiIhy Of publication. Knowing, as
he must have known, that the publication
could only be beneficial to him, he has yet
patiently endured all the calumnies which
have been founded on the letters. | nov
publish them, in order to put down, efiec.
tuslly and forever, vile charge, which
has been revived after having been com.
ple,ely refu,ed, and which has bsen rcvi-
we'd hsre in Virginia, in the hope tina,
these letters, after so long delay, would
no, be published.
One word as to the authenticity of he
copies which are now published. In lS-
81, Mr.. Clay sen, copies, certified by
MIR. Blair, to the late Col. John flarvie of
Frankfort, Kentucky. and he put them
in the hands of Col. Richard II. Taylor,
also OF Frankfort, for public inspection.
They were examined by hundreds Of per-
sons of both parties, and were perfectly
accessible to any person who wished 10
Sue them. II is confidently believed, that
no one who has examined them, ever ven
tured to assert that they contained any
thing prejudicia to Mr.. Clay. There is,
in truth. nothing in them, which is not
substantially stated in Mr.. Clay's letter
to his constituents, ofthe 26th March, Is.
90, which was printed in Niles Register
at the time, and which is repubished in
Maliory's life Of Clay, Volume l, p. 4s6.
The copies now sent for publication are
copies Of the copies certified by Mr.. Blair,
now in Col. Tayor's hands. 1t is not
doubted that the copies arc correct. But
Mr.. Blair is challenged TO produce the
original, and, after showing them to any
person acquainted with Mr.. Clay's hand
writing flor example, the Hon. Willis
Green, or MIR. Gales, or Mr.. Fendall, to
publish them.
II may be proper TO say, that the ex-
preston in the first lettter-"Next, a
friend Of Mr.. Adams comes, wiih tears IN
his eyes"--is an allusion 10 a physical in
trinity, 10 which Mr.. Adams is, or was
then. subject: his tears flow nvoluntar.
ly. Such al allusion could only have
been made in the most confidential let
ter.
II may be proper to remark further,
that The extract which Mr.. Kendall Is
said 10 have published, as have recently
seen i, republished, is to be found, in fact,
in the frs, letter of MIR. Clay, out is gar
bled whether by design or accident, let
others Judge so as to give sense the re-