The spirit of democracy. [volume] (Woodsfield, Ohio) 1844-1994, 1844-09-27
of the 29th January, and wrote to the chairman Of
the Administration Committee the following note:

"SI intend to use certain parts Mr. Clay's
letter to Mr.. Blair, dated 9Th of January, 1925, in
my reply to the attack made on me by that gentle
man through your committee, and deem it more
proper and more Just to him, that should be pub
lshed entire, with all the views which il contains,
than that the public should have only my recolec-
tions of some ofits most prominent passages. Pre-
sumng that your committee will feel at liberty 10
adopt step which can only tend to guard Mr..
Clay against misconceptions and misrepr esenta-
tons, have to request that you will furnish me
with copy of that letter. This request is confn-
ed to the letter OF the 9Th January, 1925, in which
I do not perceive any expression "not decorous
towards the public" An answer on this day, or
early tomorrow morning, is solicited.
"Yours, &c. AMOS KENDALL"
"The chairman received the note with that
suavity and politeness ior which he is so justly dis
tnguished, kindly remarking to my friend who
bore it, that ifthe letters had been left in his pos
session should not haze had sight ofHem,
much less copy; but he finally promised to lay
the application before the committee at their next
meeting As cannot, from the feelings evinced
by the chairman, expect any thing favorable from
the deliberations of the committee, feel compel
led TO resort to my recollectons for the substance
of your letter to Mr.. Blair.
"Let the date be recollected-his is January sth,
1925. You commence by giving Mr. Blair your
opinion upon work by Lord Byron, which you
say IL have sent him. Cfranked, ] presume.)
You then enter into the subject of the Presidential
election, and say, that the time has now arrived
when you must begin TO think seriously for whom
you are to vote. You state that the friends of all
the candidates entertained the opinion that on you
rested the decision of the contest, and that your
situation was singular and amusing. You say that
the friends OF the several candidates accost you in
turn; that friend of General Jackson says to you,
"My dear sr, my hopes are upon you-do not dis
appoint us; our partiaity was for you next to the
hero; you know the anxiety we all had for West
ern President" That friend Of Mr.. Crawford
comes and says: "The hopes of the Republican
Party are upon you: you and Mr.. Crawford were
the only Republican candidates: had you been re-
turned to the House, we should all have concen-
trated our force upon you" The language of Mr..
Adams friends you give in nearly the following
words:
ga friend Of Mr.. Adams comes to me, ,ciM
tears in his eyes, and says-Sir, Mr.. Adams has
always had the greatest respect for you, aid the
highest admiration for your talents There Is no
station to which you are not equal. You were un-
doubtedly the second choice of New England; and
l pray you to consider whether the public good and
your own future interests do not distinctly point
you to the course which you ought to pursue"
''You then give some reasons why Mr.. Adams
should be preferred to General Jackson, among
which | remember only the statement, that the
Ohio delegation had Determined to vote for Mr..
Adams, the alledged want of qualifications IN the
General and his military propensites. You then
declare distinctly, and in nearly the following
words
"My friends entertain the belief that their kind
wishes towards will, in the end, be more likely
to be accomplished by SO bestowing their votes. :"
"You then declare, that you have urged them to
be governedby their views of the public good alone,
and aver that you have been influenced only by
that consideration. In conclusion, you use nearly
the following words:
"Your Representative is inclined to concur with
us In these sentiments; and as know his respect
for your opinion, request, if you concur in our
views, that you will write to him by return mail,
to strengthen him in his inclinations Show this
to Crttenden alone"
This statement as to the contents of that Letter
went the rounds of the Jackson papers through
the whole Union in 1928, and its accuracy was
never denied, am informed that the passages
marked quoted are nearly, if not precisely, liter
al EXTRACTS from the Letter, having been obtained
/ through several persons who successively called
and read the Letter, with the concerted design of
getting accurate extracts through their concur rent
recollections. This Letter established the fact be-
yond controversy, that the "knd wishes" of Mr..
Cay's friends towards him, induced them to be-
stow their votes on Mr.. Adams; and that he him
self, well understanding their intention and its OBJ
ject, was directly instrumental in a secret move
ment to influence the vote OF hesitating colleague,
through apparently spontaneous letters from his
constituents. After that disclosure, few ventured
to deny, IN 1928, that the advancement of Mr. Clay
was the controlling motive with him and his friends
in giving the Presidency to Mr.. Adams.
My colleague, (yMr. White,) the other day de-
MED the charge Of bargain, or understanding, in
the Presidential election OF 1925, and went on to
say:
!. "This was too grave charge to be made or
such vague and uncertain grounds. Until that let
ter was produced, there was not, in his judgment
any evidence before the country that that letter had
been written; and he ROW challenged his colleague
and he would be responsible forit that If Mr.. Clay
was called on he would take off every shackle
! from the correspondence. And unless his col
league produced the letter, he said his allegation
stood condemned before the American people and
the civilized world "