The daily Madisonian. [volume] (Washington City [i.e. Washington, D.C.]) 1841-1845, 1844-09-07
PRESIDENT TYLER AND MR.. CLAY.


The persevsring and relentless malice, and the
manifest gross injustice, displayed by Mr. Clay IN his
attacks on Mr. Tyler, enough TO show his unht-
ness for the station which he i, feeking. man OF
so much uncbs stoned mallgri OF temper, must be
wholly unqualified for Office requiring the highest
degree Of self control
According to Mr.. Clays own showing, these as
ssult, renewed with increased bitterness on every
occasion which he finds makes to appear before
the public, are entirely wan,on and unnecessary. 10
one Of his appeals to the public last year. he says
"sssinst Mr.. Tyler no eIertion Is necessary" linen
why did be make any exertoni Why not at least have
maintained an outward aud tacit respect to the
Chief Magistrate Of the nation insteae OF seeking
every opportunity to overwhelm him with scurrility
.Mr Tyer," he says, ''wiA retire Wlh the con-
tempt and amidst the sce6s Of all honorable men"
Mr. Clay is evidently very far from believing him
self, what he eDdeavors SO earnestly to impress on
others. He we'll knows the strength Of Mr. Iyler's
claims TO popular confidence, and that they require
only to DO examined by the People themselves, apart
from the CLOSES Of depravsd party leaders OF presses
TO be universally acknowledged The People a.e
now examining closely into the grounds upon which
the charge of corruption and ireachery is brought
by disappointed party leader, against man whose
whole previous life, public and private. was ire
proachable who had twice preferred to abandon or
be abandoned BY party in tho fulness OF its strength
and triumph, rather than compromise his principles
and who had exhibited in his one of the very
few and rare examples which have occurred of men
willing to renounce place and high station rather
than oppose the wishes of the constituents.
No man is 80 thoroughly convinced or has had
such means of convincing himself Of the gross nus-
tice and fasehood of this accusation, Mr.. Clay 1t
j. tho sense of his own injustice which irritates and
disauies him he advanced the charge, at first, 10
serve party and personal purposes, and unable TO for
give the man, and the friend, that he has injured he
seeks to cover him with popular odum, in Oh der that
he may appeal the verde, Of the People in answer
to the reprosches of his conscience.
Let us recsptuate few inds, utable, historical
facts which Mr. Clay himself dare not deny in the
face Of the public:
1. The whole career Of Mr.. Tyler in Congress
was msrLed by peculiar, unvarymg, and perseve-
ring hostility TO a Bank of the United States. No
public man in the nation more strongly commit
ted against that institution. He had publicly
pledged himself in the National Legislature, to seize
the first opportunity that lawfully presented ITSELF
for abolishing it. fa
= IT,. opinions Of Mr.. Tyler we're well known
10 the wing party. They were bound to know them
when they selected him the canaaa,e for the Vice
Presidency They did, IN fact, select him on ac-
coun. Of his well known political opinions and for
the purpose of concating the support Of those ~ho
entertained the same or similar opinons-the State
rights party and Conservatives.
3. The Wing party, during the last canvass for
the Presidency, repeatedly and in many places
waived the question OF National Bank. The proof
on this point is overw helmng. We need now allude
only to the well known public declarations of Messrs
Ewing and Badger, two of General Harrisons
C-A-., rr Hr1. III.
4. IL was solely on account Of the Bank vetoes
that MIR. Tyler was first denounced traitor by
the Wing leaders in Congress, in their celebrated
Manifesto. They then expelled him from the party
denied all responsibility for any of his acts loaded
him with viuperaticn, and v,lihed and excommuni-
Gated all who adhered 10 him. The intention was
avowed of compelling him to resign, by depriving
him Of the support of any party
These are the undenisble and unvarnishcd facts
upon which Mr. Gays indictment against Mr.. Tyler
for treachery and dishonor be tried by The Peo-
pie and by posteri,y. If, upon such evidence, sus-
tained by the pleadings Of such demagogues as
Messrs. Clay and Benton, now united by the ties OF
interest, as well as of bloUd, the People be
duced TO bring in verdict Of guilty, that verdict
will determine not Mr.. Tyler's fate alone. 1t will
pronounce the doom Of every man who may dare
hereafter 10 prefer his principles, the dictates of hi.
AZ. II a.
commands Of party. 1t will decide that, in future
contending parties, in the bosom Of the coun-
Try, must conduct themselves like opposing armies
Of hostile nations, and that every ference Of opn
ion, honestly entertained and acted upon, is mutiny
or treason it will decide, that every future Pres-
dent must be the willing and subservient tool of the
self constituted leaders Of the party which elected
him, and not the Chief Magistrate of the nation
And who is the accuser and chief prosecutor in tb,
case Are his own skirts clear of any faint of DO
ltical proAisacy' Has he never known what popu
lar obloquy was, that he socks rckessy to visit il
upon anotheri
Letu take rapid glance at his career from the
beginning He first known as an earnest and
efficient advocate Of the late war. lie has since de
clared that he would have accepted Major Gene.
rails commission, rendered to him by President MadL
sn, but deferred by the feebleness of his ph,s
cal constitution. He probably forgot that cbsrsc.
ter OF some note in ancient Jsys-y,ivpva y,,i,
C@ssr-took 10 military life as a cure for feebI,
constitution. But every man has a right to choose
his profession The quasi boast was drawn from him
at time when be saw, with Jealousy, The greater
respect which the mass Of the People were disposed
to pay to the man who rsked his life for his counr,
10 battle, than to one who had merely rked his re-
Pu,at'on in party warfare and political iutrgues.
He commenced pubic life Democrats JEFF
fersoDian and strc, constructionst Of the Constt,
ton. His speech on the Bank OF the United States
now 80 often alluded to, not merely speech against