Vermont watchman and State journal. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1836-1883, 1844-04-12
ANECDOTE OF Mr.. CLAY.

The following anecdote of Henry Clay so emf
nently characteristic Of the man. and SO honorable
to the statesman, we have upon the authority of
distinguished Senator of the United States. We
give it as nearly as are able, in the language in
which we had it from the lips of the Honorable
Senator himself
1t was during the last Session of Mr.. Claws SER
vice in the Scnate-that session during which the
nomination Of Edward Everett as minister to Eng
land, was confirmed. 1t will be remembered that.
for a number of weeks after the nomination of Mr.
Everett great suspense and anxiety were felt
throughout the country, as to the course which the
Senate might take upon the question of confirma-
ton. The Southern members, or at least portion
of them, demanded his rejection on the ground of
his having expressed sentiments upon the subject of
abolition highly offensive to the South and such as
the South was called upon, both directly and indi-
rectly, to rebuke and condemn. Matters stood thus.
when at the close, or near tn close, of one of the
Executive sessions of the Senate on long summers
day, Mr.. Clay had left his seat and taking I'D his
broad brlmmed hat which he was accustomed to
wear III the warm season, began walking slowly
backward and forward near the door of the Senate
expecting every moment when an adjournment would
take place. Just then u Senator from the South
whose name the gentleman to whom we are indebt-
ed for these facts did not feel himself at liberty TO
mention, rose in his place and called the attention of
the Senate to a correspondence which he held in
his hand, between Mr.. Everett and certain abo-
tioniss who had addressed to him series of cues
tons touching the subject of slayerv-lLe cores
pondence had taken place at a time when if we re-
collect rightly, Mr.. Everett was candidate for Gov
ernor Of Massachusetts. The language used by
Mr. Everett, said the narrator was strong. stronger
than we oi---should consider to have been JUS
tifabc. The Senator having read the correspon-
dence, made it the text of strong denunciatory
speech against Mr.. Everett earnestly and vehe-
menty appealing to the representatives of Southern
iDtarpsts and lugtt of bat he q,
their sentence Of condemnation against such dan
gerous sentiments, by rejecting the nomination of
the man by whom they were put forth. This cor
respondcnce, together with the speech of the SEN
aor who brought it forward, arrested the attention
of the whole Senate and awakened new and strong
approximations among the friends of Mr. Everett, as
to the fate of his nomination. Soon after the SEN
ator in question had risen from his seat and com
menced speaking, Mr. Clay was observed to pause
IN his walk to and tro and the Senator form the
South proceeded in his Speech, he Mr.. C) became
evidently more and more interested till, at length,
he gradually returned to his accustomed seat and
was standing by it when the gentleman who WAS
occupying the floor, finished his speech with the
following emphatic language =" If, under the cir
cumsances, Mr. President, the Senate shall con-
firm the nomination of Mr.. Everett, / consider the
Union virtually diSSoiped ~
"And Isay, sir )" said Mr. Clay, instantly taking
upthe words of the honorable Senaor, " that if this
Selale, slttlng on the nomination o! Mr.. Everett,
or any other man as Minister to a foreign Court,
shall take upon itself to reject that nomination. on
the ground that the person nominated has express
ed to his neghbors and fellow citizens of the State
to wich he belongs, sentiments not in accordance
with our own, yet in no way impeaching his char
acter or affecting his qualifications for the post
which he is nominated ;-then, sir, said Mr. Clay,
eeyatlng himself to his full height and raising his
voice to that clarion like tone of mpassioned eo-
quence for which he above all living men, is so JUS
tly distinguished, then, sir, | tell the Honorable
gentleman and the Senate THAT WE HAVE
NO LONGER ANY UNION TOEDlSSOLVE ~
Proceeding from this point, Mr.. c. poured forth,
for the space of about ten minutes, the most elo-
quent speech that ever heard from him in all my
life. "And that speech" said the gentleman from
whom these facts were derived, settled The question
Of Nh Epereits nomin ltionp -Norleich Courier.