Vermont watchman and State journal. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1836-1883, 1844-03-29
DE SURE YOU ARE RIGHT.

The Green Mountain Freeman has commenced a
crusade against Henry Clay which is marked by all
the viruence illiboralty and falsehood of the To-
cofoco ibellers--n fact it is the same thing,-the
same Misrepresentation of Mr. Clay's two duels,
and about the Ciey affair, and the same downright
lies about his visit to New Orleans. AS to the du-
els: they are not to be defended no duels are to
be defended but we add, no more ought they to
be misrepresentcd. The Freeman accuses Mr..
Clay of malice in these affairs; but his opponents
in them, and all the parties,acqut him Of that charge
Gen Hamilton (Randolph's second) has recently
done so most fully. When Randolph threw away
his fire. Mr.. Clay instantly approached him and
said that for worlds he would not hazard Rondoph's
life and Randolph died years after, the friend of
Clay. Other things ought to be remembered six
teen years have passed-Mr Clay himself regrets
these events, probably more than any other man
he has denounced duelling--and in these sixteen
years of the fercest political and personal trials,
has challenged no man, fought no man. Is it gen.
crous-nay, is it just to make no account of this !?
But the Ciley duel: this is plraded as evidence
that Mr.. Clay still is duellist We cannot now
treat this az it deserves let two facts suffice, at
least for the present Mr.. Clay did not desire a
duel between Ciey and Graves, and did not ad-
VIE terms, either to force fight, or make Of it
fatal fight. Cilley was the challenged party and
fixed his own terms; and both Mr. Clay and Mr..
Crittenden of Ky, the moment they heard that a
fight was to be had, started after the parties to pre-
vent it. They were unfortunately too late
We observe that the Freeman adopts the loco
fDco lies about Mr. C's visit to New Orleans tsee
article, "ocofocoism in the garb of religion, y and
adds that the .Ne,o Orleans papers say so and so-
No Now Orleans paper ever told this ialsehood: it
was cooked up by Northern locoioco paper, and
is false all over. The only public meetings Mr.
Clay attended in New Orleans, were religious
meetings, on the Sabbath. The Wing State Con-
vention on the 22d February, waited upon him at
his lodgings, and he refused to make speech
to his political friends on that occasion. Next
comes the Mobile affair, which will doubtless pre-
sent different aspect when all the facts are
known That MIR. Clay designed to arrive at Mo-
bile on the Sabbath, or in any manner to be instru-
mental of violation of that day, we shall not be-
lieve without evidences; if that can be produced it
no doubt will be-and then we have no intention
of palliating the offence If he did not himself re-
spect the day, we think he cannot be SO extremely
foolish as to allow his enemies to ini1rc him through
any neglect of his own.
Mr.. Clay has been much abused, as well in re.
spect to his political his moral character and we
are not surprzed to see the Freeman hand in hand
with the vilest and most reckless libellcrs in the
locofoco ranks. There men in the third party
ranks who wish it to be made the handmad of To-
cofocoism.