Martinsburg gazette. [volume] (Martinsburg, Va. [W. Va.]) 1833-1855, 1844-09-12
a LETTER FROM Mr.. CLAY.

/ "a, last week, ne reao the lolloWing let-
ter. In some parts Of Pennsylvania the
opponents of Mr.. Clay have attempted to
| make the people believe that he had ceas.
ed to have regard for the protective poll
cy, and that Mr.. Polk was as good friend
to the Tariff as Mr.. Clay. 10 alIuding
TO this charge Mr.. Clayton said he had
ventured to break a resolution he had
adopted not to annoy Mr.. Clay with let
,ers at this crisis when he is overburden-
ed viii correspondence, and TO inform
him that he ha9 been charged in Penn
sylvania, with having abandoned his own
system. ellis reply to me" said Mr..
| Clayton, Sin the letter which hold in my
hand, is in these words"
BLUE LIcKs, August %, ls44.
Ny Dear Sir--Your suppostion is right
as to the oppressive extent of my cores
pandeuce. 1t is utterly impossible to an.
swer all the letters which, receive. |
am afraid that cannot reply TO mapy
that deserve it. Mr.. Madison once re.
marked to me that Mr.. Jeffersop's cores.
pondents were killing him; but they were
furnished by population OF about ten
millions. Mine are supplied by popu-
lation OF near twcnty millions. can feel
and conceive the possibility ola homicide,
committed in the mode which Mr.. Madi-
son suggested.
request you to attribute to the above
cause, my omission to express TO you be-
fore, the satisfaction | derived from the
persual OF your admirable speech on The
Compromise law. No man knew better
the motives and considerations which
prompted its passage than you did, and
you have ably and truly exposed them.
We were upon terms Of the most confden-
tial intimacy and friendship. You dolly
in the Senate sat near me. You knew OF
my consultations with the practical man
uIacturers, and their coincidence in opin.
ion with us. believe it was upon your
t invitation that the lamented Dupont came
, from Delaware and conferred with US.
, Upon more occasions than one, whilst
gazing upon the care-worn countenances
and taggard looks of some OF the delega-
ton in Congress from South CarollLa,
you said TO me, "Clay, these are fine Eel.
) lows. 1t won't do TO let old Jackson
J hang them. We must save them" You
lived in mess OF some seven or eight
Senators, and it was your mess that insist.
ed upon the Home valuation, as SIN qua
non. Mr.. Calhoun opposed it. Your
mess persevered. The fate of the bill was
threatened; but he, at the last moment,
withdrew his opposition, and the bill final
ly passed.
have again and again asserted, on
! the floor of the Senate, that two principal
objects were aimed 10 be accomplished.
One was to avert a civil war. The other
was TO preserve The policy Of protection.
1t was threatened, by Mr.. Verplank's bill
with total subverslon: and believed then,
and believe now, that, if the Compromise
had not passed, at the next session Of Con-
gress, all traces of that pulley would have
been eilaced from the statute book.
You and | both maintained that the
measure OF protection preserved by the
Compromise would be sufficient until 1912.
But we were tainted by our opponents,
to know what would be its condition when
that period arrived. We replied, there
were the home valuation, cash duties,
long list Of free articles, &c. But ! said,
also, let us take care of ourselves now;
the people of 1912 may be trusted 10 take
care of themselves. Public opinion, in
the mean time, may become more enlight.
ened, and the wisdom OF the protective
policy may be demonstrated. | have not
been disappointed. My predictions
have been fulfilled. The people of 1912,
the Wings, at least, everywhere, and many
Democrats, are now fully pursuaded that
The industry Of this great country ought
not to be Frustrated at the feet of foreign
powers. Everywhere the cry is for the
Tariff for Revenue, with determinations
for protection. Everywhere the preser-
walton Of The Tariff of 1912, which has
worked so well, and is delivering US from
embarrassments, is loudly demanded.
The circumstances which led to, or
attended the enactment Of the Compro-
mise, may be curious and interesting as
matters of history; but, in respect to the
policy Of protection, the great, practical,
absorbing question is shall the Tariff Of
1912 be preserved or repealed That
question is 10 be solved in November
next. have repeatedly expressed my
opinion UNEQUIVOCAhLY IN FA-
YOUR OF 1T.
thought we achieved great triumph
in placing the Protective policy, by the
Compromise act, without the reach and
beyond the term of Gen. Jackson's ad-
mlnistration.
And we avail ourselves Of the fact that
the South Carolina delegation were much
more ANXIOUS that the difficulty should be
settled by US than by Gen. Jackson.
You tell me tina, am accused OF hav.
ing abandoned the protective policy.
That would distress me exceedingly, is
were not accused of oil sorts Of crimes
and m;sdemeanors. believe | have
been charged with every crime enumer.
ated in the Decalogue. laugh at the
straights 10 which my opponents are dr..
ven. They are to be pitied. Shrink
ing from all the issues, arising out Of the
great questions of national policy, which
have hitherto divided his country, they
have no other refuge left, but IN personal
abuse, detracton and defamation.
have lived down these attacks heretofore,