Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1841-1853, 1848-05-04
The Two Claws.


NJ Clay to his uncle Henry, which recently appeared
IN the N. Y Courier & Enquirer, we venture to re-
publish it, because it contains Acknowledgements
which the people ought to see.
NEW YORK, April 10, IS4s.
Hon. HENRY CLAY SIN: In the Tribune of this morning
find letter dated Ashland April 10TH lS4S over YOUR sig
nature The letter addressed presume 10 the American
people II did know You we'll the Intervening spsce
OF three days only between its date its arrival here
would lead me to suspect its authenticity. If your deter
mlnation 10 allow your go before Philadelphia
Convention as candidate forihe Presidency
sodanee merely with your wishes and individua Judgment
should have kept respectful silence But your
minau0n IS based upon the supposed interest Of the Wing
party shall venture masked add my opinion to that Of
the numerous Wings to whom you refer. When tell you
that royalty rarely hears the truth, you will think dOub
that repeat very stale dogma If altogether Of
place IN republic But there parasites 10 republics as
well in deposms and of those you have very liberal
portion just Were to claim to be your personal
friend might better, perhaps accomplish my purposes
as have never avowed class of sentiments whilst in
reality holding another, tell you frankly that although
from earies. youth had been something more than
cold admrer Of YOURSELF when started The 4h Of
August S4o to the Virginia Springs Leaving your friends
and family 10 murder in my sick bed for rindicdtihg
those principles which taught your speeches at
least ceased TO be friend and became by necessi
y OF my nature, your enemy. What ! shall say you
now, then, will have the more weight because you will
that comes from honest. if not unpreudced
whist shall attempt to divest myself Of the individual,
and speak as the member Of great party.
shall then take up your letter in its proper order In
saying that you had "a strong disincnaon 10 the use of
my yOuI in connection with that Office cou tesy
leads confne myself to the remark you deceive
yourself-but else So you defea ed in
the last election committee Of your friends from Frank
fort, waited upon you and condOled with you mean
choIy event. You responded in a led me-
most with the Of certainty, to remark friends
that Henay Clay IS candidate again for the Presidency
Time atIesls my ssgaciiy.
strong my that you would be candidate
when letters read in the Convention OF the "Whig
friends Of Gen. Taylor in the State House Frankfort from
the Hon. j. Crittenden, Hon. Charles s. Morehead and
Hon. J. T. Gaines, begging nominate Taylor
AT VOL
your return hOme retire from the in the presence
of the thousands there assembled declared
though respected these gentlemen had the conf
dence that you would IN truth Withdraw. Time attes
sagscy. After you had gone New York. and dele
gates chosen to the National whilst
the ciys guest and it again asserted you would
decline your return home said no. you refused to 20
New York last SUMNER you would not have gone
less had determined TO for the Presidency. Time
atests the prediction You say that your friends represent
that the wilhdrawsl of my would be fatal to their
success" If they speak to you, they speak different
language elsewhere have told that the members
Of Congress from Stale but one told you that you
elected and tn Others whom Id name
told the thing But these reports
me 10 tell you that have heard almost universally that
your would again bring defeat In that opinion
concur, aud will give you reasons. Because not
guiltles myself and because Of the bad of thing
will not urge objections 10 your private character Neither
will press your Presage of WIuck saying that all the
which you have urged upon people, except
the Missouri compromise, have been erased from the
book For we lament in common, the fall Of the tariff the
bank and internal improvements under your lead shall
fine myself then TO the question of availability Three times
have you and three times your brought
feat So Gen. w. H. Harrison had brought US up
from miserable minority, where you had left US, large
majority hurried Washington when Mr. Tyler
der Webser lead doing good the country and
party and by attempting to force him and the "ObsO-
lee banks which he had purposey suTTed the canvass
you brought US TO a speedy minority!
Ong time ago. being too old perform the compare
lively light duties Of Senator the public areel
address and retired from public life The democratic party
by the excess Of its numbers split into widely
separated fragments Messs Cass, Calhoun, Van Buren,
Tyler Polk, and others, all pressing their claims
bitterness before unknown TO the party "Whom the gods
wish Destroy they first make mad - They determined to
bring Texas into the Union, GrOedy break down the
Of the free North and TO make this nation slave
pre- The friends Of liberty rallied more spite
Of your Missouri compromise and your consistent denuncd-
tOH Of all real aniSiarery action your Raleigh letter
you by some fatality candidate The Demo-
cratic eud' were at once cured by the greater hatred Of
Henry Clay Mr. Van Buren, who had similar ground
with YOURSELF but who could unite the party
thrown, and Mr. James K Polk substituted Notwhstand-
ing the claims OF other Wings, will restrict myself in
saying your equals postponed who doubts
could have been elected, the Wing party, all united
you. We fought with the ardOr of brotherhood and with
the moral POVer of noble Our
tain Now more, by that fatality which attends you
you out 10 your Gazette letter. and dcaim any sym
P1fhy Uih emancipation. 1t is true there little
consistency this inasmuch you had always avowed
just the opposite doctrine but you 'sgO
good CdSstus thought at last all things would
night This however, was small affair between you
and and abolition friends at once came
out m your Alabama letters when you would not reject
permanent acquisition OF territory account Of temporary
institution 10 This very different affair." lay
Foundation OF the whole contest. You "chsnged 'front.'
The Wings Of the North dSguSted They had nothing
left contend for The battle was lost We felt our
countys wounds in your person. We paid your debts
condoled with in retirement moTe and raised
monuments to your memory Once the Of
the Democratic party began exhibit The
unconstitutional annexation Of Texas and the Presidential
began TO stir the souls Of indignant eemeD Seeing
that we were m minority and without the sympathes Of the
peOpe-having experience that party
the confidence Of Republic, during raging war-our
'wise Wing leaders voted supplies and the Wings turned
out 10 the war; and once more steadily brought ourselves
up from minority where you had again left into
jOy.
The Administration had ali the responsibility of the loss
OF honor men and money, by the wing Generals
The public, with unanimity before this
try, looked to one who growing too great for
the powers at Washington left perish with handful
OF men, before twenty thousand troops the enemy
try But ZACHARY TAYLOR the man to die to accom-
mOdate either President Polk his ally Santa Anna The
battle Of Buena Vista fixed Gen. Taylor the
people! Neither you the wiTewOkers Of party
the President him his friends surrender
The honest old soldier generous enough
compliment to by saying he would have prefer
red you 10 himself 10 lead 10 the battle
at Immediately YOUR friends
the "seeref circular under preence being
friends Of Gen. Taylor" stab him TO the vita Then sharp
sighted patriots found that General Taylor the
choice of the whigs-that this willingness of the grateful
hearts Of the people all sham affair: in a word, tha
you D0uId reluctantly consent TO again pIair
spoken / tell know these thew ou
II is this is not fair play II looks to me like poitica
assassination Nor will it be cured in the eyes Of all dis
interested by the spirit of violence which friends
in FrankiOIt-in Ballmore--in Cincunati-snd in New
York, have venuTed against the friends Of Taylor and 18th
ttoeTy speech The verdict of jury against your
lately in Kentucky, ought teach ycu and them,
are not yet stapes even to Henry Clay.
IL Is true that this deep fngrGfude TO
Tor; for when did Henry Clay spare enemy
frfeHdF congratulate you upon your determination
to deDOGnee the Native American party, to whom you wrote
encouraging letters during the