The daily union. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1845-1857, 1848-04-14
MIR. oiay's Petition for the Presidency.

the wing nomination for the presidency We have snes
received the Baltimore Sun containing the documentise
which publish below and must confess that is
perusa has struck with such amazement as almost 10
lead us to doubt its authenticity Our friends of the Surp
have been hoaxed in such matter ye, almost passes
reasonable belief that even Mr.. Ciay-"complete letter
writer as he s-should have thus taken up his pen and
made The Public" his correspondent for the purpose Of
gravey arguing out, over his signature the propo
son that he himself is not only the most iavorite but
the most auaiabe' candidate for the presidency whom
his party can now bring into the field And mark the
argument in his favor, which, under the thin cover Of
retailing what his "anxious friends have told him. Mr.
Clay has, in this letter, U il be genuine undertaken to
construct
Almi,ting-what is doubtless true-that the withdraw
al of Mr. Cays name would be the virtual "dissotionn
of the wing party in the free States, and aai its sue
cess admitting, too (what is in all probability not a,
all true) that Mr.. Clay, if nominated, carry both
New York and Ohio-where, in the name of all that's
wonderful do Mr.. Clay and his friends find any warrant
for believing, or for pretending TO believe that he can
roll back the enoOnous eighteen thousand democratic
majority OF last fall, and carry Pennsylvania He may
as well think of carrying Virginia! And, if his own
frantic ambition the partisan Partially of his friends
have duped him into the notion that he has any hope Of
carrying either of these States, then surely he must hav.
at last to look upon his political prospects through
those roseate miss which said sometimes begue
the eye both of first and Of second childhood
But still farther pressing forward his claims
ddae, MIR. Clay goes to argue in this astonishing let
ter that many citizens, both "native and adopted" be-
fore voted against him purely by mistake and are "now
eager for opportunity to vote in his favor Alas for
his hopes! Mr. Clay has not lost in his half dozen
past elections because he was not we known enough as
a public man. Far from it He has been defeated be-.
cause the masses have known him both too long and Too
sc He has been defeated precisely because there was
mistake as to his political Observation-Disclosures the
people looked upon him, and could not help looking upon
him, the" Embodiment, of political systems and prm
cpes at all to their tasebecause his very
rankly odorous of old and thrice condemned issuesbe
cause he stood forth the prominent and unquesioned
representative and champion of Black Tariff, and
Bribery Bank, and bankrupt escape from just debts
of huge and most onerous and corrupting system of
Internal Improvements carried on the consttu
ton and in derogation of State jurisdiction and
ereignty-and, finally, of fierce and fell hostility
the constitution to preserve tho equilibrium between
the different departments of the government, and to
guard the people against precisely such abuses of egs
laton as those which have clustered around the name Of
Clay Nor is it at all to the advantage of Mr.. Clay,
that the people will also remember, that what
with his " American SYSTEM and his Compro.
mise tarff"-hs Raleigh letter against annexation,
and his Alabama letter for annexation-he has
proved himself, if possible, yet more completely the
embodiment Of the wing policy, by the Protean facility
with which he has lent himself to the whole endless
series of its tricks and suberfugests transformations
and humbugs-its cheats and tergversations Singngs
and shoutings-coons, cabins and hard cider-ethe
as candidate or counsellor, Mr.. Clay has not failed to
embody" them all!
What has Mr.. Clay done since 1914, that the people
who then rejected him should be eager, he says,
to vote for him now He has builded his Lexington
Platform, and taken his stand upon it TO denounce the
war of his country unjust and unconstitutional, and
to brandsh before his followers his doctrine of ono ter
ritory" and 'no indemnify" This is his great deed
of the last four years. VIII it commend him to the
suffrages OF patriotic people, "native adopted" To
this must be added this letter, which is his little
deed-hs humble memorial and petition to the wing
public not 10 forge1 his claims, and his strength,
and his superlatve availability" but kindly to
give him the presidency He spurns the molesty Of
the old Roman, who. in his defeat, would put up
with an obolus. With Mr.. Clay it is, IMpERIuM date
Belisaro II is the moral sublime of sturdy beggary
Mr. Clays principles have made him unpopular with the
American people, this letter-his unprecedented and
elaborate argument to prove his own "aualabluy" on
hearsay testimonyw surely 60 far to make him rdcu
lous well
This document has fairly filled at last the cup OF
fusion and calamity for the whig party IT, after this
appeal, the whig convention refuses to take Mr. Clay
them he stemly and truly tells them, their party is
broken up and ruined in the free States If upon this his
grotesque though solemn and formal application, that
convention shall-as we doubt not they will and must
consent to take him for their candidate they will take
him with weight of defeat and unpopularity and
DID, heavy on his head and with the loud laughter Of
the people ringing out at the allunwonted spectacle Of
most immodest and ndccorous personal solicitation for
the highest Office in their gift! And yet we see not
how the wings resist this appeal is appeal to
their honor to stand by their Oldest and abes champion
1t is appeal to their party integrity, not to throw all
their past professions and principles aside 1t is an ap'
peal to their fears, not to break up their party organlza
ton 1t is an appeal TO their prudence, to
So rather bear those ills (they) have,
Than fly to others that Qhey) knoD not oft"
The appeal will prevail Mr.. Clay will again be nomi.