Wilmington journal. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1844-1895, 1848-04-28
Letter from CasSius NJ. Clay 10 k1O"'
Henry Clay.
Nrw YoRK, April IS, 1913.

letter dated Ashland, ApTll lVtIl' Io9o' over
IoI,r SIGNATURE. The letter is addressed,
1rasnne. 10 the American people. If did
pot know you well, the intervening space 81
three DAYS only between IFS date and its arri-
val here, would lead me to suspect lis authen-
ticitv. If your determination to allow your |
name to go before the Philadelphia Conven-
ton as candidate for the Presidency had |
been in accordance merely with your wishes |
and individual Judgment, should have kept |
a respectful silence. But as your determina |
ton is based upon the supposed interest ofthe
Wing party, | shall venture unasked, to add
my opinion to that of the numerous Wings 10
whom you refer. When | tell you that roy
atty rarely hears the truth, you will thlnK' no
doubt, that repeat very stale DOGMA II not
altogether out of place IN TepuoIc' Dut
there are parasites in republics as well as IN
despotisms. and of those you have very lib |
erai portion lust now. Were TO claim TO be
YOUR personal friend, mght better, perhaps, |
accomplish my purposes; but as have never
avowed one class of sentiments whilst in real
ity holding another, tell you frankly that,
although from my earliest youth | had been
something more than cold admlrer OF your
self, so when you started, on the 4th OF Au-
your friends and family to murder me in my
which you have taught me, in your speeches
at least, ceased to be your friend, and be-
came, by the necessity of my nature, your en-
envy. What shall say to you now, then,
will have the more weight, because you will
see that it comes from an honest, if not an
unprecedented man; whilst shall attempt to
divest myself of the individual and speak as
the member OF great party.
shall. then, take up your letter in it's pro-
per order In saying that you had a strong
disinclinaton 10 the use of my [yourl name
, in connection with that Office" courtesy leads
me 10 confne myself to the remark that you
D deceive yourself-but no one else So soon
S as you were defeated in the last election, a
committee of your friends from Frankfort
waited upon you and condoled with you on
that melancholy event. You responded in a
manner that led me, almost with the power of
certainty, to remark TO some friends that Hen
: ry Clay is candidate again for the Presden-
), cy. Time attests my sagacity.
5 So strong was my conviction that you would
i be candidate, when letters were read in the
Convention of the "Whig friends of General
. Taylor in the State House at Frankfort, from
II the Hon. j. ]. CrttendPn, Hon. Charles s..
: Morehead and Hon. J. P. Gaines, begging us
It not to nominate Gen. Taylor. and thus push
Il you from the track, and saying that you
would on your return home retire from the
10 canvass, in the presence of the thousands there
l. assembled, rose up and declared that although
J. ] respected these gentlemen, had not the least
I confidence that you would in truth withdraw.
Time attests my sagacity.
After you had gone on to New York, and
e delegates were chosen to the National Con-
c. vention whilst you were the cityS guest, and
q it was again asserted that you would decline
:. on your return home, | said no you refused
% TO go to New York last summer, you would
IL not have gone now, unless you had determin-
in ed TO run for the Presidency. Time attests
,e the truth of the prediction. You say that
your friends represent that the withdrawal
of my name would be fatal to their success -
Is fthey SO speak to you, they speak differ
2. ent language elsewhere. | have been told
" that all the members of Congress from our
= own State but one, told you that you could
not be elected, and that divers others whom
= could name, told you the same thing. But if
s. these reports be untrue, allow me to tell you that
have heard almost universally that your name
would again bring us defeat. In that opinion
T. | concur, and | will give you my reasons
Il Because am not guiItless myself, and because
y of the bad taste of the thing, will not urge
! m objections TO your private character. Neither
le will press your prestige of Ill luck, in saying
l. upon the people except the Missouri compro.
IN mise, have been erased from the statute book
I'll For we lament in common, the fall of the tar
x if, the bank, and internal Improvements, I'M
Is der your lead | shall confne myself then tt
n the question oiavailability. Three times have
T. we run you and three times has your name
y brought us defeat! So soon as Gen'l w. H
1T Harrison had brought US up from miserable
It minority, where you had left us, to a large
a. ma ority, you hurried on to Washington, whel
lg Mr.. Tyler under Mr. Websters lead was do
re ing good service to the country and party, ant
I'll by attempting to force on him and us the GO OBJ
I'll solete Bank" which we had purposely slurrec
III in the canvass, you brought us to speedy
< minority
IL "long time ago. being too old to per
~ form the comparatively light duties of Senator
oe you gave the public fdreweU address and re
by the excess of it's numbers, was at ono
A. split into widely separated fragments. Messrs
TO- Cass, Calhoun, Van Buren,, Tyler, Polk, ant
er- others, were all pressing their claims with
,t bitterness before unknown to the party
b. "Whom the gods wish to destroy, they frs
nc make mad" They determined to bring Texa
he into the Union auo1redly TO break down tn
an power of the free North and to make this ma
80 ton slave empire. The friends of libert,
10 rallied once more, and in spite of your Mis-
N0 souri, compromise, and your consistent denun
We citation of all real anti-slarery action, you
ed Raleigh letter made you by some fatality GU
nm candidate once more The democratic feud
-, were at once cured up by the greater hatred O
''' Henry Clay. Mr.. Van Buren,, who had take
similar ground with yourself, but who coul
of not unite the party, was overthrown, and MI
,st James K Polk submitted.
49, Notwithstanding the claims Of other wings
'1 will not restrict myself to saying you
nd equals were postponed, who no one nov
IRE doubts could have been elected, we, the VIII
as Party, all united on you. We fought wit
va the arder of brotherhood, and with the mora
- po1cer of noble cause. Our success SCENE
81 certain. Now once more, by that fatalit
as. which attends you, you come out in your Ga
nix zette letter, and disclaim any sympathy qCit
bs emancipation. It is true there was little in
49, consistency in this, inasmuch as you had al
'' ways avowed just the opposite doctrine bu
as you wrote to me ego on good CdsSiuS,"
-. thought at last all things would come on
'' right This, however, was a small affair be
Sc tween you and me, and our abolition friends
;ro But all at once you came out in your Alaba
of ma letter; when you would " not reject pc,
a manent acquisition Of territory on account O
49, temporary institution"' This was yer
III different affair. 1t lay at the foundation of tn
- whole contest. You 'changed 'front.'" TIL
nth Wings of the North we've disouSted The