Boon's Lick times. [volume] (Fayette, Mo.) 1840-1848, 1848-08-19
SPEECH OF MR.. CLAYTON,
OF DELAWARE,
IN DEFENCE or GEN. TAYLOR

RATE audresS 10 Inc senate against General
Taylor, and called upon the Wing Senators,
and especially the Senator from Delaware,
10 explain the principles upon which Gen.
Taylor was TO be sustained as a candidate
for the Presidency
Mr.. CLAYTON rose to reply. Mr. Niles,
of Connecticut, called Mr.. Clayton 10 or.
der, denying his right to reply, as the whole
subject introduced by Mr.. Foote was irrel-
evant, and Mr.. Dallas, the Vice President,
refusing to hear any debate upon the call
to order, decided the debate TO be out of
order. But the Senate, on vote taken
Immediately after this, gave leave to Mr.
Clayton to proceed, notwithstanding the
decision of the Vice President.
MIR. CLAYTON then addressed the Senate
as follows: The decision of the Chair
was indeed unprecedented, and directly in
opposition to his own solemn decision on a
case precisely similar to this, made by him
only few weeks ago. Neither nor nv
friends originated this political debate
We were content to leave Gen. Cass and
Gen. Taylor in the hands of the people,
and the Senate will unanimously bear me
witness that have never introduced an ir-
relevant topic into any debate here. The
political friends of the gentlemen who &C.
cupies the chair began this discussion-
They attacked Gen. Taylor and his char
acter, and scoffed at his claims to the Pres-
dency. They were allowed to proceed
'c'thom interruption from the Char, through
debate which extended through the great.
err part of two days. The Vice President
was, by the rules of the Senate, bound to
call his own political friends to order, if he
thought the debate was out of order. But
not a word about order was heard from his
lips till took the floor to reply, and then
he arrested the debate, and put seal upon
my lips. The Senator from Mississippi
had charged upon me and my friends that
we desired to evade the discusson--that
General Taylor had no principles which we
dared avow--and said that he had, on con.
sul,ation with his friends, resolved to pro.
woke US to debate of this subject, and 10
see that we should "dodge no blows which
in chivalry and honesty we were bound TO
take" He even charged US with design
to pass the resolution for speedy adjourn
ment of Congress, in order TO avoid and
dodge this very discussion. He went fur.
Their, sir. He called on me personally to
meet him in debate on these questions
Yet, after he had been permitted to indulge
in this strain of attack on me and my
friends, his own party associates seize the
occasion, the moment rise to take up the
glove he has thrown at my feet, TO dodge
he encounter. These are the circumstan.
ces under which tweniy-one Democratic
Senators have this day voted TO deny me
the freedom of speech. They have large
party majority here, but such and so gross
was the injustice of this attempt TO s,ifle a
discussion which they themselves pr revoked,
that a majority of the Senate has over
ruled their purpose; and to that majority.
and especially TO the chivalrous Senator
from Mississippi, (Mr. Foote.) who has ex--
pressed his own deep sense of the injustice
done, l tender my thanks.
have already stated to the Senate that
have no means of access TO the opinions
of General Taylor, which are not in the
possession of every member of this body
and every citizen of the country. Honor
ing his character. as l sincerely do, have
never yet had the pleasure Of an intro
duction to that distinguished mani have
never addressed letter to him in my life,
nor received one from him. have formed
my opinions of the principles of the man
from his writings and actions, and from
what any other may have seen in the pub
| lie prints. To these means of information
all have equal access. and all can form an
opinion as we'll as can on the whole sub
ect of debate.
think it also due to Gen. Taylor to say.
in the outset, that the position which he
has assumed before the country, as can
ddate for the Presidency. has been entire
ly inexperienced in the course of this
debate. He has been held up here as mere
ly Wing candidate, bound to sustain eve
ry wing principle with which that party
has ever been identified. 1t has been al
legged that he is bound to carry out all the
dictates and obey all the behess of mere
party-.tl at he rules merely as party man
that he is bound hand and foot by party
pledges-and that he must carry out, at all
hazards and under all changes of time and
circumstance, every ancient known meas
ure proposed by the Wing party. Now.
undoubtedly Gen. Taylor is Wing. but !
do no, understand him as occupying any
such position as that which have just des-
cribed. He himself has repudiated it in
every letter having reference to this sub
iect 1t is true that he has been nomna-
ted by the Wing party; but it is also true
that he was originally nominated by a
meeting composed of both wings and DEM
ocra,s. Thousands of democrats had nom
mated him for the Presidency before he
was nominated by the wing party. Natu
rallied citizens and native Americans, in
all sections of The country, had nominated
IL. Al n