The daily national Whig. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1847-1849, 1849-04-12
DAILY NATIONAL WING.
WASHINGTON, ID. q.
THURSDAY MoRNING. APRIL n, lsl9.
MIR. CLAYTON AND THE PIcAYUNE.

THURSDAY MORNING. April. u. 1919. I.
MIR. CLAYTON AND THE PIcAYUNE.
"Senaiors generally have not conceived warm
certain that strong body Of able and influential
siders at work 10 throw impediments in his way
Some unguarded friends Of his have given him too
much power, while others have already pointed to
him US Gen. Taylor's successor. In the Senate, Mr.
Clayton has not many strong and warm friends and
many OF his former colleagues have left here not
exactly in that mood which Is favorable 10 his
views whatever they might be.--.Speciai Washington
Correspondence efdteN ". o. Picoyune.
The public mind has become so used to
the misrepresentation, whether purposed or
not, Of the press opposed to an Admlnlstra-
ton, that what they say Of men Of opposite
politics, is no longer regarded with any aston
ishment, no matter how far from truth or can
dor their lucubrstions may be. But when
that portion Of the press, which processes to
seek after and to speak the truth on all oc-
casions, turns aside and INDUCES in accusa-
tons against public men, which have no
foundation but in the prejudice or fancy Of
the writer, such a course is eminently calcu-
lated to excite the disapprobation Of all fair
and candid men.
The New Orleans Picayune is an indie
pendent paper, and has gained for itself q
high reputation for truth and candor; but
it seems to us that it has overstepped the
bounds Of propriety, not to say Of truth, in
admitting into its columns the above I'M
guarded attack, to say the least Of it, upon
Mr.. Secretary CLAYTON. We are fully
prepared to say, that the statements in that
paragraph are utterly unfounded, and, in
deed, SO grossly erroneous are they, that we
are almost forced to believe the writer was
imposed on by some adept at misrepresen-
tation. But, leaving to that journal the
propriety of Judging what it will print in its
columns, or what it will exclude from them,
we deny, in toto, the whole Of this accusa-
ton.
We have nowhere else met with charge
Of this kind brought against Mr., CLAYTON
Even his most rancorous political opposers
do not indulge in such harsh ordinations Of
his personal standing, as this writer INDUCES
in. While they do not spare his political
doctrines, they never fail to hold him up in
dividually and politically as the subject o.
the esteem and friendship Of all parties. NJ
man, who was ever in public life, had or ha,
so many warm and attached friends as Mr.
CLAYTON. As to impediments being thrown
in his way, we have no doubt there will be
plenty Of them, but not from the Wings
The outsiders who are engaged in this in
teresting work, are among his opponents
no matter 10 what political party they may
have once belonged.
1t is possible, nay probable, that the au-
thor Of the above extract, does not know Mr.
Clayton, or any thing Of his history, ane
hence the error into which he has fallen We
are 10th to attribute the statement to design,
because Of the medium through which it has
reached the public eye, but designed or UNI
designed, we have felt that we should be
wanting in our duty to truth and Justice, to
let it pass without denial. We have no pur-
pose TO enter into angry controversy with the
writer Of the paragraph. He has right to
his opinions, but when those opinions do in
justice to SO eminent and so universally be-
loved statesman as Mr. Clayton, we must
be permitted to express our strong dissent to
them.