The southern press. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1850-1852, 1851-08-22
From the The LaurerspiAe Herald.
TO Henry Clay Of kentueky-NO. s

TO Henry Clay Of kentueky-NO. 5.
Sir-The prominent part you have acted, as
the chief organ of the London aboitionists, in
the scheme Of African colonization, emancpa-
ton, and the anti-savcry agitation in America,
your agency in engraf ing the tenth article
upon the treaty OF Ghent, upon subject utterly
foreign to the objects of yorr mission TO Europe,
and the partition of Lou siana by the Missouri
compromise, AZ ! have already shown, leave no
room to doubt the existence of secret coalition
between yourself, M. Adams and the aboli-
tionists of England But other proofs Of your
reasonable designs ARE not wanting. When
your extraordinary career of imposture is exam
ined, and tried by the tests of reason and ruth,
the ingenious mind will be astonished alike ut
your audacity as pubic enemy, end the want
of d'scernment in the people, so long and so
fatally the dupes of your hypocrisy and decep-
ton In 1924, yourself and your co-conspira-
tor, Mr.. Adams, became rival candidates for the
Presidency. You had jointly accomplished
part of your infamous designs. The poison you
concocted and administered to your deluded
followers, had maddened the Prritan faction at
the North with the intoyieation of fanaticism
and abolition. The con'aeion spread with u |
rapidity most hattering 10 your inordinate
vanity. You had touched a chord upon which
you could play with the sk'l and effect of an
amateur. Abolition was made, according to
your own acknowledgment, political question,
and the two roscrucans who stirred in the cal
dron of the sorcerer the deleterious ingredients
which carried the clements Of strife and discord
into the heart of the State forgot their mutuai-
ty in guilt, and the peril of mutual disclosures
Of their crnnalay, in the selfish ambition which
burned in the hearts of both. The spoils Of
public plumber, and the emoluments and rank
of ill-gotten power, constituted the governing
princciple of each guilty aspirant, and neither
the one or the other could be induced to forcgo
his claims upon the confidence of the people he
bad betrayed. You, sir, ~ You deserved to be,
were distanced in the race, and Gen. Jackson,
Mr. Adams, and Mr. Crawford were returned to
the House ofRepresentatives as the three highest
candidates on the list Your own prospects of
reaching the goal of your hopes being thus
bghted there was no choice le.5y you but to
act upon your s'oorn allegiance 10 the North.
member of the House, from the Site of
Pennsylvania, charged you in the public journals
with having entered into coalition with Mr.
Adams, to make him President, that he might
make you Secre''uy of State. lie was not aware,
when he made the charge, and you kne,o IL, that
mutual secrets, based upon mniuIi gull, erisfed
beiioeen yourself and Mr.. Adams, iohict If dis
closed toottid be fatal 10 both, and thai stern
csssify erisied for each Of you 10 conciliaie
the other. You could afford, therefore, to as
sumo bold front-You denounced the charge
as false. What else could you do? What else
did the public mind expect Few criminals
plead guilty TO the charge in the Indictment
when put upon trial. You saw at once the magn-
tude of the peril which threatened you The CON
spirator trembled, for the veil VIII oh covered his
manifold impostures was about TO be torn away
II IL L -
the coalition as n union between the " Blackleg
and the Puritan" That sagacious statesman
and patriot had not forgotten the Missouri com
promise You did not summon to the field of
honor the man who made the charge, and who
announced to You that he held himself person
ally responsible He lived on neutral ground
which you dared not invade. Under an uniusti-
fable pretext and patry bubble you passed
him by, and challenged Mr.. Randolph for sus- |
| tanning charge which another had made. Mr.
Kremer lived mt the MOI IN, the land of your az
fections, and Mr.. Randolph at the South, and
with II e skill of Scipio, you avoided the sensi
lire poini, and selected your antagonist and bat
tie field in the South. But there is n moral law
which you cannot repeal, with all your para.
mentary skill. The fall of an antagonist by the
stroke of an assassin cannot murder the truth
and the wager of battle cln never remove the
drrk stain which treason stamped upon your
knightly shield Cen Jackson, whose iudp
ment few will mpeach, after years had passed
away, reaiiirmed his opinion of your guilt, and
| your conduct confirmed the correctness Of his
| Judgment.
| You were caught, sir, in the tolls Of your ow a
net To carry ont to their fulf'lment the terms
of the coalition would establish the truth of the
charge. To violate the treaty you had made.
would place you at the mercy of Mr.. Adams aud
his abolition associates. The dark revelations
that might follow were appalling 70 your senses
You knew the pr tners of your guilt too we'll
to doubt that the tortures of c,ucifxion would
be inflicted upon you II you dared 10 break your
engagement You had overpayed your part
Mr. Adams, by turn Of the wheel of fortune,
had gained the vantage ground, and holding
your esiny IN his hand he y God before you,
your fprdnt and master Yorr proud spirit was
subdued, BUNDLED, and forced 10 yield. Your
condition was pitiable, and calculated TO excite
the sympathy and commisera'on Of even your
enemies. M. Adams held up your bond with
an mir Of triumph, unfolded it before you, and
with the relentless spirit OF despoi, demanded
pts fn6llment, ard you dared no, i-cur he han
ard Of a forjeiiuve IF rs peraiiy BIZ your rofe
he ,1as made Presiisni, and he made you Score
farv Of STATE The charge wcs established, the
prediction fulfilled, the plot contaminated, and
the only part left for you TO play, was that 20
which the criminal never fails to resort TO escape
the punishment which justice demands You
charged that a conspiracy had been formed
against you, in charging that you would do and
had agreed TO do ne rsry acts you did do; and
against the evidence of facts which by youracfs
YOU had spread upon the record, and made psr;
of your history, your u;ai YVES the chief item
Of evidence offered in your defence. And you
had the unblushing eilroniery TO make this do