The southern press. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1850-1852, 1852-06-10
Letter from Cassius M. Clay.
WHITE Hall, p. o.. Madison co, Ky.
kpri tx 1879

Letter from CRSSluS III. Ciay.
WHITE HALL, p o., Madison co, Ky.(
April 10, 1852.
DEAR SIR: | received, some time since, your
favor, inviting me to attend the anti slavery con-
vention of April next, in Cincinnati, and address
the convention.
| ct, very much, that my engagements
will not allow me the pleasure and the honor
proposed.
| do not latter myself, however, that you will
ltse much by my absence. and my views upon
the slavery question have been 80 often repeated
in Cincinnati, that repetition would hardly be
desirable.
Allow me, however, to say, that my heart is
with you. care not about ultraism What
is more ultra than that, in protested republic
near three and half millions of men have no
legal rights! The father no right to the son or
daughter The hu sband no right to the wife
and the maid no right to retain her chastity !
The native of the soil no country or home, and
the Christian no right to the Blble In word
when life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness
belong not TO the mans self, but to his tyrant !
Now who can talk patiently of such christianity
and republicanism as these? 1t is time for ul-
transmit is time for fana!icsm.
1t has always, in all times, been the policy
of tyrants to degrade the oppressed, and the
| Americans have not been slow in following the
same course. All men are born free aud equal
but black men! Christ died for all men-but
negro men Your supple, hinge kneed polit-
clan, and your canting knave of the black gown,
have in all times been found in close fellowship.
| Your Websters and your Dickinsons have
always their Deweys and s uarts. | hardly
| know at times whether to laugh or cry. The
great Southern moralist thinks it wereA better
to lose his soul in help than to say aught against
the patriarcha institution! But, poor Dewey !!
nature never made him sublime villain like his
| Southern fere, lie could send his ia her or
| brother back into slavery-but not his mother
Indeed there is lower deep into which our
leading clergy dare not descend This argues
well for the good time coming
| | said, years ago, that the time was coming
when black gown wouldbe Kissed in the
streets by the boys, unless they had given up
their lying defences Of slavery. had not my
self expected to live to see magnates of the
church thus soon shrivelled under the burning
contempt of the manly hearted men of the
world.
Let us take heart. Webster--the god like-is
dead in Massachusetts,, and even the South dis
trusts him. Henry Clay says Webster won't
do. Henry Clay and Daniel Webster have
always pulled together Who should know
Daniel better than Old Harry? Thus are the
friends of the great compromised compromised.
Shall we laugh or cry? But not 80 justice
| 'compromi sed So was it in the beginning-fg
leaves were sewed together, and they cried, we
shall be ashamed no more! But, alas no!
Some wit has it that the Union, like poor NOR
tails, needs eternal salvation! Oh, Webster! Oh,
Cass Oh, Clay are we saved or not? Ifthese men
A.. 10 ~ k,.
dicament of good I,auncelot Gobbo,-'Certainly
my conscience will enable me to run from this
Jew, nv master The fiend is at my elbow, and
temp,s me Gobbo, Lruncelot Gobbc, good
Launcelot Gobbo, use your legs, take the start,
run away. My conscience says, no; take heed,
honest Launcelot; take heed honest Gobbo do
not run--scorn running with thy heels Rouse
up, brave mind, says the fend, and run. Well,
my conscience hanging about the niche of my
heart, says very wisely to me, my honest friend
Launcelot, being an honest mans son, bulge
not. Bulge, says the fend; bulge not, says
nv conscience. Conscience says, you counsel
we'll fiend says, you counsel well. To b.
ruled by my conscience, should stay with the
Jew, my master, and to RIM away from the Jew,
should be ruled by the fiend The Jew is the
very devil incarnate, and in my science, n1u con
science is but a hard kind of conscience The
fend gives more friendly advice; | will run
fend, my heels at yonr commando will run !"
Well, let 'em go. Still there is hope--stl
there is progress. "Agitaton" is not quoted
The battle "rages along the whole line !" This
State is split!--the Church is split! Toe right
of petition is won in the House--now the fight
begins in the Senate The end will be the
same! So are the parties split A new ele-
ment enters into the elections Where n, Ad-
ans or Giddings once raised solitary voices in
behalf of the rights of man, now hosts of great
men utter in behalf of freedom, orations, un
equaed in argument, in biting sarcasm and pa
thos, and sublime eoquence. The right of Pc
titon is indicated Constructive treason
the last hope of tyrants, thank God, is dead
The free States out-number the tyrants and
their victims Buyism has been tried till it has
broken down. They begin TO be ashamed of
the slave trade in the District of Columbia !,
Even the South has become colonizationisis---
the " only line" grows popular!
Are you willing to pay fifteen hundred mil
lions for the repatriation of native Americans /!
indeed and does the chivalry grow pale atlast !
" LADY Macbeth---out, damned spotl--outi- II
say-one-two. Why, then, tits time to do il
hell is murkey! Fie, my lord, fe Ia soldier
and afeard What need we fear, who knows 1t,
where none call our power to account Yet
who should have thought the old man to have
had 40 much blood in him !"
Yes there is progress. Don't give up the
ship" have the honor to be
Your obedient servant,
e. M Cray