Weekly national intelligencer. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1841-1869, 1852-10-09
0 .,s EuLOGYot ssfat s-r
&.3 e H t ON TIE a yntHf8 eH Eaat
LIFE AND sERvICEsooF HENRY CLAY
By Hon.JoHN y oRITTESDEN.a %
EluJLoCG.Y.

[
sl. a m .nitude Of the task which, have undertaken
am "a address YOU in commemoration of the public
servoes Of HENRY Cray and in celebration OF his obse
on;ss His death filed his whole country with mourn
inc and the loss of citizen save the Father Of his
Country has ever produced such manifestations of the
grief and homage of the public heart His history has
indeed been read Gin nations eyes" A. nations
tears proclaim with their silent eoquence its of
the national loss Kentucky has more than common
share in this national bereavement To her lisa domes
tic griefto her belongs the sad privilege Of being the
chief He her avorite son, her PRIDE and
her glory. She for him another But let her
those who have hope of consolation She
can find the richest and the nobes solace in the memory
of her son. and of his great and good actions and his
fame win back, like comforter from his grave, to
wipe away her tears Even while she weeps for him her
tears shall be mingled with the proud feelings of triumph
which his name will inspire and Old Kentucky from the
depths Of her aeconate and heroic heart shall exclam
like the Duke Of Omond when informed that his brave
had fallen in battle, ~ would not exchange my dead
son for any living son in Christendom"
From these same abundant sources may hope that
the widowed partner Of his e who now sits in sadness at
Ashland viii derive pleasing consolation. pre-
sumo not offer any words Of comfort Of my Her
grief is sacred to permit to that privilege
You, Sons and Daughters Of Kentucky have assembled
here to commemorate his life and death How can ad-
dress you suitably such theme feel the Oppres
sve consciousness that cannot do it in terms adequate
to the subject to your excited feelings am Ora
tor, have come here to attempt any idle vain
glorious display Of words come plain Kentuckian,
Who sympahiring in all your feelings presents you with
this address, his poor Offering to be laid upon that
altar which you here erecting to the memory of
HENRY CLAY Let it not be Judged according to its own
value but according to the spirit in which it is offered
1t would be difficult task to address you this
cason in the extravagan and rhetorical language that is
usual in funeral orations But my subject deserves
different treatment. The monumental name Of HENRY
MGR para pal fa md
rejects them and challenges the scrutiny and the udg
ment of the world The noble to which his name
should be applied to teach his country by his example,
lessons Of public virtue and political wisdom to teach
patriots and statesmen how act how to live and how
to die but glance at subject that spreads out in
such bright and boundless expanse before me-
HENRY CLAY lived in a most eventful period, and the
history Of his life for forty years has been literally that
of his country. He identified with the Govern
ment for than wothirds of its existence that dur
ing that time hardly any which has redounded to its
honor its prosperity its rank among the nations
of the EARTH be spoken of without calling mind in
voluntarily the lineaments of his noble person would
be difficult to determine whether in peace in war in
the field Of legislation of diplomacy in the spring
tide of his life, in its golden ebb be the highest
honor. 1t can be disparagement to any of his
contemporaries to say that in all the points of practical
craftsmanship he encountered superior any of the
employmens which his constituents his country
ferred upon him. ASA l5ga
For the that he had been so much and 50
stanty in the public eye elaborate review of his life
be to sketch few leading traits which may give
those who have had fewer opportunities of observation
than had, something like just idea of his public cha
racter and services. IT. in doing this speak more at
large of the earlier than of the later period Of his fe il
is because in regard the former Though of
quence intervening years have thrown them somewhat in
the back ground.
Passing by therefore the prior service Of Mr. Clay in
the Senate for brief periods in 1906 and l011,
at to his Speakershp in the House of Representa-
tves, and his consequent agency in the of 1872
To that war country is indebted for much of the
security, freedom prosperity and reputation which it
enjoys. 1t has been truly said by Of the living
actors in that perilous era, Hon. Mr. RUSH, that the
very act Of gong 10 was heroic BY the supremacy of
the naval power Of England the fleets of all Europe had
been swept from the seas the banner Of the United
States alone foated in solitary fearlessness England
seemed to encrce the earth with her navies and be
the undisputed mistress Of the We out upon
the deep with sling in our hands. When in all time,
were such fearful odds as we had against us?
The events Of the war with England, memorable,
and even wonderful are too familiar to all to require any
particular recital this occasion. OF that warof its
and its disasters its bloody bat
ties and its glorious victories by land and sea- history
and official records, have given faithful
tive just national pride has engayen that narrative
upon our hearts But even in the fercest conflicts of
that there nothing truly heroic than the
declaration of ii by Congress
OF that declaraton-of the incidents, personal nfu
ences, and anxious deliberations which preceded and led
to 1.-THE history is not well generally known The
it is known the il will appear how important
the part that Mr. Clay acted, and how much
indebted to him for all the glorious and beneficial issues
Of the declaration of that war; which has not inappro
pratey been called the Second Var Of Independence.
The public grounds OF the the injustice in
jury and insults inflicted the United States by the
Government Of Great Britain, then engaged in Of
maritime edcts with France, of which the of
the United States the victim; merchant ships
being captured by British cruisers every sea- and
6scated by her courts in utter contempt of the rights of
this nation independent Power. Added TO this,
and offensive than those outrages the
rogaton by the Power of rghtto search American
vessels for the purpose Of mpressing from
sells sailing under the American flag These aggressions
upon national rights constituted undoubtedly jus
fable Of With equal justice part and
the same grounds mpressment Of seamen excepted
We should have been warranted in declaring against
France also but mot to speak Of policy
forbade engaging with two nations at once and die
power which the other had not to carry its arbitrary
edicts into full effect The really, part,
war for national existence
When Congress assembled in November 1871 the crisis
upon But as may be readily imagined, il could
be easy matter the heart of Congress- oil I'M
prepared for the dread to take the STEP which
there could be no retracing Of declaration Of war
Nor could that TASK in oil probability, ever have been
accomplished but for the purely accidental
of two circumstances the one, the presence of Henry
Clay in the chair of the popular branch Of the National
Legislature and the other that Of James Monroe as
Secretary Of State in the Executive Administration OF
the Government
Mr.. Monroe had returned but year or two before
from course Of public service abroad in which, as MIN
lister Plenipotenary, he had represented the United
States Mt the several COURTS in succession OF France
Spain, and Great Britain From the last Of these mis-
sons he had come home thoroughly Disguised with the
contemptuous in which the rights Of the United