New Orleans daily crescent. [volume] ([New Orleans, La.]) 1851-1866, 1852-04-10
Kossuth and CLAW.

country, who respect the motives and admire
the enthusiasm Of the distinguished Hungarian
but yet cooperate with him in the purposes Of
his mission. Our reasons are abundant, and
will, we believe, bear the test Of common sense
scrutiny. We can state them rapidly and
briefly Looking upon our own land as the Sc
lected g refuge Of the oppressed and loving II,
its pure air Of heathful freedom, its noble pros
meets in the FUTURE and it's solid blessings in the
present, we cannot feel that we are bound to DO
no more than give safe shelter and the power Of
living free and happy to every man, come
whence he may We do not think it wise and
prudent policy to plunge into great and costly
wars, to interrupt our rapid progress, to weaken
our growing strength, in order to assume posi-
ton as the Dictator Of Nations, when already We
can offer safe asylum to the oppressed of al
countries, and shortly our fat will be the Law
Of overpowering strength. If we Fare to entel
npon career Of propagandism and yindication
We cannot see why we should make the issue
upon distant, inland, and stranger land, ra.
ther than upon Ireland, as much oppressed, ac-
cessible easily by sea, and 50 honorably, through
her sons, connected with American history and
progress What does America owe Hungary
and what Ireland let the account be fairly
stated If we are to war for one oppressed ma
ton, why not for every oppressed nations We
should not sail upon unknown seas.
These are common sense points but they will
not stand before the great waves of popular en-
thnsasm And Kossuth is most adroit advo.
cate! He was charged (rather extravagantly
and not altogether JUSTIFY with having abused
Mr.. Clay He repudiated the charge as false
and did SO most adroitly But look at the
facts
In his speech at this place, he said he was
esprcvoked . at the g unlocked for publicity "
given to his interview with Mr.. Clay. To show
why he felt himself g provoked we quote from
the authorized report Of his speech:
But somebody of those few present on that occasion
Ct indeed don't know who but certainly not Mr. Clay-of
this am sre) considered matters not with the SAINT
delicacy have done and made public report IN some
stood before the public of this great Republic in the light
Iwere not able to answer view opposed to and
Ind avowed silent aequiescence to plead bad cause
So, Mr.. Kossuth thinks that the publication
Of which he complains was sndelicate, and, to
cast still further odium on it, says adroitly that
he is certain Mr.. Clay had nothing TODD with it.
But the Bee yesterday publishes an extract
from q letter from Mr.. Clay, which shows that
he had something to do with it. We e-publish
WAsHrNeroN, March so, 1862
have never distinctly understood what Mr. Kossuth
said of me at Louisville certainly had given him no
cause of offence. The interview between him and me
not be regarded private 1t certainly not
confidential attended by three members Of
Congress- and the Attorney of the United States for this
district and would been by Others but my feeble
state of health What had said in the interview with
Mr. Kossuth variousy and sometimes contradctoriy
represented In the newspapers Under these circum-
stances Mr. Ewing, of the members in attendance
preaced the statement which has been published and the
substantial accuracy of which had been verified by
another attending member Over my own sentiments and
Language thought had entire control just Gen Cass
thought proper to state to the Senate Of the United
States what he had said to Mr. Kossuth upon their first in
terview Mr.. Ewing, in his statement treated Mr. Kos
suth with perfect and said nothing to eomprom
him in the slightest degree. Such, my dear SIR the
origin and such the motives Of the publication alluded to-
am with great respect, IS
Your friend and obedient ser't,
II. CLAY.
So speaks Mr.. Clay, and he shows, that, if
guilty, Mr. Cass is guilty in the same manner,
as aforesaid
But why should Kossuth, under any circum-
stances, in a matter of this kind, cast the first
stone at Mr.. Clay or Mr. Cass Has Kossuth
forgotten-has the public orgotten--his conduct
at Marseilles, in parallel case Capt. Long
there showed him, under every Specification Of
confidential privacy, a letter from Consul
Hodge. Kossuth asked permission to show that
letter to his companions-took it-copied it
sent it to Red Republican, Socialist, and most
indammatory paper of Marseilles-and in less
than four hours afterwards letter shown in
confidence, and entitled to all the consideration
of diplomatic privacy, was thrown broadcast
among the excitable populaoe of Marselles--
without any attending explanation or defence
from cur Consul And why so published? II
not to discredit the American Consul, if not to
create popular excitement, for no reason un-
der heaven. With what warrant None. Kos
suth knew the letter was peculiarly private, in
the sanctity Of the most sacred diplomatic
usages, and yet he gave it the broadcast pub
licity. And now, how can he, how should he be
provoked" at the conduct of the American
statesman We say the conduct of the Amer
lean statesman, because Henry Clay, like him
self, assumes the responsibility, and the issue
stands between the American statesman and the
Hungarian Missionary. Let it so stand; let
the verdict Of public opinion be given.
Wesay again, we respect the mission and ad-
mre the enthusiasm of Mr.. Kossuth. We
respect and admire any man who loves his ma
ave land and seeks to concentrate upon it the
interests Of the world. 1t does not follow that
we should endorse and re-echo his advice
We will forget his singularly unwise and in
judicious threat to appeal from our Government
to our people-from the elected government of a
free people to that people--as though we were
Jacobins and reyolutionists
We pass over his insidious and not yerv nm
propriate illusions to parties. But, when he
indirectly or even by the most distant reflection
casts censure upon Henry Clay. we must demand
the verdict Of public opinion. We point to half
of century Of magnificent public service-toa
life covering more than three fourths of cen
fury, and throughout peerless in its uncalcula-
ting and unshrinking chiyalry-to a fame
shining above q life of lofty and solid services,
and signaling our present to the future as a
light burning on high mountain. Nor Kos
suth, nor even greater than he, could induce
us to be silent when but one ray of lght-and
that the light of personal honor--was threatened
to be taken from a great American memory
an historic glory. Kossuth or Henry Clay
whose fame shall be the grander monument in
history! How will the poetry of the Hun