Daily American telegraph. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1851-1852, 1852-09-18
Henry Clay.

~ Htc 1uttOIS " tue DuttUtOfG 4 uTtOG.
Veneration and respect for the character Of
Henry Clay impel me, in this public manner, to
vindicate his memory from the aspersion and cal
jimmy cast upon it by the Baltimore Daily Argus
in the leading editorial article of that paper Of
the 9th of September instant.
Among other broad and groundless assertions
the editor of that paper says: elf Mr.. Webster's
name should be withdrawn as candidate, he
must cast his vote for Pierce and King, if he votes
at all and were Henry Clay now living, zoe are
certain he would vote the same way. We have
good and indisputable authority for saying 500
In the face of the facts which have been pub
lished to the American people respecting Mr.
Clay's opinions of the nomination of Gen. Scott
for the next Presidency, upon what "duthority"
the editor of the Argus has the assurance to de-
clare that 'he is certain Henry Clay, if no,o hping,
,could Uote for Pierce and King" do not care to
know. From personal knowledge, derived from
Mr.. Clay in the last e,o days of his precious life
on earth, / know the assertions of the editor of the
Argus, respecting Mr.. Clay, which have quoted
from his editorial of the 9th instant are dsputa-
BILE, and are cdlumniously false, and a gross and
most offensive SANDER upon the loved character
and cherished fame of the immortal patriot and
sage of Ashland.
During the last ten days of Mr.. Clay's illness,
l had my lodging at the National Hotel in Wash
ington, where he was, and had daily and almost
hourly opportunities to learn and know directly
from his lips, his opinions and sentiments upon
political subjects and national affairs. On the
day Of his death, l stood near the door of his
room where he expired l saw the glorious light
Of mdtchleSs genius, whose splendors have illumi-
mated the world, and for half century lighted
the pathway Of freedom and constitutional liber-
ty, extinguished by death and go out in the ray
less night of the grave From faithful one,
who stood ut his bed side when he breathed his
last, received Mr.. Clays last dying words, and
the minute particulars Of his death scene, and
1oithn fire minutes after his decease / wrote them
down, and also his opinions and sentiments ex-
pressed few days before, respecting the nomi-
nation of Gen. Scott by the Wing National Con-
vention, and | transmitted the facts thus written
down exactly as they transpired to my personal
knowledge to the New Orleans Bee, in which they
were published.
After the close of the Wing National Conven-
ton, Of which had the honor to be a member,
/ returned to my lodgings at the National Hotel
at Washington, and Immediately sought and OBJ
tanned Mr.. Cay's opinion in regard to the noni-
nees and doigs Of the convention. In his charac-
teristic frank and truthful manner, he expressed
his entire dcquescence IN the wisdom and choice Of
the Convention, in the selection Of Scott and Ora
ham as the standard-bearers of that glorious
Wing and Union banner, upon which his patriot
eyes were now ''turned to view for the last time
as it Haunted proudly in the suspicious breeze Of
favoring Heaven. His dying eyes saw emblazoned
on its radiant folds it 1oated the glorious
Union fof whose preservation he had, by his last
matchless efforts upon the compromise, sacrificed
his life, the names of too tried and faithful Wigs
who had from the beginning and throughout the
compromise struggle, stood firmly by his SIDE
nor I" faltered once to meet the blast when hard
est it beset them" In General SCOTS devotion
to the Union and the compromise, Mr.. Clay ex-
pressed implicit and mistaken confidence, and in
his integrity to the Wing principles and the great
National Wing cause. After thus expressing his
entire acquiescence in the wisdom, and his salts
faction in the choice of the Wing National Con-
vention, Mr.. Clay sent by member of the Ken
lucky delegation, who was present. his cordial
wishes to General Scott for his success in the
presidential canvass.
Such were Mr.. Clays expressed opinions and
sentiments respecting the nomination of General
Scott, and If he were now living he would vote
for his old tried friends and compatriots, Winfield
Scott and William A. Graham and not, as the
Argus asserts, for "Pierce and King"
The voice Of Henry Clay comes up from his
new-made grave in favor Of the election Of Scott
and Graham as Union Wings. Though he is
dead, his living spirit calls upon every Wing in
the land to sustain the Wing nominees and the
Wing cause.-the cause of constitutional liberty
and of our glorious Union
j. Ct. SEWER, of Louisiana.