M'arthur Democrat. (McArthur, Vinton County, Ohio) 1853-1865, 1855-08-10

| hllthA uilu DuAIS
The Louisville Journal recently con
tanned an article censuring James b
Clay, of Ashland, KY. the sou Of "Har'
ry Of the West;"srd speaking Of him al
the "young genIlenah who tore dowi
the mansion OF his immortal father, in
stead Of leaving it to be resosted TO and
gSzed OIL with emotions Of reVetente1
awe, By the men of future generations,
"is or has been selling the beams, raf'
ters, posts, &c OF his gloriuus lather's
old dwelling house, to be manufactured
into walking sticks. .'etc. Mr.. Clay re
plies to the attack in the Joaraal in a
a long letter:
Bat am "the young gentleman who
tore down the old mansion Of his a!her,
Instead Of leaving ii to be resortea to-
fco &c. Was not the mansion tore
down, my mausion?-l did not inherit
it frorh my father, but purchased il when
offered by his executors at public auc-
tion, 10 the highest bidder. am grate-
(ul TO anybody who ever preiends to
feel an interest in my fathers memory,
but is ii not fair 10 presume that |, his
son, feel quite as much reverence for
him ana anything that was his, as any
other person? AS aspersions, both pub
lie and private, have been made against
me for thus pulling down my fathers
old house, am really glad to have
fair opportunity 10 make known how |
came to be its owner, and whyI deter
mined to takeit down, and TO rebuild it.
For years previous TO my fathers death
ii was his great desire that should pur.
chase Ashland.
Knowing thar the house would have
to be rebuilt, he often said when speak
ing Of it, at will last my lifetime. -
When left Kentucky TO reside near
st. Louis, he abandoned the hope Of my
purchasing it with much regret, expires
sed in letter now in my possession.-
Hearing of his las: illness and probably
approaching death, wrote to him
knowing that ii would give him more
happiness than almost any earthly thing
that would give up all my prospec Is
in Missouri. and that he might die sat.
is6ed, that, ii could help it, ashland
should not. in my lifetime at least,
pass into the hands of strangers. AT.
ter my fathers death, my mother cnuseG
me to be informed chat she would have
the place sold, with the view to my be-
I,eoiplpg Tie pnIchsselflIhaAs,ihe whole
fplete va In Tninons cohil .lon, but
that il would make her happy In her
life time to know that II was not to go
out of the family. returned to Ken.
lucky, and purchased it. Finding the
dwelling like Others built fifty odd years
ago, ina dilapidate condition, called
on com petant architect to ascertain
whether it was safe residence for my
family; it was pronounced to be ursafe;
and, moreover, that ii would tumble
down of itself in very few years. I'm
der these circumstances, determined
TO rebuild it in a style su!tabls to my
own taste, and not wholly unworthy Of
my father. In this counexion, will al.
50 say that | am nota very young gen.
:leman, being near forty years of age.
! consider the last charge made in the
Journals editorial as by far the most
grave, and if it were true in the sense
intended, should feel myself unworthy
to possess my fathers house: unworthy
to be a kentuckiau; and should be viii.
ling TO fly to some remote corner of the
earth 10 hide my vile and dishonured
head. | should, in that case, as do
now, protest against that license which
is no. the liberty, but the vile aud un.
manly abuse of the liberty of the press,
which can allow an editor or editors to
prostitute the columns Of a public jour
nal 10 comments upon the private conf
duct Of private property. The charge
that have sold one inch of the lumber
of my fathers house with view to my
private profit, is utterly and unquali-
iedly false. | have freely given it,
when il has been asked, ana nave re /
Peatedly refused to sell it when inform
ed it was to be used for profit. Much
OF il has been stolen, and | have beer
greatly annoyed by persons coming TO
my place and carrying away whatever
they fancied, either from the old house
or plants aud growing shrubs, without
asking the permission of any one.
At last, it occurred to me that might
put some of the old lumber which was
useless 10 me, to good and worthy use.
l determined to have some little articles
made as souvenirs of Ashland from the
old roof irees-that | would cause them
TO be placed with friend in Lexington
to be sold, with the understanding with
him that the proceeds, after paying the
cost Of construction, should be donated
to some public charity. | accordingly
employeda cabinet. maker, himself all.
most an object Of charity, as he said, in
these hard times, 10 make some boxes.
About one hundred and forty have bee |
made, and one hundred canes, OF which |
some six or eight boxes only hitherto
have been sold. have good hope, !
however, that the residue Will be, and
at profit which may next winter glad
den the hearts Of some few poor wild,
ows AID orphans. Except what have |
been sold Of these boxes and canes de. I
posted with Mr.. John Wilson for sale,
and for thepurpose stated; the man who |
says | have sold one particle of the tim.
ber of my fathers, is liar and a nil. |
lain, aud |, before God, pronounce him
10 be so.
"I would advise you to put your
,ead into tho dva.tnh--it 10 rathar raJ ,,1