Semi-weekly standard. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1853-18??, 1855-08-04
from the Kentucky Statesman, July TO-
Son of Henry Clay on the Stump.

HIS FIRST EFFORT.
Yesterday great day in this city. Hoeing
court day, great many people from the country
were in the city. 1t had previously been announc-
ed that Mr.. James B. Beck, of the most distn-
guished and able lawyers in city, and Mr. james
B. Clay, of the Sage of Ashland, and owner of
the old family seat would address the people onthe
political topics of the day. There great anxiety
to hear both gentlemen, and at the appointed hour
the court house was filled to OVERLOOKING.
Mr.. Beck spoke first. He has always been a
wing, though man of independent thought and ac-
ton. He spoke for two hours, and made one of the
most able and efficient arguments against Know
Nothngism that we have listened to during the pre-
sent contest.
His Speech throughout, was powerful, argumen-
tative convincing conclusive, and told with tre-
mendous effect upon his audience.
The next gentleman who took the stand was Mr.
James B. Clay, who, as we have already remarked
is the son of the great statesman and has succeed
ed to the paternal estate of Ashland.
Mr.. Clay said that this was his first effort at a
public speech, and nothing less than the profound
interest which he felt in the great questions at ISSUE
could induce him to appear on this occasion. Never
before had such extraordinary, such alarming such
novel questions been presented for the political
sderation of the American people, His apprehen-
sions were aroused in view Of them, and he some
times tremblei for the fate of his country. The
idea that this government was to be taken into the
keeping of secret, political, oath bound organiZa
ton, which set up unconstitutional test-oaths, and
the members of which were bound to each other by
the most terrible obligations, was to him most
alarming, and should, in his judgment, arouse the
apprehensions of every patriotic in the whole
country.
Mr. Clay denied that the platform put forth by
the late Know Nothing Convention at Philadelphia,
was the real platform of the party-party did call
them, said he; no, they not party IN any pro-
per acceptation of the term. Parties have hereto
fore been OPEN public and above board; but this is
secret, bound, political organization which is
seeking after the political power of the country, by
ways and means unknown to the law, and in palpa-
bic disregard of the iong-cstabished usages of the
people and the history of the government. 1t
sought political power not by open and fair means,
but by secret plottinss, by cabastic words, by
signs and grips unknown to the people large, and
in palpable violation Of the whole spirit and genius
of the government.
No,said he the true platform of this extraordinary
organization is to be found in their oahs and ritual.
There were to be found the things which they were
sworn to do and to carry OUT and looking into these
oaths and the ritual he found that their objects
strike at the citizens of foreign BIRTH at the i'm
migrants from other countries, to dsfranchise, de-
grade and disgrace them, by depriving them not
ly of the right to Americanize themselves, but cut
ting them off from the rights of hospitality and hui
manity.-They also sought to 6isfranchise and de-
grade another class of citizens whether native
born or foreign, on account of their religious opin-
ions, In plain violation of the constitution of the
country, and regardless of the paineSt dictates of
justice and humanit
Mr. Clay said that, rather than submit any ex-
tended remarks of his own on these subjects, he
had chosen to collate the expressed and authentic
OpUlOnS Oh the Oiu laCncrS OF the repuOllC ana he
read extensively from the writings of Washington,
of Jefferson, Of Madison, OF jackson, of Quincy
and of others.
He concluded his happy effort by saying that,
though the cid wing party, with which he had al
ways acted, was broken and dispersed, yet he APP
peared there as one of the old guard of that
once powerful and great party and in that capacity
he protested against this new secret organization as
faught with danger to his country and its lberties
and he called upon all the old liners of the wing par
ty to Join him in the protest.
IMPORTANT FROM UTAH.-The New York Herald
of Saturday afternoon publishes the following letter
from Mormon Elder, which gives an account of
the ravages of the grasshoppers in Utah:
GREAT SALT LAKE CRY, y. T., ]
June l, 1855 {
You will recollect me- late as Speaker of the House
of Representatives of this Territory, and now a
member of said House; and having just returned
from tour through the southern settlements of this
far off land in company with the Governor and 9TH
ers, prepared to give accounts of the most as
founding ravages and destruction by grasshoppers
ever knew or heard of.
The wheat CROP which promised so much and
which is almost the only commodity of life in these
thousand mile deserts and thousand feet mountains
is like an extnguished light, gone-yes, that, and al
most everything else that can be nibbled bv grass
hoppers, have vanished, like the baseess fabric of
a vislon
To all appearance, seed will not be raised for an
other crop; and as matter of course meat of every
kind must be just scarce unless we make der
aaier resort on the grass-hoppers.
Mr.. Cain, gentleman of probity and quick dis
cernment, has just returned from an excursion north
and says the grssshoppers are pushing themselves
out of the earth by billions and trons and should
the weather hasten their growth and their
wings so to fly, the whole country may cry "Wo
be to the land of their flight and the day of their
might"
The great European armies of the Crimea cannot
mete out destruction like this host of jehovah and
except we live by faith, live not; for the little
fellows, after Vanquishing the crops make war upon
the nurseries, forests and shrubbery of both fields
and plains; and, as insects and hunger have no con-
sciencies unless the old countries blessed with
an abundance Of provisions, and the army cometh
not to deVour, there must be famine and when the
trial comes, what is a dollar pound for -four or
meat, if there is none? As SHAKESPEARE says chats
the rub" for rich and poor.
send this for publications that strangers NAV not |
come to Utah to starVe for thousand miles from |
all source of relief cannot be passed. among noun
tans of snow, in the depth of winter, without as
much faith the Children of Israel had to be led
through the Red Sea by Moses and already every |
route to California with all that fear and |
dread the crucbe that tries the hearts and veins of
ALL AS the poet sung, 'Such getting out of trou-
Die, such running from the bubble, never did seeI"
Respectfully, &C. W. w. PHELPS
ANOTHER RELIGIOUS CRUsADE.-Some clericarfool, |
struck with the imaginary success of the crusade !
against the Catholics, has opened his batteries upon
the Methodist Episcopal Church. He is intensely !
American. He proposes in a course of lectures to
show that the Methodist Church is hostile to our Re-
publican Government and at war with our institr-
d.