Daily American organ. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1856, 1856-06-24
WHOLE NO. 5O7.


Sioy ana James Bu9hmnaas
~ mas often been said that the origin of the old
onatSo u oargAin and corruption, which wrought
such an amount Of political miscbsf - HsSrv
Clay from 1928 till the end Of his noble ne. .nd
SO fearfaLy affected through him the dsst;nis. ~
the nation, had It's origin with Mr. Buchsnsn !. and
this is unquestionably true. The charge hscsr,.
public from Gen. Jackson's stating that Mr. CIav
or his friends had made proposals TO vote for him
for the Presidency in the House Of Representative
II after his election, Mr. Clay could b. Secretary
OF State. And General Jackson said that he could
prove this by distinguished member of the House
rom Pennsylyania, meaning Mr. buchanan. Mr..
Oiay, with his Characteristic promptitude. took
issue at once by denying the truth of the charge
and demanding to be confronted with the author
OF It. General jackson named Mr. Buchanan a
his authority, stating that Mr.. B. had said to him
that Ar. Clay or his friends had through him prof
fered the vote Of Kentucky to General jackson
upon condition Of Mr.. C.'s having promise Of the
secrstaryship. Mr. Buchanan, being thus brought
before the public, addressed to General Jackson's
orgaa, the Washington Telegraph, : letter, which,
while it disappointed and in some measure offended
General jackson by failing to sustain the charge
against Mr.. Clay, ayowed the writer's conviction
.hat Mr.. Clay had sold himself and his friends to
Mr.. Adams for the secrctaryship, and was 60
worded that it might be used with effect BY Mr..
Clay's bitter and remorseless enemiea That It
was thus used by Mr.. Clay'a enemies, the world
well knows and will not soon forget.
The fact, then, s manifest that tho old bargain
and corruption CHARGE which for years cut 20 dark
figure in the politics Of the nation, originated
with Mr.. Buchanan. That gentleman, In an inter
view with Gen. jackson, If be did not directly as
sert that Mr. Clay and his friends proposed to giye
him the Kentucky vote In confederation Of the Sec-
retaryship of State at least left distinct imures-
sion upon the Generals mind that Mr. Clay and
his friends bad made this propOsition--an impres-
sion so distinct that the chiefain spoke and acted
upon It. But for MI. Buchanan's representation,
Mr.. Clay at all. What the words were that Mr..
b. used to General jackson, the world may never
know; but their effect is known to the present
generation, and viii be known to future ones. The
General was induced, by Buchanan's statement to
him, to accuse Henry Clay of corrupt propo-
sal, and the accusation having been made in such
high quarter, great party throughout the ma
tion felt themselves called on to sustain it; and
AE Buchanan, whan forced to speak out, express
cd his belief that II. Clay vas guilty Of bargain
and corruption, and thus tafepeAout the lifetime
of . generation, the gre91set ao1ooanan Of that
generation was excluded Aon nafioaal honors, by
the sheer force Of cruel -. md most unnitiga-
ted calumny.
The chief re.son urged by tho Jackson party for
Adams icr the Presidency o., account q : prcuaiss
Of the Secretaryship was avowedly founded upon
the fact that Mr.. Clay had previously been regard
cd a uaffsendzy 70 Mr.. Adams. The universal
assumption Of the jackson party was, that Nr.
Clay would greatly have preferred voting for Con.
Jackson and would actually have voted for him II
he could have obtained from him or his friends an
assurance Of the Secretaryship. New, Mr. Blu
chanan knew, during al those years OF NJ. Chy's
bitter persecution, not only that Nj. Uay had not
proposed to him to vote for Gen. jackson II hs
could thereby obtain the Sscrstasyshp, 6s that he
had actually turned ddGf ear to sstcA proposaZ
ghen made By Mr.. BacAanas himsskf We gave
the other day passage from Colton's ifs Of Henry
Clay, a passage Wyitteft By nv. Czays oscn AsMd,
passage far too striking ever TO be forgotten by
any one who has read it setting forth that Mr. Bu-
chanan himself, in January, 1925, while the Presi-
dental election was pending in the House of Rep
rcsentatives, sought An interview with Mr.. Clay,
told him what sort of q Cabinet Gen jackson
would have If elected and as tho pith Of the whole
communication, stated explicitly that Mr.. Clay
would be the Secretary of State-of course upon
condition Of his voting for General Jackson
Gov. Letcher was present when this communica-
tion of Mr.. Buchanan's was made to Mr.. Clay. Mr..
Buchanan then knew, indeed he had better reason
than any other man living except Gov. Letcher to
know, that Mr.. Clay did not, as charged upon Mr..
Buchsnans alleged authority, propose through him
to barter his vote to Gen. JackSon III consideration
Of Office. Nay, more, he knew that Mr.. Clay had,
through him, been offered the Secretaryship for
his vote in the event of Jacksons election, and
that he had refused the offer without even parley-
ing moment upon the subject. When called on
to say whether Mr.. Clay his friends had propos-
ed bargain with jackson, Mr.. B. might he could,
he should, have answered, that not only had he
every reason to stamp the charge as untrue, but
that he had direct personal knowledge that the bar
gain, the very identical bargain in question, had
been directly proposed to Mr.. Clay and by him re-
jected.
Mr. Buchanan did not dare to reply to Mr..
Chy's exposition in Coltons Life of him At the
time of the publication of the book, although told
by his political organs that his political saliva
ton depended upon his doing 50 he did not dare
to reply during Mr.. Clay's lifetime though repeat
edly reminded that, if he intended ever to make
reply he should do so before the death of the illus
trious victim Of his injustice; he dares not reply
now during the lifetime Of Governor Letcher and,
even if Governor Letcher were dead, he would not
dare to reply for he knows that there are records
in existence a. potent for his conviction and for
the vndication of the memory of the mighty dead
as a thousand living witnesses. When we think
of that remarkable political drama of 1925 and
Mr.. Buchanans extraordinary participation in it
when we consider that he sought out Mr.. Clay
and pretendedly by authority offered him the Sec
retaryshp of State for his vote In favor OF Jack
son that he then sought out jackson and made
the old hero believe that Mr.. Clay had offered his
vote for him upon condition Of getting the Secre-
taryship; and that, upon being named BY General
jackson as one who could establish the Act Of
corrupt proposal from Mr.. Clay, he actually had
the audacity and the infamy TO write letter sg-
nifying his belief thst Mr. Clay had sold himsef to
Mr.. Adams for the Secretarysnip-wes say, when
we consider all these things We cannot resist the
conviction, that Of al the public men Of the Uni
ted States, James Buchanan most deserves the
scorn and erecration Of the present age and Of
posterity OF All the prominent msn of our nation,
he appears to US to have tho darkest and most &C
cursed record. And hundreds of Thousands un-
hesitatingly agree with us-