Nashville daily patriot. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1855-1857, 1856-08-07
THURSDAY, AUGUST z, 1855.
The Bargain Affair Again---Henry
Clay's Opinion of James Buch-
anan

During the progress of the events which
grew out Of the charge Of intrigue prefer
red against Mr.. Clay in 1925, it was for a
long time unknown who was the manager
in-chief behind the scenes-the agent who
had first given motion to the machinery,
aud upon whom it entirely depended for
action. 1t was several years subsequently
before the name of this person was disclos.
ed He had been referred to in a letter
from Gen. jackson to Carter Beverly, bear.
ing date June 9th, 1927, in this wise:
/" Early in January, 1925, member OF
Congress of high responsibility visited
me one morning, and observed that he
/" had a communication he was DESTROYS to
make to me; that he was informed there
"was great intrigue going on, and that
" it was right should be informed Of it;
" that he came as friend, and let me re.
ceive the communication as l might, the
" friendly motives through which it was
made, he hoped would prevent any
" change of friendship or feeling in regard
Z" to him. To which l replied, from his
" high standing as a gentleman and men,
" Der of Congress, and from his uniform
/" friendly and gentlemanly conduct towards
myself, / could not suppose he would
make any communication to me which he
supposed improper. Therefore, his mo-
4" tives being pure, let me think as might
" of the communication, my feelings to-
wards him would remain unaltered. The
gentleman proceeded: He said he had
been informed by the friends of Mr.. Clay,
/" that the friends of Mr.. Adams had made
overtures to them, saying, if Mr.. Clay
and his friends would unite in aid of Mr..
Adams election, Mr.. Clay should be Sec
rotary of State; that the friends of Mr..
Adams were urging, as a reason to in
duce the friends of Mr.. Clay to aceede
to their proposition, that if (Gen j. }
" were elected President, MrAdams would
be continued as Secretary Of State I'm
uendO, there would he 20 room for Ken
tucky;) that the friends of Mr.. Clay
stated, the West did not wish to separate
from the West, and if would say, or
permit any of my confidential friends to
say, that in case | were elected Presi
dent, Mr.. Adams should not becOutinued
Secretary of State, by a complete union
Of Mr.. Clay and his friends, they would
put an end D the Presidential contest in
one hour. And he 10as Of opinion that IL
1cas right 10 fight such iHtriguers ,cah their
Ol0R 1OeapOns To which, in substance, /
replied-tbat in politics, as in everything
else, my guide was principle; and con
trary to the expressed and unbiased viii
of the people, never would step into the
Presidential chair; and requested him to
say to Mr.. Clay and his friends (for did
suppose he had come from Mr. Clay
though he used the term of Mr.. Clay's
friends that before l would reach the
Presidential chair by snch means of bar
gain and corruption, / would see the
earth open and swallow both Mr.. Clay
and his friends, and myself with them"
In a letter dated July 18th, 1927, Gen.
jackson, speaking of this interview, says
This disclosure was made TO me by Mr.
JAMES BUCHANAN, a member of Congress
from Pennsylvania" On August Sth,
1927, Mr. Buchanan addressed letter to
the editor of the Lancaster Journal, in
which he admits himself to be the person
who approached Gen. Jackson and held the
above detailed interview In this letter,
which was intended as a reply to Gen.
Jackson's address TO the public, and an ex-
PLANTATION Of the position in which Gen.
Jackson's history of their interview as Civ
en- in the Beverly letter, had placed him,
he introduces Mr.. Markly, a colleague in
the Pennsylvania delegation Mr.. Markly
is made to play the part Of the friend Of
Mr. Clay, who had conversed with Mr..
Buchanan on the subject Of the Presiden.
tial election, and suggested the interview
which he held with Gen. jackson. Mr..
Markly thought that Mr. Buchanan had
dealt unfairly with him, and replied on the
S0th of October TO Mr.. Buchanan's letter,
correcting its misstatements. In his letter,
Mr.. Buchanan stated that Mr.. Markly
urged me TO do so; Il. e. TO approach
Gen. Jackson and observed, if Gen.
jackson had not determined whom he
would appoint Secretary of State, and
= would say that it would not be Mr..
Adams, it might be Of great advantage
to our cause for us TO declare so on,
(upon) his own authority. We should
then be placed upon the same footing
with the Adams men, and might fight
them with their own weapons" To
which Mr.. Markly replied: I" / have no
recollection whatever of having urged
"Mr. Buchanan to see Gen. Jackson al
though | concurred in the propriety of
his suggestion, that be should call TO see
/" him; nor have the faintest recollection
of anything being said about fighting Mr..