The Athens post. [volume] (Athens, Tenn.) 1848-1917, 1856-07-18

TIE GREAT ISLANDER UPON HENRY
CLAY AND JAMES BUCHANAN'S
CONNECTION WITH 1T.
Upon this subject we present to-day two
written statements made BY Gen. Jackson
himself In the last years Of his life They
show how thoroughly his soul was poisoned
by the base falsehood which Mr.. Buchanan
brcnthed into his enr, and how ineradicably
the slander remained ever afterwards fixed in
his belief .-
The Mnysville Express hns had the reck.
lessness to say that"when the charge [ngainst
Mr.. Clayl was made by Gen. jackson, who
referred to Mr.. Buchanan ns his witness, Mr..
Buchanan repelled II, and General jackson
never repeated II afterwards" We confront
this reckless assertion of the Express, with
the "curd" Of Gen. Jackson, dated May 8,
l844, and addressed to the editors of the
Nashville Union. Ia that card Gen. jackson
says:
"My attention has been called to various
newspaper articles, referring to letter said
to have been written by me to Gen. Hamilton,
recantlng the charge of bargain made against
MIR. Clay, when he voted for Mr.. Adams in
1925. TO put an end 10 all such rumors, |
feel it TO be due 10 myself to state that have
no recollection Of ever having written such
letter, and do not believe there is letter
from me to Gen. Hamilton, or any one else,
that will bear such n construction. OF the
charges brought against Mr.. Adams and Mr..
Clay at that time formed my opinion as the
country at large did-from facts and circum.
stances that were indisputablc and conclusive;
and 1 may add that this opinion has undergone
no change"
This card may be found in Colton's Life
and Times Of Henry Clau, and in all the
Democratic newspapers of 1914, when the last
successful attempt was made to keep Henry
Clay out of the Presidency by repctitions of
this slander. The Kentucky Yeoman copied
the "card" into its issue of May 80, 1874,
under the caption of" "a Clay.coon Fa!sehood
Nailed to the Counter"
In this card Gen. Jackson declares that his
"opinon" [that Clay and Adams were guilty
of The corrupt bargain which he had charged
upon theml had undergone no changc."-
Thus he virtually repeated the charge before
the public, and re.asserted his belief that il
was true; and this he did in 1874, when Hen.
ry Clay was candidate for the Presidency
and when this charge was the chief reliance
of his enemies to effect his defeat.
The next statement of General Jackson.
which we present, impenches Mo Buchanan,
character for truth, by charging him will
lacking the moral courage to repeat hefor,
the public the tale he had told in private
This statement has just been given to thu
public by Hon. Allen A. Hall, editor of the
Nashville Banner, who copies it from lettc
written by Gen. Jackson 10 friend, Feb. %
lS45-just two months and ten days befor,
his death, and while his last sickness wa,
upon him. The editor of the Banner copie.
as follows from the letter lying before him:
"Your observations with regard to Mr.
Buchanan are correct. He sho,red rant o
moral courage in the affairs of the intrigue o
Adams and Clny-did not do me Justice in III
erpOSe he then made, and am sure about tha
time did believe there was n perfect under
! standing between Adams and Clay about tn,
Presidency and the Secretary of State. Th
| am sure of. But whether he viewed tha
there was any corruption in the case or not,
know not, but one thing do knop that h
,oished me to combat them 1ith their opn ,pee
pons-that ,oas, to let my friends say if / pa
elected would make Mr.. Clay Secretary O
State. This to me appeared gross corruption
, and repelled it with thnt honest indignation
as (which | thought it deserved"
Here Gen. Jackson, so far from recantin
,, the charge, or admitting that his own state
ment of his interview with Mr. Buchanan wa
in nnywise erroneous, says Buchanan "showe
:. aoant Of moral courage" and "did not do M
: justice in The erpose he then made;" and
,, expressly reaffirms what Mr.. Buchanan ha
s expressly denied-vz: that Buchanan advise
him to "combat them 1.-THE friends of NJ
: Adams] with their own weapohs-that wa
!. to let my friends say that if was elected
). would make Mr.. Clay Secretary of State"
j. From this it is evident that Gen. Jacks
Il always stood by his own statement of NJ
Buchanan's communication to him MS the tru
, one--that he always believed what Buchana
then told him was true-that he always b.
lieved it was nothing but "a want of NOR
y. courage" that is fear Of Mr.. Clay and h
friends, which induced Buchanan to equiv
!, cate, and fail to repeat before the public VIII
he had told him in private-and that, poiso
!, ed in mind and judgment by Buchanan's p
"A vate statement, he lived and died in the bell
q. that his great compatriot, Henry Clay, h
a. been guilty of base barter of honesty
, Office.
1. And now having this re. re.confirmation
70 Gen. Jackson, on his death. bed, of his o,
n statement of what Mr.. Buchanan did comm
\. nicate to him at that interview "early in ].
/. uary, 1925" let us re produce that stateme
=. in order that the reader may have the VIII.
N matter clearly before him at once. 1t is
y follows:
"A "Hs [Buchanan] said he had been inform
y by the friends Of Mr.. Clay that the friends
10 Mr.. Adaws had made opertures 10 them, 50
" ing, if Mr.. Clay and his friends ,oould un
I. in aid Of the election Of Mr.. Adams, Mr.. Ch
"a should be Secretary Of State. That the frien
Of Mr.. Adams were urging, rs n reason
III induce the friends of Mr.. Clay to accede
their proposition, that IL was elected Pre-
=, dent, Mr.. Adams wonld be continued Sec
% tary of State, Gnuendo, there would be