The Cecil Whig. [volume] (Elkton, Md.) 1841-current, 1856-06-28
Henry Clay and James Buchanan.

| attention I'll all honest and honorable men
and especially Of old line Wings, the former
supporters of Henry Clay and the present ,e
vcrcrS Of his memory. The boast has been
made that the ol,l-linc Wings will as gene
raj rule support Mr.. buchanan for the Prcsi
dcncy. We shall see.
! All OF our old politicians have vivid rcro-
lection Of the leading events Of the election of
resident by the House Of Representatives in
the carly part of 'S2j. Mr. Clay was then
ms nhcr OF the House and he cast his vote
and influence III favor ofJohn Quincy Adams
who was elected over General jackson and
MIR. Crawford. Mr.. Clay was subsequently
selected 10y Mr.. Adams as his Secretary of
Statc.-At later period Mr. Clay was
charged by his political enemies with having
| sold his vote to Mr.. Adams for the Secretary
| ship, and We all know that this cruel and
nonsiious Charge, though abundantly rcfltcd
| IN every form Ill which rclutation was posi-
| bic or conceivable, involved to a great extent
the rum OF Mr.. Clay S political fortunes. But
for that charge, he would afterwards have
been elected President Of the United States
almost by accamation.
Foremost among those who charged that
MI. Clay s vote was given to Mr.. Adams on
account OF promise of the Secrctaryship of
State Was Gen. jackson. The General gave
the name OF MIR. buchanan as his authority
Tor the truth Of the charge. Mr. Buchanan
'ad hc'd private conversation with him
upon the subject, making such statements as
lclt no doubt upon the subject in the Gene
raj S mind. In fact the General did not hest
| tate TO say, after that interview, that Mr..
buchanan had come to him with full authori-
ty from Mr.. Clay or his friends to propose
terms 10 h!7r III relation to their votes; that
Is to propose to vote for him for the Prcsidcn-
| cy if he could promise Office to MIR. Clay. Of
course Mr.. buchanan was called on to put
into the form Of u letter what he knew upun
the subject and what he had stated to Gene
lal Jackson lie accordingly wrote the letter
which afterwards became famous in the con-
lrUyerSy. hat letter was most adroitly
written with a view TO relieve the author riom
the excessively painful position in which he
stood. lie dared not say that he ever had
amy authority from Mr.. Clay or his friends to
propose terms to Gen jackson, yet he care
iuiy 50 shaped his language rs to afford Mr.
,lay political enemies Il prctcXt for repeat
my The atIoclouS calumny against him. He
expressed his own belief o! the bargain and
corruption story. lie said: "1Ac tacts orc
bejoye he ~ordl MM Mr.. Clcy ant his pmticu-
lar J,tc"dS mGde lh. -1iNns PfcSileni, u,M
clay Secretary Of S'n'e. The pcopic wW dfalr
'hctr oar" 'njcrt"cc from such coai'Wt o"d The
circumstances connected rjh ii. Ihcy uW
Jmige o. tic cause from the effect.
Mr.. Clay and his friends regarded Mr.
buchanan S letter as cAculpating him and
them from the charge Of having authorised
Mr.. Is. to propose terms to General jackson
IN relation to their votes, and so indeed it did.
And yet 1t was so cunnn.ly written that the
whole OF Mr.. Clay's political enemies through
out the nation considered it and treated it
not as vndication Of the kentucky States
man bnt as confirmation strong of the
truth OF the accusation against him. Thus
the whole caiuMny originated in Mr.. Buch-
anan statement to General jackson, and,
when the author Of the statement was rcQuir-
cd by jackson or his organ TO write it on: in
the shape Of letter, lie so clfolm,d the ap-
pointed task, as, Willie shrinking from amy
direct confirmation Of the impression he had
previously given to Gen jackson, to alord
prctcXt to the whole jackson party to asSail
Mr.. Clay as a traitor to his country, aud
there was not jackson newspaper or a
Jack son politician in the nation that did not
treat Mr.. BuChanan's letter as evidence of
halgaln, intrigue, and corruption between Mr..
Adams and Mr.. Clay.
The specific charge already stated, which
was made against Mr.. Clay, and which NJ,
Buchanan was cited as witness to prove,
was that Mr.. {. had proposed IT, max, Gene.
raj jackson l'r"slacnt 1t he himself could be
Secretary Of State: THIS charge, involving
the inference thai Mr.. Clay did vote for Mr..
ADAMS lor ':.c promise OF the Sccrctaryship,
was TIE charge by means Of which the party,
That MIR. Buchanan then acted with and ever
afterwards acted with, broke down the great
est and best man OF his age. And now, iel-
, low countrymen, We ask you to mark the
| final development Of facts. The real truth is
that instead of MIR. Gays suggesting to Mr..
Buchanan during the tendency Of the Prcsi-
| GENITAL election, i'll the House of Representa-
| tiv,s III lS.j, that he ard his friends would
support General Jackson if he could have the
Sccrctaryship Of State under him, Mr.. Buch-
anan himself actually sought Mr.. Clay, and
i'll the presence Of a third gentleman, explicit
| ~ declared to him, that, in the event of his
voting for Gcncial jackson and the election
| Of the latter, he would have the Secretary
| snip.
Mr.. Clay's intimate personal friends often
| heard him make this statement in the after
years Of his life, and we, with half a dozen
others, heard him say in the Presidential
campaign of lS44 that he would not be will
ing to tic without leaving it on record. And
he did not die without leaving it on record.
y few ycsrsaso Calvin ColtoA published the
Life Of Henry Clay, III the preparation Of
which he visited Ashland and had flee access
10 many OF Mr.. Claws private papers. lie
devoted considerable portion Of his book to
the old bargain, intrigue, and corruption
story, and MIR. Clay wrote out one passage
of it with his own hand. That passage was
incorporated in the volume word for word as
it came from the venerable statcsman's pen.
Let the American people read it and ponder.
upon it. Here it Is:
".Somc time III January, eighteen hundred
and twenty-five, and not long before the ,,c-
lion Of President Of the United States by the
House of Representatives, the Hon. James
| buchanan, then Il member of the House, and
afterwards many years Il Senator of the
United States from Pennsylvania, who had
been jealous and influential supporter Of
Cen Jackson i'll the preceding canvass, and
was supposed to enjoy his unbound,d conf,
dcncc, called at the lodgings Of Mr. Clay, in
the city ol Washington. Mr.. Clay was ut the
time IN the room oi his only mcssmatc III The
liouc, his intimate and confidential friend,
the Hon IL. i. Ictchcr, since Governor Of
Kentucky, then also Il member Of the House.
= 81.