Lynchburg daily Virginian. [volume] (Lynchburg [Va.]) 1852-1861, 1856-07-01

| any authority from Gen. jackson TO say whathe
said to Mr.. Clay. yet he professed TO utter fact
| and not opinion He undertook to assert, as from
| authority. that Gen jackson would form the most
splendid cabinet the country had ever had. and
| tina, Mr. Clay, if he should support him, would be
secretary Of State.
Mr. Clay stated in the passage he wrote out for
Coltons biography Of him that. while he was
80 hotly assailed with the charge of bargain aud
corruption during the Adams administration.
he notified Mr.. Buchanan of his intention topub.
lish the occurrences In question, but was induced
BY that genileman's earnest enireaties, 10 for
bear doingro. Mr.. Cotton snid in his biography
TINT he had understood that several times in later
years Mr.. CLAY had minated to Mr.. Buchanan
that il might be his duty IN publish the facts.and
that he was dssaudrd from IL by Buchanan. We
nl.n know tha Mr.. Clay often between 1925 and
Is45 contemplated publishing the facts and
vehemently urged by his political friends to do
SO as matter ofjustice not merely to his own
fame, but to his party and that he was prevented
only by Mr.. Buchanan's entreaties. Govern
or Letcher who was present at the interview
in january 1925 and heard all that passed was
always OF opinion that MrCly ought TO make
the publication and often told him 50. but Mr..
Clay was long suffering, and carried his generosi-
~ too far.
Mr. Letcher, il seems after the interview oil
January 1925. relieved Mr.. Bnchnnan's appre-
lsh the facts OF the interview without MIR. Bu-
chanun's consent. But SO strong and deep was
Mr.. Lttcher's conviction that the facts ought to
be published that he wrote to Mr.. Buchanan up
the subject during the great Pre- .identla CON
fct OF 1914, declaring however in his letter that
he would not violate the pledge he had originally
given. Mr.. Buchanan replied, deprecating tho
publication and requiring the observance of the
pledge. The reply was made with Mr.. Buchan-
| ~ cbara ctar fin nd Wa uiv
! low entire. One might think. from the language
Of his letter. that he had no distinct recollection
| Of the conversation with Mr.. Clay, in Mr.. Letch
er's room. in January, l525, and yet that very
conversation, exceedingly emphatical as IT was,
had been. from the very first and through all the
ensuing years matter of the deepest anxiety
and even agitation to Mr. Buchanan, whoas Mr..
| Clay has testified under his own hand, had earn
estly entreated that it might not he given to the
world Here is Mr.. Buchanan's letter to Mr..
| Letcher.
MIR. BUCHANAN TO II. p. LETcHER.
! LANCASTER, June 81, 1874
| My DEAR SRI this moment received your
very kind letter and hasten to give it an answer.
| cannot perceive what good purpose it would
subserve Mr., Clay to publish the private and un-
reserved conversation to which you refer. ] was
then his ardent friend and admirer; and much Of
this ancient feeling still survives, notwithstand
| ing our political differences since. ! did him
ample justice, but no more than justice both in
my speech Chlton's resolution and in my let
ter in answer TO General Jack son.
| II have not myself any very distinct recoec-
ton of what TRANSFERRED. in your loom nearly
twenty years ago, but doubtless | expressed II
strong wish to himself, as had done a hundred
times To others that he might vote for Gen Jack
sou. and if he desired it become his next Secreta
ry Of State. Had he voted for the General in
case of his election, | should most certainly have
exercised any influence might have possessed
to accomplish this result and this should have
done from the most disinterested, friendly and
! patriotic motives.
This conversation of mine. whatever it NAV
have been, can never be brought home to Gen
Jackson. lnever had but one conversation with
him ON the subject of the then pending election,
and that upon the street, and the whole Of it,
verbatim ct literatm when comparatively fresh
upon my memory, was given to the public in
my letter of August, 1927. The publication,
then. OF this private conversation. could serve
no other purpose than to cmbarrass me, ard
force me prominently into the pending contest
which desire to avoid.
You nre certainly correct in your recollection.
"You told me explicitly that you did not feel
at liberty to give the CONVEX saton alluded to.
and would not do SO, under any crcumst ances
without my express permission" In this you
have acted as you have ever done. like a man
of honor and principle"
To show how the terrible exposition made by
Mr.. Clay in Colton's biography of him was re-
! garded at the time. may mention the ia ct,
that, whenit appeared. all the Democratic
gans were startled byit Mr. Buchanan was
then no candidate for office and on that account
1t created IA less powerful impression than il
would otherwise have done. but wildly re
member tho sensation manifested by the Demo
cratic papers. especially those of Pennsylvania.
| We copied into the journal an article from the
most prominent and influential of them, all de-
claring. as several of the rest did,that Mr.. Buch
anan must respond to and refute the charge
made against him expect to be dispensed with
| by his party.
And we and hundreds of Wing editors called
| upon him and defied him to respond while yet
Henry Clay and X. p. Letcher were living to
meet any denial or equivocation that he might
| put forth. But he replied not He uttered no
word He could not be induced either by the war
ming threats of political friends or the loud defan
ces and demands of political opponents to open
his mouth. HumbIy he bore from the greatest
anthem living upon the earth published charge
which il true exhibited the most irredeemabe in
fanny on his part.
And now we ask the old friends of HenryClay,
we ask the Old Line Wings. we ask all honorable
men, we ask the whole American people what
they think of James Buchanan and how they
mean to act towards him. O. what n shame,
what burning shame. what an everlasting
shame it would be if the American nation after
having thrice rejected Henry Clay from the
! Presidency on account of a charge of bargain
and corruption resting on the alleged authority
of James Buchanan. and all because Mr.. Clay
listened to the earnest prayers of Mr. Buchanan
! the proposer of bargain and corruption, and spar
| ed him for nearly the lifetime ola generation,
were 10 elect that same Mr. Buchanan to the
Presidency. Truly it would be almost enough to
make man sick of his species.-( Louis. Jour
nal