The weekly American banner. (Yazoo City, Miss.) 1855-18??, 1856-07-04
Buchanan's Trcncllcry towards
Henry Clay.

= ueii sasan = proceedings IN lo10-dn q matter
then pending between Gen. Jackson and Mr..
Clay relative to the Secretaryship, from the
Louisville Journal Of the 2lst nst. Letallm en- |
read and condemn the treachery of the BLACK |
Cockafe- Federal Democratic Candidate for tho
Presidency.
There are some deplor able passages in the
history OF American politics. Henry Clay was
struck down in 1926 by the charge of bargain
ana corruption, and subsequently he was struck
DOWN py tue same charge as often as he was
presented by his friends as a candidate for the
Presidency. There is not now respectable
man IN the United States who. win express the
opinion that the charge hadthe slightest foun-
dation IN truth, but, false as il was, 1t did its
work. Hundreds of thousands OF American
citizens now look back with equal astonishment
and regret at the effects of miserable caIumny
IN prostratlng the greatest of American states
men and patriots and moulding the political
destinies of the nation.
Fortwenty years Henry Clay was an aspirant
to the Presidency, and during all that period !.
there was not q time when he could not have
been triumphantly elected, but for the wrctched
old bargain SANDER. And now let our fellow.
countrymen reflect what an everlasting infamy
It would be, If, after having uniustly rejected
henry Clay upon the strength of the charge of
bargain and corruption they were to elect James
bnchanan, who stands convicted before the
world OF having done everything in his power
IN 1873 to bring about bargain and corruption.
| we appeal to all men to mark the dsgraceful
part he played. Unquestionably without the
slightest authority in the world from Gen jack
son he went TO DIR. Clay, and, in the presence
OF distinguished witness, professed to be able
to say what kind of Cabinet Gen. Jackson would
make if elected, and directly and explicitly sta
ted, as matter within his knowledge, Mr. Clay
would be Secretary of State-of course provi-
ded his vote should be given for Jackson. Mr..
Clay would not even consider the proposals; but
see what the self constituted emissery next did
IN the pursuit of his puIpore. Although not re-
ceivlng the semblance of encouragement from
Mr.. Clay. he went straight to Gen. Jackson,
and whatever may have been his language, he
made the distinct impression on the chieftans
mind that Mr.. Clay and his friends were will
ing and anxious to give him the vote of Ken
lucky on condition of Mr.. Clay's being Secre
tary. The impression was so distinctly made
hat Gen. Jackson published the alledged ad-
5 lvances OF Mr.. Clay and his friends as fact
9 which i5 could establish, and gave up the name
of Mr.. Buchanan as bis authority and his sole
authority.
, So Mr.. Buchanan played the part of the mis-
s cradle go-between in an attempt 70 get up q
: bargain between Clay and Jackson, first going
J. without authority to Mr.. Clay, and assuring m
that Gen. Jackson proposed to bestow upon
him the Secretaryship for his vote,. and then
going to Gen. Jackson and TALKING in such a
: manner as to mahe him believe that Mr.. Clay
and his friends proposed giving him their votes
0 in con: deratien of the Secretaryshp Clay and
n jackson were too proud an honorable to have
e anything to do with bargaining for Office, but
e Buchanan's conduct showed that his whole soul
: was bent upon bring about bargain between
e these two distinguished men. Gen. Jackson
d with perfect confidence, publicly named Mr.
: Buchanan as the witness BY whom he could
= prove Mr.. Clay's corrupt advances, and although
: MIR. Buchanan did not dare, in view of what he
: knew could be proved on him, to confirm Gen
: Jackson's statement, he did dare with an infa
= nous effrontery never exceeded upon the earth
e to publish his own conviction that Mr.. Clay hat
IS sold himself to Mr.. Adams for the Secretary
n In publishing such a conviction, he publishes
|, what he personally knew to be basely caIam
IS NOUS.
e We have already dwelt sufficiently for sh,
e present upon the extraordinary fact that Henri
o Clay, with full power at any moment to tear thu
70 blrbed arrow from his cwn innocent breast an
t to hurlit into the guilty heart of James Buchanan
l. did, in pity to that pleading and abject man
I, keep silence for more than twenty years, year
l. of the bitterest trials and prosecutions
durei by public man in any age or country
n We have dwelt sufficiently at present upon TIL
J, fact that Mr.. Buchanan, in letter to Gov
ID Letcher published by US the other dav, refuse
2. to that gentleman the privilege of making know
Of to the public what occurred in his room between
r. Mr.. Clay and Mr.. Buchanan IN 1875, as proc
E that Mr.. Clay, far from having made propose
sc for bargain, had rejected such proposal from
y Mr.. Buchanan himself We may now add tina
al Gen. Jackson never forgave Mr.. Buchanan 70
n failing to state in his letter 10 the public wha
t Jackson had said he could prove by him an
&c what he no doubt had every reason to suppos
IN from what had pussed bstw cen them that h
re could provo by him. He made no open quarre
ID with the Pennsylvania politician, but he neve
e. had confidence in him afterwards. We find i
D. one of our exchanges the following statemen
n, which we presume will not be controverted:
RI Son the night before leaving Nashville t
'e occupy the White House, Mr. Polk, in compan
&c with Gen. Robert Armstrong, called at tn
70 Hermitage to procure some advice from the oil
te hero as to the selection of his cabinet Jack
ne SON strongly urged the President elect to Civ
Ct no place in it to Mr.. Buchanan, as he could nc
: be relied upon. 1t so happened that Polk ha
- already determined to make that very appoint
er ment, having probably offered the situation t
the statesman OF Penn. This fact induced Ger
We Armstrong subsequently that he had given Pol
rather hard rub, as Buchanan had already bee
20 selected for Secretary Of State. 81 can't he'll
20 it," said the old man, 81 felt it my duty to war
4 him against Mr.. Buchanan, whether it wa
= agreeable or not. / know him we'll, and Nj
ss 20 Polk will ket admit the correctness of my pre-
y diction.''
y 1t was the last visit ever made by Mr.. Pol
oe to the old hero when this unavailing remor
n' STRANGE was delivered. but the new Presiden