Lynchburg daily Virginian. [volume] (Lynchburg [Va.]) 1852-1861, 1856-07-01
uenr, cray and James Buchanan.

Henry Clay and James ssucnanan.
Prom the Louisville journal
! We hope that what we are nov about to write
will command the attention of all honert and
honorable n,en aud especially Of old Line Wings,
the former supporter. Of Henry Clay and the
,reseni reyer.rs of his memory. The boast has
cen made TIM, the Old Wings will. as a general
nie. support Mr. Buchanan for the Presidency
We shall see.
All Of our old politicians have vivid reeollec
ton Of the leading events OF the election OF Pres
deni by the House Of Representative in the ear
IL part of ISIS. Mr.. Clay was then membes
IL The House and he cast hi. vote and influence
ia favor Of John Quincy Adams. who was elect
I'd over General jackson and Mr.. Crawford. -
Mr. Clay was subsequently, selected by Mr.. AID.
ans a- his Secretary OF State At latter peri
nd Mr.. Clay WINS charged by MS political enc
mics with having sold bis vote to Mr. Adams for
the Secretary ship, and we all know THAT this cru
Il and monstrous charge, though abundanily're
fulcd in every form in which RECITATION was pos.
sbe or conceivable. involved, to great extent,
the ruin of Mr.. Clay's political fortunes. But
for that charge. he would afterwards have been
elected President Of the United States almost by
reclamation.
Foremost among those who charged that Mr..
Claws vote was given 10 Mr.. Adams account
# promise Of the Seeretaryship of State was
Gen. Jackson. The General gave tho name Of
MT. DucHnHnH Us MS hulubIlIy ibT tue tTuIu Oh
the charge. Mr. Buchanan had held a private
conversation with him on the subject, making such
statements as left no doubt upon the subject in
tho Generals mind. In fact the General did not
hesitate 10 say. after that interview, that Mr..
Buchanan had come TO him with full authority
from Mr.. Clay or bis friends to propose terms to
him in relation TO their votes; that is TO propose
to vote for him for the Presidency if he would
promise Office to Mr.. Clay. Of course Mr.. Buch-
apan was called on TO put into the form of let
ter what he knew upon the subject aud what he
had stated TO Gen. Jackson. He accordingly
wrote the letter which afterwards became fa-
nous in the controversy. That letter was most
adroitly written with view to relieve the author
from the excessively painful position in which no
stood. lie dared not say that he ever had any
authority from Mr.. Clay or his friends to pro
pose terms to Gen. Jackson, yethe carefully SO
shaped his language to afford Mr.. Cays pc.
lltIcnl enemies pretexi for repeating the afro
cous calumny against him. He expressed his
own belief of that bargain and corruption story
He said:' The facisae before the morid that
Mr.. Clay and his particular friends made Mr..
adams President. dndhe made Clay Secretary Of
State, The people mW dap their own in ference
from such conduct and the circumstances connected
phh 1t. They wH judge ofthe cause from The
eBect.
Mr.. Clay and his friends regarded Mr.. Buchan-
ans letter as exculpating him and them from the
charge of having authorized Mr.. Il. to propose
terms ioGen. Jackson in relation to their votes,
and so indeed it did. And yet it was cunning
ly written that tho whole of Mr. Clay's political
enemies throughout the milton considered il and
treated it not as vindication OF the Kentucky
statesman. but us confirmation strong" of the
accusation against him. Thus the whole caumny
originated in Mr.. Buchanan's statement to Gene
raj Jackson,and when the author Of the statement
L
it out ia the shape of letter.ho performed the
appointed task, us while shrinking from any d.
rect confirmation of the impression he had previ-
ously given t. Gen. jackson TO afford a pretest
10 the whole Jackson party to assail Mr.. Clay as
traitor To his country and there was not jack
son newspaper or u Jackson politician in the ma =
ton that did not treat Mr.. Buchanan's letter us
evidence of bargain intrigue. and corruption be-
tween Mr.. Adams aud Mr.. Clay.
he specific charge. as already stated, which
was made against Mr.. Clay.and which Mr.. Buoh
annn was cited as witness to prove. was that MI
G. had proposed to make Gen. Jack son President
If he himself could be Secretary of State. This
charge, involving the inference that Mr.. Clay did
vote for Mr.. Adams for th@prornse of the Score
taryshp was ;he charge by means of which the
party that Mr.. Buchanan then acted with. and
ever afterwards acted with broke down the great
est and best man Of his age. And now, follow
opment of facts. The real truth is that. instead of
MIR. Clay's suege sting to Mr.. Buchanan during
the tendency # the Presidential election in the
House of Representatives in 1925 that he and
this friends would support Conceal jackson if he
could have the Secretary ship of the State under
him, Mr.. Buchanan himself actually sought Mr..
Clay, and, in the presence ola third gentleman,
EXPLICITLY declared to him, that in the event of the
election of latter he would have the
fy,n haar
him make this statement in the after years Of his
life and we with half dozen others, heard him say
in tho Presidential campaign, of lS44 that he
would not be willing to die without leaving it on
record. A few years ago Mr.. Calvin Cotton pub
lished the Life of Henry Clay, in the preparation
of which he visited Ashland and had free access to
many of Mr.. Clay's private papers. He devoted
a considerable portion of his book to the old bar
GAIN intrigue, and corruption story ,nnd Mr.. Clay
wrote out passage of it with his own hand. That
passage was Incorporated in the volume word for
word as II came from the venerable statesman
pen. Let tn" American people read it, ponder
upon it. Here it is
Some time in January, 1925, and moi long be.
fore the election of President If the United States
by the House of Representatives, the Hon. Jane S
Buchanan, then member of tho House, and af-
forwards many years Senator of the United
States from Pennsylvania. who had been a zeal
Gus and influential supporter of General jackson
In the preceding canvass, and was supposed to
enjoy his uubounded confidence, called at the
lodgings of Mr.. Clay in the city of Washington.
MIR. Clay was al the time in the room of his only
messmate in the House, his intimate and conf
dental friend the Hon. r. Z. Ietcher, since
Governor of Kentucky then also member of
the House, Shortly after Mr.. Buchanans entry
into tho room, he introduced the subject of tho
approaching Presidential election, and spoke of
the certainty of the election Of his favorite ad-
ding that he would form the most splendid CABS,
net that the country had ever had. Mr. Letcher
asked, how could he have one more distinguish
ed than that Of Mr.. jefferson, in which were both