Nashville daily patriot. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1855-1857, 1856-07-26
SATURDAY, JULY 20, 1866.
The Arch.B ,rgainer.

ne Archie 'rRu1ners
Such positive and incontestable evidence
has been offered that the celebrated "bar
gain, intrigue and corruption" charge was
the work of James Buchanan, that the
conviction has become general that bis
guilty shoulders should be made to bear
the entire burden Of odium which attaches
to it. His conduct in regard to it, from
its inception in his own brain, to the con.
summation in the defeat of Mr.. Clay's as
pirations, and until the death of that great
and greatly injured man, is utterly indie
fensible, and remains and will always re-
main, undefended by his friends. The dem
ocratic journals of the country have scarce
ly made an attempt to defend him. The
proof is too conclusive and overwhelming.
The two chief witnesses are the men be-
tween whom the intriguer's Vaccinations
produced lifelong and irrecOnciabIe diff
ference, the other is the culprit's self, in
his admissions in the letter to Letcher,
besides other strongly corrobOrative teSti-
mony.
Gen. jackson testiies that Mr. Buchan-
an approached him with the intimatiOn
that there was, or was likely to be, Goa.
lition between the friends of MeSSrs. Ad-
ans and Clay, and that that event would
certainly secure the election of the former
to the Presidency, and that for his servi-
ces, the latter was to receive the Secretary
ship of State. He advised the General to
Clay and his friends, and thus place HIM
self on equal ground with the Adams men
-remarkng that he thought it was pro-
per "to fight the imtriguers aoth their O,on
a0eapOns;;" and furthermore that if he
would consent to such an arrangement the
contest "could be terminated in an hour"
Gen. jackson says that he repealed this
proposition of Buchanan's as gross cor
ruption," and directed him to inform those
who had sent him (for he encouraged Gen.
jackson to believe that he was authorized
to make this proposition, though he was
forced afterwards to acknowledge that he
did it without authority ''what his answer
had been" Let us briefly review this pOr-
ton of the proof: James Buchanan, then
a member Of the elective body (the House
of representatives. from Pennsylvania,
without consultation with Mr. Clay, anoth-
er elector, or any friend authorized to
speak for Mr.. Clay, proposes to Gen. Jack
son candidate before that body ''grossty
oOrrupp bargain, to-wt: that if Gen. Jack
son will make Mr.. Clay Secretary of State,
Mr.. Clay will himself vote and carry the
vote of his friends to Gen. Jackson, and
elect him President. This is Mr.. Buchan
ans proposal for bargain. During his
whole interview with Gen jackson he does
not seem to feel in the faintest degree, the
degrading nature Of his business. With
out a blush, he assails without a shadow of
evidence, Mr.. Clay'S integrity by intmat-
ing that he was on the point of cOnsum-
mating bargain with Mr.. Adams, and
knowing positively that he had no authority 10
do so, he proposes for Mr.. Clay similar
bargain with Gen. jackson. and urges the
General to accept it, thereby impugning
the purity of Jackson's motives Himself
ready for any bargain, however corrupt, his
conduct seems based on the supposition
that others were equally shameless. Let
us now proceed to the interview with Mr.
CLAY, as given in Coltons Life of Clay, by
Mr.. Clay himself
Mr.. Clay states that Mr.. Buchanan en-
tered his room in the winter of 1925, the
session at which the House was to elect
the President, and introduced the subject
of the election. Gov Letcher, Of KY,
was present. Mr.. Buchanan asserted as
his belief that Gen. jackson would be elect
ed surely, and without difficulty, and stated
further that he would form the most SPLEEN
did cabinet which the country had ever
seen. In answer to Mr.. Clay'S remark
that it would be difficult to compose one
superior to some which had preceded it,
Mr.. Buchanan said that che Gen. Jack
SOM would not 60 out of this room for a
Secretary Of State" That answer was
deeply significant, and implied proposal
for bargain. Buchanan well knew that
Mr.. Clay understood whom he meant, al
though the latter retorted that Mr. b.
would make an excellent appointment for
that Office. There were but two persons
TO whom the remark could apply, Mr.. Clay
aud Mr.. Letcher, and the latter's position
before the country would not justify the
belief that he was intended But taken in
connection with his attempt to create the
impression that Gen. Jackson's election
was certain, this pointed intimation to Mr..
CLAY. that Gen jackson already bad him
in his minds eye as his Secretary of State,
is instantly explained. Could he make Mr..
CLAW believe that Gen. Jackson was conf
dent of bis election, and relied upon the
support of Mr.. Clay to attain it, and that
in consideration Of that service be had de-
termined 10 honor him with the Premier
l. "a Gv Mr. CLAW 1