The national era. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1847-1860, 1856-08-07

he received the following reply. We presume
that the most skeptical, after reading it, will
admit that Mr.. Buchanan has reasons for sup.
pressing this conversation, which he is very
averse to having made public. Why is he so
anxious to suppress conversation which &C.
CURED twenty years before the date of this let
ter, and yet pretends to have an indistinct rec
objection of it? We can well understand that
a conversation upon matters of private and
merely personal nature should not be repeated
but upon public affairs of so much Importance,
the reluctance of Mr.. Buchanan can only be
explained by the facts stated by Mr.. Clay, viz:
that it would impicate him beyond redemp-
ton, as an intriguer. The following is the let
ter of Mr.. Buchanan referred to:
Mr. Buchanan to r. p Letcher.
"LANCAsTHR, June u, 1874.
any DEAR SIR 1 this moment received your
very kind letter, and hasten to give it answer.
/ cannot perceive what good purpose it would
subserve Mr.. Clay to publish the private and
unreserved conversation to which you refer. l
was then his ardent friend and admirer, and
much of this ancient feeling still survives, not.
withstanding our political differences since. l
did him ample justice, but no more than JUS
tice, both in my speech on Carter's resolution,
and in my letter in answer to General Jackson.
al have not myself any very distinct recol-
lection of what trsnspired in your room nearly
twenty years ago, but doubtless expressed a
strong wish to himself, as had done a hundred
times to others, that he might vote for Gen.
Jackson, and if he desired it, become his Sec
rotary of State. Had he voted for the General,
in case of his election, should most certainly
have exercised any influence l might have pos
sessed to accomplish this result; and this
should have done from the most disinterested,
friendly, and patriotic motives.
"Ths conversation of mine, whatever il may
have been, can never be brought home to Gen.
Jackson. / never had but one conversation
with him on the subject of the then pending
election, and that upon the street, and the whole
of it, ver6atim ct hterdtin,, when comparatively
fresh upon my memory was given to the pub
lie in my letter of August, 1927. The publica-
ton, then, of this private conversation, could
serve no other purpose than to embarrass me,
and force me prominently into the pending con-
test-which 1 desire to avoid.
"You are certainly correct in your recollec-
ton. you told me explicitly that you did not
feel at liberty to give the conversation alluded
to- and would notdo so under any circumstances,
without my express permission In this, you
have acted, as you have ever done, like a man
Of honor and principle"
We will not attempt to add anything to the
humiliation which every high.minded friend of
Mr.. Buchanan must feel on reading his damn.
ing proof of the charge made by Mr.. Clay.
| 1t seems that General Jackson himself was
cognizant of the dishonorable intrigue above
exposed, and that he denounced it at the time,
like an honorable man. The following charac.
teristic letter from the old hero has recently
been published in the Nashville (Tenn.) Han
ner. 1t is fully corroborative of the statement
of Mr.. Clay, and places the candidate of the
sham Democracy in anything but an enviable
or honorable position. We dislike to be com
PEELED to apply such language to candidate
for the Presidency; but there is no other by
which his conduct, as exposed by Henry Clay
and denounced by General Jackson, can be
described. This letter was furnished by the
Hon, VIM. B. Lewis to the editor of the Mash
vile Banner, who says that the original manu-
script is in his possession. Here it is:
"HERMIrAGE, February %, 1916.
"Your observations with regard to Mr. Blu
chanan are correct. He shoaoed pdnt OF
moral courage in the affair of the intrigue Of
Adams and Clay-did not do me Justice in the
expose he then made and am sure about that
| time did believe there was a perfect under
standing between Adams and Clay about the
| p-~:Sv@cJ ---A 49, o~sss->ssy Of Ge1yo. TI1fs
/ am sure of. But whether he viewed thai
there was any corruption in the case or not, ]
know not; but one thing / do know, that h.
,oished me to combat them ,cith their oscn
,oeapons that soas, to let my friends say, If
soas elected, could make Mr.. Clay Secretary
| Of State. This to me appeared gross corrup
ton, and repealed it with that honest indigna
ton as which thought it deserved.
"ANDREw JACKSON"
The Washington Union has endeavored to
throw suspicion upon the genuineness of this
letter, but without the slightest reason, that we
have seen. 1t is published by highly re-
spectacle paper of Nashville, by the editor,
Mr.. Hall, who is we'll known in this eemmuni.
| ty, where he resided for some years, as a re-
sponsible public officer, and as editor of the
Republic. We have always understood him to
be gentleman of high character; and what
ever may be his character: he has asserted that
he has the original of the letter In his posses.
sion which is test of its genuineness which
cannot be gainsayed. AS collateral proof of
the gsnuineness of the letter, it may be re-
marked, that the adopted son of General Jack.
son, who bears the same name, has published
letter, in which ha denouncss the bad faith
of those who are publishing the private letters
of his distinguished namesake, written when
he was on the brink of the grave. We are not
responsible for the good faith of the publisher
of the letter. as we know not the circumstances
under which it was written but its truthfuness
and authority will not be disputed.
So the sham Democracy may as well make
up their minds to support renegade Federal.
ist for the Presidency, whom Henry Clay and
Andrew Jackson have, under their own hands,
charged with intrigue and corruption-not
upon rumor or hearsay, but of their own
knowledge-they being the parties whom he
attempted to corrupt, and to institute dishon.
orable bargain between them. OF course, the
go-between expected to feather his own nest
by the arrangement.
Since writing the foregoing, we have received
the Nashville Banner of the 29th ultimo, con.
tanning the following notice of the Washing
ton Unions attempt to discredit the genuine
ness of the letter of General Jackson. We pre-
sumo that no rational man will entertain q
doubt on that point, after reading the state
ment of the Banner.
I'm the Banner of the 22d ult., on publish.
ing, for the first time, the extract from General
Jackson's letter of the 18th of February, ls45,
in regard to Mr.. Ruohanan's conduct in the