Daily Nashville patriot. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1860-1862, 1860-08-06


pap published that year The following
extract shows his line Of argument, ahd Is
conclusive against the reereant son of HENRY
CLAY who repays bin with base ingratitudc !;
~nr Beu then referred to thc manner in
| which our political opponents appear deter
mined 10 carry ON the contest. They have
~hosen to go tack TO the origin of parties
They acknowledge no statute Of limitations
as to the positions of prominent men, Nv
will not LET you Of they say .'with the pre-
sent issues as to the high questions of public
policy, nor with the destructive principles of
Gne controversy Of 1910. We see Henry Clay
at the head of your battalions: and we viii
l recall the musty old pamphlets and files OF
1924. 25, and q. You shall not escape with
out the repetition of all the infiammatory ap-
peals and fierce accusations of those times.
| Now" said Mr. Bell 81 am ready to meet
| them there also l accept the challenge
1 We will 90 back to those days, and to the
| formation and progress of the present parties
we will array document against document
l land when they have reached their last, we
| viii pile another and another upon them
| Whoever meets me, be he Richard or Saladin,
| promise to break his casque. The sword OF
| Brenuus thank Heaven ] is never cast into
our conflicts. But will meet our adverse
ries in such field at any time, and hold my
self ready to overcome them with the weight
of facts
Mr.. Bell then proceeded to notice the re-
vival of the story of Bargain and Intrigue"
and the association of his name with it in a
manner entirely unwarranted by anything he
| had ever said or written. He referred to the
| matter not because he thought the character
of Mr.. Clay required vindication. No, said
he, Henry Clay stands upon a pedestal Of
public confidence, founded On thorough
knowledge Of his principles, character, and
history. far above the need of culogy from
him or any other man. Where Is he not
known2-aS a pure patriot. an enlightened
statesman, the eloquent advocate of Human
Liberty Among all parties, abroad and at
home, throughout Europe and South Ameri-
ca, as well as III his own country. his name
for more than thirty years has been recog-
nized and associated with all that is truly
great and distinguished in American policy
and craftsmanship. Such a man stood in no
need of defence from him. But the demo-
cratic organs now affected TO think it vastly
strange that John Bell should be found sup
porting Henry Clay: although, it is notori
Gus that from the moment Judge White was
out of the Presidential question. these same
organs and their prompterS busily proclaimed
far and wide that Henry Clay and 10 other
was the leader of the Wing party in Tennes-
see!, They now endearor TO associate his
name with the charge of Bargain and Cor
ruption." and talk much of a certain letter
written by him in Sept. 1927. of that letter
(said Mr.. Bell) the most various and ridicu-
lous perversions have been given. He had
heard of some saying: what! John Bell in
favor of Henry Clay. who had been heard to
declare that he could convict him of bargain
and corruption.':-others exclaiming ''John
Bell his supporter, who had denounced him
everywhere on the stump"'-others again
declaring sin every canvass during the year
1927 he conceded with Mr.. Grundy in aecus-
ing Henry Clay day after day Alter thus
Illustrating how story, untrue in the be-
ginning, grows as it goes on, Mr.. Bell said
emphatically that he was not guilty of any
OF these charges. He had never charged
Bargain, Intrigue Or Corruption on Mr..
CLAW He had never denounced him for hav
ing obtained Office by such means. In order
to show the extent of the ground upon which
his assailants found their imputations OF in
consistency. Mr.. Bell produced the letter it
self and read it. This open aud manly
course called forth from the assemblage re-
peated shouts of admiration and applause
We venture TO say that from this time forth |
no opponent who may meet Mr.. Bell before |
the people will undertake to read that letter |
in his presence, nor if he attempts to estab-
lish by it any charge against Mr.. Clay. OF the
author himself. viii he rely upon IT sec 1nd
time. MI. Bell Ylndtcauou " tut Idlt uS
took was complete.
He referred also to the circumstances OF
that period, and the tide of feeling against |
Mr.. CLAW. which in the absence of all excul-
patory evidence, controlled the course OF the /
public Judgment, and the studied and per
severing representations on one side only
which awakened doubts and suspicious in the
best minds In Davidson only sIxty-hve
persons were to be found opposed to General
Jackson. How many were there IN Old
Not enough to form corporal's
guard Who remembers the aSked) the num-
Der? six or eight" replied venerable old
man who announced himself as one OF the
small band. How many in Wilson? About
twenty was Mr.. Bells calculation; but other
gentleman on the platform d clared this far
beyond the mark. Considering all the cir
cumstances then, the absence OF all the re-
futing testimony, the power OF misrepresen-
alton. prejudice. and party passions over The
public mind. the wonder is not that Mr.. Bell,
occupying the position he did, wrote letter
which cannot by any perversion be construed
into denunciatiOn, such as his enemies now
allegc, but that he did not actually use the
language OF decided accusation.
The eloquent speaker then proceeded to de-
tail the proofs of Mr.. Clay's innocence OF any
improper combination. This summary was
clear, energetic and convincing; but as we
have gone over the whole very recently, we
omit this part of the speech at present, with
the remark that no honest and intelligent
nan could listen to his citations without being
satisfied of the utter groundlessness of the
,harge.