New Orleans daily crescent. [volume] ([New Orleans, La.]) 1851-1866, 1860-04-16


seeing them approved Of BY the people, in tbe
memorable Presidential contest Of 1910. The I'M.
timely death Of Gen. Harrison prevented the real
izaton Of the expectations Of his party. But the
election Of that distinguished patriot was no less
verdict OF the people III favor Of the policy which
Mr.. Clay had SO long and consistently advocated
before the country. Since that time, some of the
measures Of the great Wing party, Of which he
was the life and soul have been laid aside or mod
ned; but let any candid mind turn to the history
OF that party, and however much he may dissent
from is tenets, he cannot but admit that Its aims
| We're patriotic and national, pure, comprehensive
and republican. laA
Hitherto have spoken only OF some of those
measures of domestic policy in which Mr.. Clay
bore q prominent part. l pass now to review
briefly his course with reference to the foreign re-
lations OF our country. FL
It has been said by Q distinguished statesman,
whose name take pride in mentioning--by Mr.
Crittenden-that 4 to Mr.. Clay belonged the states
| mans portion of the glory of the last war with
Great Britain - and the concurrent testimony of
his contemporaries has assigned to him the honor
of being its most prominent and effective advocate
| and supporter.
| When, in 1912, President Madison sent conf
| dental communication to Congress, recommending
an embargo upon vessels then in port for sixty
days, the measure was strenuously opposed in the
House. Mr.. Clay, then Speaker of the House stood
forth its defender, assuming the bold ground that
| it was " to be viewed as the direct precursor to
| war; The measure was adopted, and was shortly
| followed by an open declaration of war with Eng
| land.
Under the Berlin and Milan DEGREES Of Napoleon,
our ships and their cargoes had been seized and
| confscated by the French. The British, by their
orders in Council, continued during the same time
! to perpetrate like outrages upon our flag and
| property. These wrongs were justified by each
nation upon the novel plea that they were also
perpetrated with impunity by the other. Dissatis
| fed with our policy of neutrality, they despsed
| our supposed weakness. At length France, yield
ing to our circumstances, was induced to forego,
SO far as we wore concerned, the hostilites perpe
| trated under her DEGREES. But the naughty and
domineerng spirit Of England was reluctant to re-
| frain from further aggressions upon US, and she
I continued for q year after to harrasS our COM
| merce, to violate our flag, to stop our ships upon
| the high seas-nay, even under the shadow of our
| own shores-and to impress into her hateful SER
vice American citizens In space of some two
| months and half, twenty seven merchant ships
prizes by British Courts of Admiralty and twas es
| timated that up to the time when war was declared
1000 seamen had been impressed, in fragrant viola
ton of our rights under the established principles
| Of the Law of Nations. 5#' 55
outrages such as these, the people OF this conn
try, mindful of their ancestral gores and instinct
lively imbued with the spirit OF liberty and indie
pendence, could not long tolerate. To portray
them in the strains of fiery Indignation and impas-
stoned eloquence which Mr. Clay employed, was
at to flush the cheeks and stir the heart of the
| nation. The patriotism of the people became
kindled into blaze. The powers Of his oratory
| like one inspired: His words glowed with genius
and patriotism. In one Of his bursts Of eloquence
he enunciated principle in relation to the right of
! impressment as claimed and exercised by Great
Britain, which has stood and is now the acknowl-
| edged principle of the Law of Nations. Speaking
Of the certificates Of protection to our seamen,
authorized by the act Of 1886, he said " Sir Gov
eminent has done too much in granting these paper
projections. can never think of them without
| being shocked. They resemble the passes which
the master gives to his negro slave: fetthe bearer
Mungo, pass and repass without molestation.'
/ What do they imply2 That Great Britain has q
right to seize all who are not provided with them.
| From their very nature, they must be liable to
abuse on both sides. II Great Britain desires q
mark BY which she can know her subjects, let her
give them an ear mark. TIE colors thai float from
The mast heads of our ships should be The only Gre
| dedtidls of Oi0 seGH,es.p
/ During the war he welded an influence almost alb
solute in the House-among such illustrions states
/ men as Lowmdes, Calhoun Cheves, Peter B. Porter,
4 and others. He. showed the nation how to breast
the storm; and was most active and jealous in de-
| yising and advocating plans to provide for our
1 efficient armament.
Wherever the recruiting drum was heard, our
youth pressed forward in crowds to answer its beat
going forth to war in vindcation OF our country IS
| honor. Need remind you, Mr.. President, how, in
4 your own and his beloved Kentucky, In the short
space Of few weeks, your iliustrious ancestors,
the Johnsons, raised, equipped, and took the field
4 at the head of Q regiment Of mounted men, thou
/ sand strong the flower and the strength of your
4 rural homes. what more than anything called
them forth, and they will tell you it was the voice
of Henry Clay that rang like a clarion through
1 their native woods. es, sir, he was the war
| genius Of the Republic.
4 1t was proper that war which he had been
| instrumental in originating, Mr. Clay should be
| selected as one of the Commissioners to conclude,
by negotiations Of peace. Accordingly, on receiv-
/ ship of the House of Representatives to commence
4 his career as diplomatist. am not permitted
to recall to you in detail the services he
i dered in this new scene of public life. The treaty
Of Client is SO closely identified with his name that
to enumerate its advantages is to sound his praise.
Yet must not omit to mention that when it was pro-
posed to concede to Great Britain continued right
| to navigate the Mississippi river from its mouth to
its source, he opposed it at the outset and finally
1 declared that he would afix his signature to no
treaty which should make the contemplated con.
1 cessiOn.
In sight Of that noble stream that bears upon its
i ample bosom the wealth of all the wide and fruit
full West it ia proper that this statue should stand
1 to commemorate the incalcuable blessings which
i his foresight and determination contributed SO
! largely to for the exclusive benefit OF his
i country.
| But this was only one of the beneficial results
j flowing from the war. Our proves had been
tested; our sense of national honor had been vim
\ dieated our arms were hung up hound with lau-
/ rels; and we stood among the powers of the
i earth, nation commanding respect, and ready
4 and able to enforce it.
/ 3GHe elalilS OIL our government against france,
i growing out of her aggressons upon our com.
merce, to which ] have already alluded, afforded
another opportunity for Mr.. Clay to guide the for
eign policy of the country. a treaty had been
concluded with France, by which pecuniary in
demnty for her spoliations to be paid to us in
instaments. The first payment not having been
made according to the engagements Of this treaty,
| General Jackson, in message to Congress, in De-
oember, 1884,, called attention to the fact and in
terms OF characteristic boldness recommended
measures sanctioning reprisals of French property
i in case the French Chambers should fail on next
assembling, to provide for the prompt discharge of
the obligation. The prospects of war seemed i'm
minent. The public mind became filled with the
gravest apprehension, and our commerce imme-
\ diately felt its injurious influence. The French
\ Government, taking umbfage at the tone of the
President, forthwith recalled its Minister and Mr.
4 Livingston. the American Minister at Paris had his
passports rendered to him, in anticipation Of the
! impending rupture between the two countries.
4 The whole subject referred in the Senate of
the United States to the Committee on Foreign Re.
lations, at the head of which MIR. Clay was placed.
Very soon after the reference, he presented re-
solution, accompanied with report to the Senate,
| full Of wisdom, of patriotism and of justice. An
unusually large number of copies of it were at once
1 printed and circulated throughout the Country.
| Its effect in calming the public mind was immedi-
ately felt and our commercial interests began to
revive. In a few days the resolution accompany
1 ing the report was advocated by Mr. Clay in one
OF his most powerful, temperate and statesmanlike
speeches, He sustained the President in the view