The Evansville daily journal. [volume] (Evansville, Ia. [i.e. Ind.]) 1848-1862, 1860-08-01
A FaIsehood Exposed.

were scandalously abusive Of the Hon. Cas-
sius NJ. Clay, induces US to devote 70 you
personally, fair share of our attention.
That you are somewhat skilled in newspa-
per contests, we are free to admit. Bat,
while many years of experience and prac-
tice have rendered you expert in making the
f:worse appear the better reason, it is to he
regretted that the same experience and prac-
tce have SO blunted your moral sensihili-
ties as to almost render yCu regardless Of
the estimation in which you are held by
your neighbors. You hare purchased Il rep
utation for shrewdness AS a writer at Tie
expense of your integrity as a man Were
this not the case, you could never have as
serted and reiterated the calumnes against
CAssIUs VI. Clay, which you acknowledge
to have circulated through the columns OF
the Enquirer. No person, whose conscience
had not been scared by years Of attentive
and continued pervcrSions Of the iruth.
would willingly slander man who ha!
done him no injury, simply because he Gjf-
fered from him in politics. These are gray.
charges, Mr.. Cariile, but if we cannot
sustain them by proof clear as light itself
we will be content to rest under the same
charges we make against you. We do net
expose your calumnies with any exf ectarion
of bringing the blush Of shame to your
cheeks or OF changing your course, but 10
hopes that we may persuade many Old line
wings, whom you are attempting TO mis-
lead, to treat with scorn the man who
would influence their political conduct by
falsfying the history of the country.
That we may do you no injustice, we
copy II paragraph of your allegations against
Mr. Clay, published in tho Enquirer of the
27th of July:
Mr.. Clay's speeches here have been
stale, spiritlesS reiteration of the auti-slay-
cry and abolition speeches he made sixteen
years ago, when he was supporting Birney,
the abolition candidate for the Presidency.
He declares that he has not changed any
of his sentiments and principles; he is the
same man. intellectually and morally that
he tken-avowing TIE same doctrines
that he did when the great Henry Clay con-
jured him not to claim any affinity in prin-
ciples or blood with the family at Ashland
You here charge distinctly that Mr. Clay
supported Birney, the abolition candidate
for President in 1874; aud, in another pa
ragrnph, you assert that Mr.. Clay sold his
negroes before be became-what you are
pleased to term-an abolitionist. That
Mr. Clay did oppose the extension of slavery
in '44-as he does now we do not deny.
The great Whig party did the same thing.
But, if Mr.. Clay's speech i'll our city was Il
repetition OF the speeches he made in "A,
you have proved that the doctrine held by
the Republicans now is identical with that
held by the Wings in that memorable con-
test. We will now demonstrate the truth
of this assertion.
BY turning to Nles's Register good au-
thority, Mr.. Carlle,) we find the following
statement accompany ng letter from the
Hon. .Cassius NJ. Clay, which, with an extract
from the letter, We copy;
&C. N. Clay Aaoing recently nlanunuti~d
all has sldcss, estimated at about $40, 900, has
been written to- it appears, by member Of
the Anti-slavery people, on the subject Of
the presidency. He replies to them all in
the following letter which he addressed 10
the New York Tribune
LEXINGTON, KY, March 90, 1874.
W. J. MCKINNEY, Esq, Mayor OF Dayton, u.
Dear Slr Your letter of February 18th
last, was in due time received, and have
waited thus long with the intention Of not
answering it at ALL because, rs am a Pri-
vate citizen, not seeking Office at the hands
of the people, it might seem to place me in
the pPesumptuous attitude of attempting 10
influence, by mere weight OF opinion, the
votes Of my cOuntrymen in their choice ot
president; when neither my age, expert
ence nor fame, warranted the assumption.
But since the reception of your letter
have received many of similar import, from
liberty men and anti-siavery wings in most
of the northern states, pressing upon me an
expression of opinion, in such manner
that should prove false to that spirit OF
candor which proudly cherish charac-
teristic of the principles which l advocate,
did |, through any atfectatiOn of humility.
remain longer silent. You ask me, . VIII
/ you, if you live and are able to vote at the
approaching presidential election, vote for
Henry Clay for president? If the third par
/ ty, or liberty men should have an electoral
! ticket in your State, would you vote that
l ticket in preference Were you 4 citizen
/ of Ohio, which of these tickets would you
vote?n The last two questions are such as
/ would require various other suppositions to
| be made. before could give suitable an
swer in justice to myself and all the parties
concerned, which would be too vouminous
for the space of single letter: and, for all
practical purposes they will be sufficiently
answered in my reply to the first question
that, 1t is my most decided determination 10
cote for HENRY CLAY for President. Men
never have and never will, in all cases,
think alike: all government is necessarily
a sacrifice, to some extent, of individual
will; that is the best government to each
individual which fosters or allows the most
of what that individual believes to be con-
ductive to his best interests.
"The question then is not Can l find
some man to vote for among seventeen mil
lions, who thinks in all respects as myself!
but, who is the man, all things present and
: rsmnta cnnsidernd that will most nrOLAlLE