Lynchburg daily Virginian. [volume] (Lynchburg [Va.]) 1852-1861, 1860-04-16
ycarring heart to every land whuse people were
seeking or contending for that priceless jewel Of


Subsequent events only tended to increase this
feeling. After short sQourn in this city. which
witnessed aud acknowledged the hrst fashings Of his
brilliant mind, as IL afterwards delighted to bask
in tho noontide Of its splendor, he went as an Or
phnn boy to the State Of Kentucky. Il was tho
theatre Of all others to expand. strengthen aud
confirm his lofty spirit. lle cast his lines among
u hardy robust. intelligent people; he breathed
IN atmosphere whore timidity or morbid sensible
iiy could not survive. 1t was only tho "lord OF
tho lion heart and eagle cye," who could mako
his way among the bold and energetic pioneers of
Western Lille and he became the idol Of that
people OF whom ho was at once tho mirror and ex-
emplar. Frank, gallant, cordial and warm.heart-
cd. he won their affections; bold and resoluto as
themselves, he commanded and retained their en-
tiro confidence. With one bound he took his DO.
silion m advocate in the front rank Of tho To-
gal profession and in the primary meetings Of
the people, by his simple. straightforward, unaf-
fectcd eloquonce. ho controlled masses Of men
who would havo laughed to scorn the tinsel of tho
rhetorician. His first speech was In reference to
the Alien and Sedition Laws. The people listen.
ed in unbroken silence, Tut tho power Of the ora-
tor had stirred tho feelings Of tho multitude to
their utmost depths. and at its close he v rs seized
and borne in triumph through tho streets Of Lex.
ingon. From that moment his course was
ward aud upward. Kentucky never refused him
any Office in her gift. md often bestowed them
without solicitation. We'll might his utterance
mil mud his feelings overpower him, when, In
lSI2 he attempted to express his gratitude 10
State which had embraccdhim with parental fond
ness, cnressed him ns though he had been u favor-
iic son, pntronizod him with unbounded munili-
cencc, and. when aasailed by the rest of tho
world, interposcd her broad and impenetrnble
shield, and ropccd tho poisoned shafts aimed for
his destruction
Mr.. Clay's thoughts were early turned, as we
have seen, to nutionnl affairs, and especially 10 tho
dangers which then threatened our infant Repub.
lie. In the present tmo of rapid and easy inter-
course between nll parts Of our vast country
when the journey that once occupied weeks is per-
formed readily and without fatigue in dny--wo
can scarcely do justice to tho Statesman who oon.
tended fifty years ago for tho construction Of
works of internal improvement by tho General
Government. At the close of the Revolution ours
was n small population. thinly scattered over an
immense area, tho different communities separa-
tod by unbroken forests, mountainous barriers
and unimproved rivers. Washington and JeHer-
son wore at once deeply impressed with the incal.
culnble Importance, tho vital necessity, of sonnee
ling tho Western with tho Eastern Territories.
lIeyond and above tho commercial interests were
tho high political considerations involved. With
the Spaniards their right, the English on their
left it was feared that the people Of tho West
would be lurcd into commercial treaties with one
both of those nations, which would at once
d-nw fatal limo of separation between them and
til cir Eastern brethren. Hence Tho necessity as
Washington said in his letter to Governor lIani.
son, OF applying the cement of interest to bind oil
parts df the Union together-especiaily Of uniting
that part which lies Immediately West Of US to
middle States. The way was plain he said, 10
uyoid the threatened danger. Immediate interest
and remote political advantage proved the neces-
sity Of extending tho inland navigation Of the
Eastern waters, connecting them ~ far as possi-
bio with tho Western. and thus binding those poo
rlc to us. as ho hoped, by chain which could
never he broken.
kentucky was tho especial object of solicitation
on the part of Spain in her effort to alienate tho
West from the Union, and some of tho moro i'm
patient spirits of TINT State. believing that their
local interests had long been neglected, il not
Systematically betrayed, especially in reference to
The navigation Of the Mississippi, seemed rcady to
urge tho separation and independence Of tho
whole country West oi the Alleghanies. Louis
lima soon afterwards passed into tho possession of
the French. and all dangers to our Union in TINT
quarter were dissipated by it's purchase under the
auspices of Mr.. Jefferson and tho great Valley
having secured an outlet to the sen on tho South,
naturally desired to complete the purpose project.
cd by Washington in securing closer connection
with tho East.
1t may be n subject of wonder, almost of mrth
10 us, that Spain should have been ablo to create
any alarm on the subject Of our Union but it may
teach us valuable lesson Of humility when va
contrast her present with her former condition. and
remember that we feel not more secure iu our
naughty strength than she did in her pride and
power 1t is certainly refreshing to sec how little
the patriot Of past ago suspected the "irrepress
ible conflict Of the present They feared that the
Republic would break to pieces from its own weight,
the lack of coherance, the isolation of its parts
they sought accordingly to diminish or obliterato
the natural obstacles which divided our people.
In the simplicity of their patriotism they believed
that intimacy would be the parent of friendship.
1t was reserved for modern. statesmen. Of very
different type to discover the evils Of closer con-
necton, and to wara us of the hatred which must
spring from a perfect Union
Adopting naturally, the policy proeced ia tho
purer age, and by the sages Of the Republic, Mr..
Clay became nt once the champion Of that cause
which Involved the highest and best interests, Al
he believed, ofhis own immediate section, and
in q scarcely less degree of the whole country
Coupled with this devotion to internal improve
ments was his desire to build up the manufactures
Of his country Us an important element of inde-
pendence. These he considered the right and
left hands of power. The Colonial system of
Great Britain had deprived us Of the power Of
the raw materials we produced
Even Lord Chatham, with oil his tondnoss for
freedom and his sympathy with the struggling
Colonies had declared that we should not he al-
lowed to make hobnail for ourselves. The noise
Of trip hammers and rolling mills would have
been considered quite as reasonable as Patrick
Henry's denuncation Of George tho Third; and
when We had achieved our freedom, we were i'm.
PEELED by pride, principle and feeling, to build up
our manufactures, and thus fully demonstrate our
independence of a country whose fabrics were re-
garded as the badges of servitudc
This rapid glance at his earlier political fc, its
theatre and incidents. furnishes us with key to
Mr.. Clay's whole policy steadily maintained-at
least, never departed from except when. for the
sake of peace, it semed necessary to sacrifice
something of policy; for be might well say, with
the Athenian orator, that he sometimes went con-
trarv 10 himself but never to the Republic.