Daily national Democrat., 1861-01-20
What Henry Clay Thought.


What Henry Clay Thought.
It is well to reeur to the great names 81
the country. in these days Of peril No
greater name, none more justly loved and re
vered, adorns our nations annals than that
of Clay. How puny by his side, how mean
and how little, appear such whirl-a- gigs of
politicians as the YaAeeys and the Rhetts
How grand, how immeasurably grand, are
she pure and lofty sentiments OF Clay, as we
turn to his utterances, after listening to such
men as We have named-the Kissing reptiles
of 6isunion. This same Barn well Rhett was
busy with his disunion treason, when Clay
was devotng the last energies of his body
and the final efforts of his great mind to the
the consummation of the memorable Compro-
mise of 1850 During the agitation of the
questions involved in that great Compromise,
the news came that Nj. Rhett had been
making disunion speech in South Carolina,
and doing al he could to thwart any peacea-
BILE adjustment Of the impending difficulty.
"lf he pronounced the sentiment attributed
to him" said Mr.. Cley from his place in the
Senate, "of raising the standard of disunion,
Of resistance to the common government,
whatever he has been, if he follows up that
declaration by corresponding overt acts, he
will be traitor, and l hope he will meet
NTH the fate of a traitor" Mr.. Barnwell
Rhett did not follow up his declaration then
with any corresponding overt acts, but he
has since, in this secession business of South
Carolina, and if he do not meet with the fate
of traitor, it will he because we have too
few such men as Clay now standing in the
high places of the Government
In the same speech Mr. Clay said-
81 have heard with pain and regret con-
frmation of the remark l made, that the
sentiment of disunion is becoming familiar
l hope it is confined to South Carolina. \
If Kentucky. tomorrow, should un-
furl the banner of resistance unjustly,
never would fight under that banner. ] owe
paramount allegiance TO the whole Union
a subordinate one to my own State"
W hos hO thuublL VI Il EOulI-
ern Confederacy, may be seen in the follow
ing extract from his speech on the tariff
question in 1916. He said: at is totally
unnecessary for the gentleman to remind me
of my coming from a slaveholding State
| know whence | came, and / know my
duty and am ready to submit to any re-
, sponsibility which belongs to me as Sena-
tor from slaveholding State. Sir have
heard something said on this and on former
occasion about allegiance TO the South.
know no South, no North, no East, no West,
to which owe my allegiance. / owe allie
glance to two soyereignties; one is to the
Sovereignty of this Union, and the other is to
the sovereignty of the State of Kentucky
My allegiance is to this American Union and
to my own State, But, if gentlemen suppose
that they can exact from me an acknowldg-
ment of allegiance to any ideal or future con-
tempIated coatederdcy Of the South, here de-
clare that l owe no allegiance to it, nor will
|, for one, come under any such allegiance,
if | can avoid it."
Among his most emphatic declarations
against disuniOn was the following which he
made in one ofhis mastery Senatorial efforts
in 1850.
"Now, Mr.. President stand here in my
place, meaning to be unawed by any threats,
whether they come from individuals or from
States. should deplore, as much as any
man, living or dead, that armies should be
raised against the authority of the Union,
either by individuals or States. But, after
all that has occurred, if any one State, or a
portion of the people of any State. choose to
place themselves in military array against
the Government of the Union, am for try
ing the strength of the Government. y
If blood is to be split, by whose fault will it
be? Upon the supposition, | maintain it
will be the fault of those who raise the STAN
dard of disunion, and endeavor to PROSTATE
this Government and, sir, when that is done
SO long as 1t pleases God to give me voice
to express my sentiments, and an arm, weak
and enfeebled it may be by age, that voice
and that arm will be on the side of my coun-
try, for the support of the general authority,
and for the maintenance of the powers of
this Union"
After this most noble declaration from the
lips of that Prince of Southern Statesmen,
and that truest of patriots, Henry Clay
would not somebody like to hear squeak
for disunion from some such man as R. Barn
we'll Rhett2 1t would be like listening to
the beating of q tin kettle by the eternal
surge Of the sea.
They Don't want War.
| Thn Nn..nl L, n,..-.--..