Daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, Va. [W. Va.]) 1859-1865, 1864-10-21

country enAll not Dc lost, or Dartereo away
for the advantage of a corrupt party.
IT has always been remarkable in the
politicians who abused Clay and Webster
as long as they lived, and who have prais-
ed them ever since they died, that they
are more fond of publishing what these
great men would have said than what
they did say. This style of quoting has
the great advantage that the men who
make the quotation can adapt it to the
exigency which demands it, and are not
troubled by any necessity for yerifcation
The sentence attributed to Mr.. Web
ster about the "infernal abolitionists" a
phrase remarkably Websterian, was un-
fortunately located by the inventor, who
placed it in the 7th Of March speech.
OF course it was not found then and of
course Mr.. Webster never made any such
coarse remark as his posthumous friends
put into his mouth. This, however, is
what he did say, in his speech at Buffalo,
in 1851: eE
"If the south want any concessions
from me they wont get it-not hairs
breadth of it \ never would consent
that there should be one foot of slave ter
ritory beyond what the old thirteen
States had at the formation of the Union.
Neverl neverl The man can't show his
face to me, and prove that ever departs
ed from that doctrine"
So of Henry Clay. The men who are
fond of bringing up his great name as a
reproach to his friends, who supported
him all their lives, and who believe that
they.are faithfully following his teachings
in their support of the Union, do not quote
what he did say, but are profuse in their
declaration of what he would say. Now
Mr.. Clay did say this, and we prefer to
accept it as as his belief, rather than to
take the Interpretation ofthose who always
hated him. In 1850, in reply to a speech
from Jefferson Davis, Mr.. Clay said:
"And now, sir, coming from a slave
State, as do, 1 owe it to myself, owe il
to truth, owe it to the subject, to say
that no earthly power could induce me to
vote for specific measure for the intro-
duction of slavery where it had not be-
fore existed, either south or north OF that
line. Coming as / do, from slave State,
it is my solemn! deliberate and well mat
ured determination, that no power, no
earthly power shall compel me to vote for
the positive introduction of slavery eiths
er south or north of that line"
And again:
"But, if, unhappily, we should be inr
volved in war, in civil war, between the
two parts of this confederacy, in which
the effort upon the one side should be to
restrain the introduction of slavery into
the new territories, and, upon the other
side to enforce its introduction there, what
a spectacle should we present to the as
constituent of mankind, in an effort, not
to propagate rights, but, must say it,
though trust it will be understood to be
said with no design to excite feeling
a war to propagate wrongs in the terrific
ries thus acquired from Mexico. 1t would
be @ war in which we should have no
sympathies-no good wishers; in which
all mankind would be against us; for from
thecommencement of the Revolution down
to the present time, we have constantly
reproached our British ancestors for the
introduction of slavery into this country