Prescott journal. [volume] (Prescott, Wis.) 1861-1871, 1866-12-08
An Interesting "Reminiscences.

A New YORK correspondent OF tn'
Providence Journal, evidently Wash
ington reporter many years ago, give
the following illustration of the ranco
with which political controversies ar,
sometimes conducted:
Henry CLAY once wrote a private let
ter to Judge Brooke, of Virginia, which
created a world of excitement, anC
| gave rise to multitudinOus speculation
Nobody save Judge Brooke and Mr.
Clay had the ghost of an idea in refer
ence to the contents of the missive, but
all the Democratic papers in the Union
swOre that it embraced matters which,
if they could be got at, would prove to
| the letter the existence of what John
Randolph denOminated the coalition
| between the Puritan and the blackleg. .
| Ma. Clay's friends were defiantly called
on to produce that letter; Mr. Clay
was impOTtuned tC permit ITS exhuma-
ton year after year by his immediate
friends; and Amos Kendall avowed that
he dared not bring it to the light, be-
cause, ii given to the public. it would
convict Henry Clay of something next
to treason.
For a quarter of a century from 1919
to 1914 that terrible letter was a bone
of contention, and every blackguard
who felt disposed to insult the "Noble
Harry of Ashland" outrageously cast
its ghost in his teeth, and screamed,
THAT letter convicting You of treason,
or something very like it, you dare not
show; we defy yOu, and demand its
publication.
In 1914 Judge Brooke, not Mr.. Clay,
but probably with his concurrence,
brought forth the terrible letter, and at
once demolished all the towering air
castles of the political demagogues. And
what do you suppose it contained?
In the year 1919 Lord Byron pub
lished his first cantO of Don Juan, one
of the most powerful and popular of
all his publications, though. its morality
like Pope's "Rape of the Lock-" and
Dryden's matchless "Hinde and the
Panther" was subjected to severe
criticism, If not anathema. Lord John
Russell, then in his prime, and redo
lent of scholastic glory, sent Mr.. Clay "A
presentation copy, at the request OF the
author.
Though Mr.. Clay was neither poet
nor Il ueNOtee OF ppllte literature, he
Iead the copy sent to him with high
satisfaction, and subsequently, sent 1t.
with highly commentators note, TO
his friend Judge BROOKE, of Richmond.
His letter was marked confidential,
and OF course the worthy Judge so Oh
served it. Six years afterwards the ex-
istence of this confidential letter leaked
ont, and Mr.. Thomas Richie, of the
Richmond Examiner. having got wind
it, gTavely stated that, if 1t could be
produced, it wOnld prove the existence
of corrupt bargain between Mr. Clay
and John Quincy Adams, which result
ed IN the election of the latter to the
Presidency. 1t simply commended the
genius of Lord Byron; but as Don
Juan was the recipient OF denunciation
at the hands of the pulpit and press,
Mr.. Clay did not choose to have it
known that he had spoken favorably of
the genius and talent of its author.
And for no other reason, added to an
unwillingness TO crafty purient and
impertinent curiosity, Mr.. Clay, for five
and twenty years insisted on his injunc-
ion of privacy, and quietly submitted
to the most unjust and unfounded OBJ
lOquy.