Wilmington journal. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1844-1895, 1867-06-07

,,inte1lectual and moral nature he was low
4 er of constitutional government. In the
8 discipline of party management he may
a have been, as 4 leader, somewhat inpera-
tive: but he had an utter adherence of ev-
.Ierything In the nature of unlimited and ar
Il bitrary power in government; and nothing
! so instantly excited his dauntless opposition
as did the slightest indication OF a purpose
; or a tendency to overstep the Constitution.
1t may be said of him that no american
statesman has ever lived who had more
genuine love of constitutional liberty, or a
quicker sagacity III detecting the approach
| of that insidious enemy, which finds, IN an
, alleged expediency or Il spurious necess1 y,
/ the excuse for encouragements upon con-
stitutional principles. Mr.. Clay not only
; ; thoroughly understood our American sys-
! tenn of public liberty, as it is embodied IN
; the complex relations of national Sover-
i eicnty to the sovereignties of States, but
he had an ardent sympathy with the inter
ests of liberty everywhere, and an equally
ardent hatred Of that kind OF authority
which seeks to divorce the rights of govern
ments from the rights of mankind. There
is an incident in his life, little known per-
haps to this generation, which exhibits We
} nv strikingly this feature of his character,
and shows how ready he always was to
, break away from the tramels OF party, when
any principle was In question that threat
ened injury to the cause of popular sell
: government. 7 exhume it from the history
of period in which it has long been burl-
ed tie more eagerly because 1t involves
the earlier relations between Mr.. Clay ana
: Mr. Webster. whose rivalry in the same
political party, in subsequent years. mas
been supposed to have disturbed their IN
1opcODrca ,,,OTa 1bo1o in fopt the paSn
When MIR. Webster, in 1924, introduced
in the House of Representatives. his resolu-
ton looking to the appointment of Com
missioner to Greece, and made his celebra-
} ted speech on the Greek Revolution, his
purpose was misunderstood by almost every
one else in Congress excepting Mr.. Clay.
: 1t was imagined that he meant to take adj
: vantage OF q warm public sympathy for the
Greeks, then struggling against their Turk
ish oppressors, in order to deliver capti-
waiting Grafton. His real purpose was to
: exhibit and denounce the doctrines held
by the continental powers of Europe re-
3 specting the rights of all governments to
9 suppress the efforts OF all peoples who
might undertake to assert their own llber-
ties. He had then recently returned to Con
gress after an absence from it of nearly
six years. During the former period of his
service, while the war with England was
going on, Mr.. Webster and Mr. Clay had
t acted in opposite parties, and the old party
7 names and associations were not yet wholly
laid aside when Mr.. Webster again APP
peared in Congress. Mr.. Clay's associates
committed the mistake of opposing and
: ridiculing Mr.. WebSter's Greek resolution
/ but this did not prevent Mr.. Clay from Civ
ing to it his emphatic support, OF restrain
him from rebuking the spirit that prompted
opposition on account OF the quarter from
which tho resolution came. Stung by the
; apparent indifference of the House to the
+ interests of constitutional liberty through
out the world, he rose to one Of his lofti-
est strains of eloquence, which he closed
with burst of indignant appeal to the bet
: ter feelings of the nation SEQ home, "
, he said, go home, if you dare; go home,
. ii you can, to your constituents, and tell
them that you voted it down. Meet, if you
dare, the appalling countenances OF those
| who sent you here, and tell them that youl
: shrank from the declaration of Jour own
sentiments; that you cannot tell how, but
that some unknown dread, some indescri-
bahle apprehension, some indefinite dan
: ger affriShted you-tbat the spectres of
scimetars and crowns and crescents cleaned
before you and alarmed you, and that yol
suppressed all the noble feelings prompted
by religion, by liberty by national indie
pOuu6uCO anu DN liz COuIA AOU
believe that such would be the feeling of
the majority OF that House. But, for him
self, though every friend of the measure
should desert it, and he be left to stand
alone with the gentleman from Massaehu-
sets, he would give the resolution the poor
support of his unqualified appreciation"
The last time that these two great men
ever met on EARTH in private, was in the
winter of 1910 go Just before Mr. Clay in
troduced into the Senate his resolutions on
which the celebrated Compromise measures
Of that session were founded. Both of
them had become thoroughly alarmed for
the Union by the angry speeches that were
!, every day delivered in Congress by the eX-
tremists of the two sections, and by the
state of popular feeling then existing be-
tween the North and the South. But they
: had had no interchange of their personal
sentiments on the subject down to the time
when Mr.. Clay prepared his resolutions -
He was then suffering with the disease
| which soon afterwards terminated his life
and his noble frame, which your statue is
about to recall to the recollection of your
people in all it's native dignity and grace,
was racked by q cruel cough. In an in
l clement winter night he left his hotel and
| without any previous announcement of his
intended visit entered Mr.. Webster's house,
holding in his hand the resolutions which
: he proposed to present to the Senate. Adj
dressing Mr.. Webster, who was then to ali
human observation in perfect health, Mr.
Clay referred in solemn tones to his own
precarious condition, and said that the last
: act of his life must be an effort to preserve
the Union that he had come to submit to
Mr.. Webster the resolutions which he had
prepared ; to ask his Judgment upon them,
and to solicit his cooperation for, said
Mr. Clay, in any worthy effort to allay the
angry passions that are now threatening
!, the destruction of this government, you'
, cooperation I cannot for a moment doubt
He then read his resolutions to Mr.. Web
ster, who said that although he was not
prepared to concur in all their details, and
must reserve himself in regard to some of
; them, he should give his earnest sup
port to the general principles of the settle
ment which Mr. Clay proposed to effect
{ When Mr.. Clay had retired, Mr.. Webster
spoke of him with a deep feeling of respect
and praise, mingled with many touching
thong hts concerning their long association