Sunbury American. [volume] (Sunbury, Pa.) 1848-1879, 1868-09-12
TALES AND SKETCHES.
Esucl between Clay and Randolph.
BY JAMES PARTON.

J Mr.. Clay was Secretary Of State at the
time Mr.. Randolph was a Senator from Vir-
ginia. John Quincy Adams was President
of the United States. John Randolph, too
prone to believe evil of all men, and especial
ly Of bis political opponents was persuaded
that Henry Clay had gained the Office he
then held by a corrupt bargain with the
President. He firmly believed that Mr..
Adams had said to Mr.. Clay, in 1927, when
the election of President devolvcd upon
the House of Representatives
"Makc me President, and l will appoint
you Secretary of State, and you as my sue
cessor"
Thus believing, it was hard for man of
Mr.. Randolph's unscrupulous fuency to
avoid bctraying his belief. Accordingly, in
April, 1926, in the course of his wandering,
sarcastic harangues, after insinuating that
Mr.. Clay had forged a public document,
Randolph concluded with the following
words in reference to a recent vote:
after twenty-sx hours excrtion it was
time to give in. l was defeated, horse, foot
| and dragoon-cut up and clean broke down
ny the coalition of Bitil and Black George
by the combination, urhearc of till then,
Of the Puritan with the blackleg'
! Blfil and Black George are two characters
! in FediEg's celebrated novel of tom
Jones'" Blifl being sniveling hypocrite
and Black George an audacious roSber
| Every one who heard Mr. Randolph use
these words understood Blifl to be the
! Yankee President, John Quincy Adams
who, however, was no Puritan, but Unita-
! rian, like his father before him. Black
George could be no other than Mr.. Clay,
! who in earlier life was known to have been
! gambler, as most gentlemen of the time
were The passage of Mr.. Randoph's speech
! relating to the alleged forgery was as fol-
lows:
"a letter from the Mexican Minister at
Washington, submitted by the Executive to
the Senate, bore the ear.marks of having
been manufactured BY the Secretary Of
State"
On reading the report of this most unjus.
tifable speech, Mr.. Clay wrote q challenge
and sent it by his friend, Gen. Jessup. Gen.
Jcssup called upon Randolph and informed
him that he was the bearer of message from
Mr.. Clay, in consequence of an attack re-
Gently made upon him in the Senate, both
as private and public man.
Il am aware" said Gen. Jessup, "that no
one has right to question you out of the
Senate for anything said in debate, unless
you choose voluntarily to waive your privi.
lege as a member of that body"
Mr.. Randolph replied that he would never
shield himself under the protection of the
Constitution, and held himself accountable
to Clay. TT.
81 am ready to respond to Mr.. Clay" said
he, land will be obliged to You if you will
bear my note in reply; and in the course of
|, the day will look out for friend"
Gen. Jessup declined bearing the note,
saying that he thought Mr.. Randolph owed
it to himself to consult his friends before
taking so important step. Mr.. Randolph
seized Gen. Jessup's hand, and said:
You are right, sir. thank you for the
suggestion but as you do not take my
note. you must not be impatient should you
not hear from me to-day. think of only
two friends, and there are circumstances
connected with one of them which may de-
prive me of his services, and the other is in
bad health. He was sick yesterday, and
may not be out to day"
Gen. Jessup requested him to take his
own time, and babe him good morning This
was Saturday, April /, 1925. Mr.. Randolph
Immediately went to the lodgings of Col.
Benton, of Missouri, aud, upon finding him,
asked him buntly, without giving him any
reason for the question
Are youa blood relation of Mrs. Clsyi"
81 am, said Colonel Benton.