The daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1873-1877, 1875-07-23
cAssIUs n. CLAY.
His Opinions of Grant and the Repub-
-.--., Lean Party.

~T~"~~-~f
- s.-@- - 3 e .st VOL s-H
white Hail (SIadison county KY y Correspondence
or the Cincinnati Commercial
Since the Cincinnati convention Of 1872, |
which nominated Horace Greeley for pre-. |
sident, and B. Crate Brown for vice pre- |
sident, in which nominations he was deeply |
Interested, Gen. Clay has lived in compar- |
alive quiet at his country seat, White Hall, |
six miles from Richmond, where, free from |
the cares of the busy world, he lived |
among his books. until the recent Demo |
cratic convention at Frankfort, In which he |
took part, again brought him prominently |
before the public. To sec Cassius NJ. Clay |
participating in a convention of people |
whose life long enemy he had been was no
less surprise than q pleasure to Demo |
Gratis, and wide were the comments every
where on what friends claimed TO be the
promptiDgs of an honest conviction of
right, and enemies claimed to be apostasy
TO the party which had sheltered him for
years. i had desire to see and talk with
this man, to learn his views Of men and
matters, and to ascertain, if possible, the
causes which led to his abandonment of the
party for which he had labored so earnest
" and battled so Yaliantly; to learn from
his own lips the exciting details of his life.
found Mr.. Clay at home among his
books, and after being introduced as the
CORRESPONDENT of the Commercial, he
greeted me very kindly, and, on taking a
seat, stated that l had come out to see
him for talk, and, If he had no objection,
desired to hear his views OF men and
things; to which Mr.. Clay responded as fol-
lows: .rz.-.
Gen. Clay-Whan I have anything to
say to the public generally say it directly
to the press, without the modern affecta-
ton OF using third parties and indirect
means. In the expression Of my thoughts
] attempt always the plainest language,
and toward the public the most direct
methods. cr'E br. 81 ..-.rl
Correspondent-Wh do you think, Mr..
Clay, Of Grant as general and politician?
Gen. C.-Grant was never anything till
he fell into the keeping of Rawlins, who
was every way a man, and has been no
thing since Rawlins' death. He showed a
certain logged courage-I may say stolid-
ity-sapplemented by tobacco and whisky,
which held his lieutenants up TO their
work, which they were, many of them, very
competent to perform, and overpowered
thee onfederates by superior force. /
rank him far below many Of his subordin-
ates as q general. However, / am not q
military man, but q civilian. Of his
political career think / am better judge,
and say without fear of the future, that
as q statesman he is beneath criticism.
C.-You don't agree with Gen, Harlan,
then, in his laudations of Grant?
Gen. C.-No sir. Gen. Harlan is an
aspirant in the Republican party, and his
opinion must be taken cum grdn0 sails.
IL. II l.. A.
of our history, and / would not like to
characterize it morally. His leading char
acteristics eliminate in his third term
letter and his horse-jockey speech to the
Indians of the Black Hills.
C,-Do you think he will be the candi-
date of his party again?
Gen C.-No. sir. He has followers as
INSCRIPTIONS as himself, with equal cum
Mug, who will take his letter as declen.
sion, and crowd him, with all his office
holders, from the convention. Then
look to see Grant turn the guns of the
party against the nominee.
C.-You think, then, general, that he
will disrupt the party, and it will lose il
1876? 80 --N - -s#..
Gen. Cor course. TT the Republicans
had had wise and patriotic man at the
head of the government they ought Il
have held the power for half century, o.
as long, at least, as human nature vii
allow party to exist in free country
But Grant has done his work. 1t is mum
bered with the past. The great achieve
ments it made, the great principles it es
tablished, will survive, but from this tim
forward the Democratic party will be thei
coDservator.
C.-You at Frankfort identified your
self with the Democratic party, after a
opposition of nearly half q century. What
may l ask, were your motives for such &C
ton.
Gen. C.-There is but one great issu
between the Republicans and Democrats
but that issue is the most important tina
ever interested the human race; no les
than the question as to whether man
capable of self government. Grant, in hi
self-greed and ignorance has made tn
issue, and the Republicans, in thei
cowardice, have become his criminal TO
lowers The intelligence, the mora
worth, the property of free country mus
inevitably rule the country. When tn
south, in good faith, laid down her arms
she should have been restored at once {
self-government and equality in the GOV
ernpent, otherwise they should haye bee
allowed to 60. The attempt to rule tn
eleven states once in revolt, from WASH
ington, was only possible by overthrowin
constitutional government and becomin
lone nation,S in the language of moder
Republicanism; that is, q central despo
Ism. Grant with the military instinct
which wanted congress to repeal the lav
which would not allow him to put his CON
mercizl friend, A. 4. Stewart, in the trea.
ury, saw this, and proceeded, as soon a
Louisiana ceased to be Republican, to tn
use ofthe bayonet When Charles the Firs
saw Hampden and others in parliamen
standing against his tyrannical impositio
OF ship money, having no regular army, b
marched with a few of his Household
guards into parliament to take the ban
ditti' and execute them. They escaped
but not the king. This one act brough
his head to the block When Gran
marched his regular army into the state
house at New Orleans, he had less show o
constitutional right and law than Charlie
l., and if Justice were done him he woul
meet the same fate. Nothing remains
be done but to defeat him, his aiders an
abettors, with such popular majority a
will strike terror into all future tyrants an
usurpers. Hence at Frankfort was 70
eliminating every side issue from the plat
form and presenting this one question {
the American people: The government
ofthe people, by the people, for the pee
pie, IN the immortal words of Abrahau
Lincoln. This spirit of tyranny directe
toward the the southern people, with whor
am identified, drove me into the Demo
cratic party, to resist encroachments on NJ