The Arkansaw traveler., 1885-02-28
"REMINISCENCES.
BY BEN: PERLEY P0oRE.

Henry Clay made a visit from Ken. lucky to Albany in the summer of I83o to confer with William H. Seward, then governor of the state of New York. His reception everywhere from the whigs was enthusiastic except ia the western section of the Empire State, where the anti- Masonic faction, of which Seward was the leader, pledominated. This faction desired the nomination of Scott or Harri- son in the ensuing presidential election instead of Clay, who was the favorite of the opposition everywhere, the anti Masonic districts of New York, Pennsyl- vania, and Ohio alone excepted. MT. Clay arrived at Albany and lodged at the Eagle tavern in uth Market street. Here he held a continual levee and im- agined himself surrounded by friends in the person of the whig governor and state officers. Just before his departure. how ever, it was deemed expedient by Seward to disillusionize him. For this purpose he chose a fitting instrument, Tom Cloves, of Troy, a native of Marblehead, and as rough as the rocks of that iron bound port Cloves, in accordance with his instructions from Seward, informed MT. Clay one evening that, if nominated, he could not receive the vote of New York. Mir. Clay was, of course, utterly astonished and greatly agitated, so much so that Mr. Loveridge of the Troy idaii who sat on the sofa with him, declared afterward to Cloves that he shook the sofa with his agitation.
 The Stewards, the Thad. Stevenses and other notorious political gamblers were strong enough, or rather the whigs of the country generally were weak enough to be seduced by these unprincipled masters of chicanery, and at Harrisburg, in De- cGmber, General Harrison and John Tyler received the whig nomination for the presidency and vice-presidency.
 MT. Clay magnanimously acquiesced in the Harrisburg nomination, although well aware of the means by which it was brought about. In letter to his old friend, Peter G. Livingston of New York, written in the summer of I84o, he jocosely remarked, after alluding to some expressions of sympathy from Living ston: But we must not talk about these matters, Peter, for if we do we will draw the spigot out of the barrel and spill all the hard cider" The Harrison campaign was known at the time as the "hard-cider campaign"
 Late in the autumn of I844 a letter addressed by Henry Clay to Cassius M. Clay, and intrusted to the charge of Horace Greeley, was, according to his statement made at the time, accidentally dropped in the street. The next morn- ing it appeared in the columns of the leading democratic journal of New York. Whether Greeley's pocket was picked of this letter when asleep, by Weed or some other henchman of Seward, or whether he lett it where it could be conveniently stolen by some of these gentry and conveyed by them to the democrats, will probably never be known. This letter was regarded as materially damaging to Mir. Clay's pros- poets in New York. At all events, he lost the vote of that state and was de- feated. That this result was anxiously desired by Seward and his clique, no real friend ot MT. Clay in the city of New York ever doubted to my kno o,.ledge.
 The young whigs of that city were Mir. Clay's most enthusiastic supporters Without the slightest exaggeration they may be said to have idolized him. When his defeat was ascertained, Thurlow Weed, that gaunt bird of evil omen, ar rived at the Astor house. As soon as his arrival became known at the whig headquarters on Broadway, the whigs there assembled rushed down to the Astor with the determination to tar and feather Weed and ride him on rail. They ascended the grand staircase and swarmed through the corridors, guard. ing carefully the public and private pas. sages of egress from the hotel. But Weeds friend, the landlord, S:etson, out generated them. They privately con- veyed Weed out of the house through the filthy alley used by the garbage carts of the scavengers in the rear of the hotel, and placed him in carriage on Broad way, with orders to the coachman to drive rapidly up town. So Weed escaped the deserved vengeance of those whom he had deceived and betrayed.
 MT. Watson, whose early home was near Marsh6eld, and who was brought up in Websterian atmosphere" is my authority for saying that soon after the death of his first wife, MT. Webster, then a senator from Massachusetts, was att tracted by pretty girl from Boston, . Miss Parker, wAo spsnt winter here. It was rumored In Boston that he was about to many her. To prevent this, Geerge Blake of that city, came on to Washingtoa. Blake, though somewhat wilds was . man of talent and devoted to