The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1891-10-04


got to Washington City" continued GEN
eraI Clay, "and found the president in
the library. He received me pleasantly,
and I told him at once that could not
take the mission TO Spain. Said /: 4 don't
want to go TO any of the effete monarchies
of Europe. Il have served all my life for
my party, and / have never asked for an
office. l had thought that might take
one as q sort Of yindication of my prin-
ciples, but since you have so many better
men than myself, think had better go
back to Kentucky and retire to private
life Lincoln, who had been rather re-
served up to this time, here got up and
put his hand on my shoulder and said: Il
don't want you 70 go home, Mr. Clay. 1
want to do something for You, but am go
hedged around here 1 can't do just what I
will. Isn't there some place you will take p
WELL said /, you have made up your
cabinet. How about the missions to
France and England?' President Lincoln
then said that these had been promised to
Adams and Dayton, and that he didn't see
how he could let me have either OF them.
WELL said l, that settles it. There is no
other place / want. will go back to Ken
lucky, President Lincoln again urged
me not 10 go. He said: stay few days,
Mr.. Clay, and will see what can be DONE
This was in the morning. That evening
! dined with Sanford, who had just been
made minister TO Belgium. While we were
ct dinner the waiter came TO me and told
me that Senator Baker, of Oregon, wanted
me to step out into the hall for moment.
/ had known Baker very well IN the Next
can war. He was noble fellow. / left
the table and went out. He said: The
vice president has sent me to see you. de
has been considering your case, and he
wants to do something TO please you. He
a. apr 10Th fpY OILS
London or PARIS will not be acceptable to
YOU. Why don't you take the Russian
Tninistry7 Russia is a great country, and
it may be an important element in the
coming struggle. 1t is one of the greatest
courts of Europe. and if were you l
would take it,
well" continued General Clay, 81 Just
had good dinner and Baker was my
friend, and I finally told him that would
take the Russian mission, and that he
might go and tell the president that |
would accept it if he would appoint me,
or if he would wait until the dinner was
over would go with him. Wait for the
dinner?' said he; Hang the dinner. Let's
go to the White House now. have cab
here, and | tell you the president is wait
ing All right said /, and with that
/ went with him to the White House.
President Lincoln was sitting in his office.
His legs were stretched out. His head
was resting on MS MINUS, aud ne YVES IN
deep thought. As we came in Baker said:
"Mr. President, Clay will take the Russian
mission Lincoln sprang to his feet and
shook me by both hands, and said: CLAY,
thank you. You relieve me of great en-
barrassments.' And so / went to Russia.
THE EXPERIENCES OF DIPLOMAT.
"How do You like your mission7" I
asked.
Every much, indeed" replied General
Clay. "And think did great deal for
America during my stay there. 1t was
through me that Alaska was secured to
the United States, and carried on all the
preliminary negotiations. The question
came up first though the project for
building telegraph line through Siberia
across Bering straits. An American trav-
eler named Perry Med. Collins had gone
across Siberia, and he had interested Mr..
Sibley, president of the Western Union
telegraph, in the scheme for building q
telegraph line from America across Bering
straits to Europe to st. Petersburg. Sib-
ley attempted to get q charter for this line
through me, and / got one which would
have made the fortunes of the COM
pany had they not spoiled the job
at Washington through our Secretary of
State Seward, pressing the infamous Per-
kins claim. In my charter We had clause
which provided that every telegram from
Siberia to St. Petersburg should pay TO the
American company rebate Of one-half of
the price of the telegram. This / got ont
OF my friendships at st. Petersburg, and
had interested two of the grand dukes of
Russia to take stock in the company.
Then Seward pressed the Perkins claim. 1t
was an outrageous steal and Seward knew it
He commanded me to press it and handed
his letter to Gortchacow.. Gortchacow read
and spoke English as well as do. He looked
over the letter and then slapped 1t down
on the table emphatically said: We will
go to war before we will pay single red
kopeck of it, From this time on he was
angry with Seward, and he refused to give
any concessions in favor of the telegraph
line. He was well enough satisfied to
have it built, but he did not intend to
right TO build the line under other condi-
tions, and through this came about the
negotiations which gave us Alaska"
''What do you think of George Remnants
articles on Russian" said 1.
81 don't think much of them," replied
General Clay. ST don't think the man is
acting like gentleman. He accepted
their Inequalities. and he is now miscon-
STRUNG and misrepresenting them.
don't believe there are any greater cruel
ties committed in the Russian prisons
than there are in the American prisons
Kentucky, and the testimony goes 10 show
that our prisoners were fed on bad meat.
The warden complained of it, and he is
discharged, and we let out our prisoners to
the same people who have oppressed them.
Russia Is great country, and the United
States owes great deal TO Russia.
They were our friends during the late war,
and can tell you we needed friends then.
The English were as strong for the South
rs were the people of South Carolina. Ger
many and France both wanted to see us
fail. They all supported the South in an
underhand way, and had il not been for
their fear of Russia they would have sup
ported it openly. / enjoyed my stay at ST.
Petersburg. | was on close terms with the
car, and knew Prince Gortchacow init
mately. He was one of the greatest men
of Europe, and he was practically the gov
ernor of Russia. He was the equal of Bis
marck or Disraeli, and he was a man of
equal culture with either of them"
STORIES or HENRY CLAY.
Cassius NJ. Clay was cousin of Henry
Clay. Lexington is not more than an
hours ride from Richmond, and General
Clay knew his great relative we'll. He
SAYS that Clay would have made a great
general, and he says that the similarity in
ell respects between Clay and Jackson was
striking. They had heads very much
alike, and they were intellectually much
the same in character. al believe that
Clay would have been president of the
United States had he had a chance TO dis
tinguish himself in the army, and the only
man in the past whom I can compare with
Clay and Jackson is Julius Cesar. All
three men possessed great moral courage
ell We're statesmen, and Clay would have
Aa as,t~