Arizona republican., 1897-09-16
A STORY OF HENRY CLAY.

The venerable Howard H. Gratz, editor of the Lexington Gazette, is one of the few Kentuckians now liv- ing who was present in the United States senate chamber in March, 1842, when Henry Clay made his famous farewell address. MIr. Gratz was then a boy of IS, returning home from Yale His uncle, Senator Blair, sat almost behind the speaker, and when Mir Gratz entered the crowded cham Der his uncle beckoned to him to come over and share his seat. Mir. GratZ did so and during the entire time of the delivery of Mr. Clay's speech he occupied a portion of his uncle'S chair and listened with rapt attention to the great commoner. In speaking of his srecolledtions of the mem,oralble occasion Mr. Gratz said:
 ~I do not think MT. John F. Coyle's account of the remarkable scene, pub lished in the September Ladies Home Journal, is correct. MT. Clay did kQct say all that MT. Coyle makes him
 lay and there are numerous errors in
 \e report of his speech. MT. Coyle
 I1ently quotes from the Congress Globe. I had been we'll drilled in kting the sermons of an old Rresbytefian preacher and I believe I can give verbatim report of Mir. Clay's speech on that memorable March day. The scene was one never to be forgotten. My father was a great admirer of Mr. Clay and I was reared to lowe and admire him. My uncle, Senator Blair, however. hated the great commoner bitterly, and he auDd Thomas H. Benton glared at MT Clay all the time he was delivering his great speech MT Clay had been speak king butt a few minutes when nearly everybody in the crowded room began to shed tears except Benton and my uncle. I remember hcw Dan iel Webster sat and drank in every word that fell from MT. Clay's lips was looking straight at him when he brushed away a tear as Mr. Clay be- gan to grow pathetic, and few min utes latter tears were flowing from Webster's eyes. I felt that I could not restrain my tears any longer, and yet I knew that if my uncle saw me crying he would rep1lmand me. But, fortunately, he never took his eyes oil MT Clay's face, and the tears ran down my cheeks uninterrupted, for l was afraid to betray my emotions by wipimg them away. I think I will write out the exact language of Mir Clay. I have seen 1t garbled long enough. That was the most remark able scene I have ever witnessed, and although it has been fifty-five years ago the /4ncidents and the words of
 r-Giay burned themselves into my brain So indefIbly that I caT see and and hear it all now. For fnfensity of at tention and sympathy of auditors I doubt if there was ever "a case like it on record. Mark Antony when ex- tolling the virtues of the dead Caesar could not have had a more sympa- fhetic audience. The enemies of the great Roman were many and bitter, but in MT. Clay's case even his enc . mics wept, as he delivered, with al- mlst inspired tongue, that magniff- cent address It was full ,of patriot ism, devCSd of selfishness, replete with toftiest sentiments and be- ing de9Vered in a style which Cicero never excelled, and with an earnest ness that carired conviction with it, the speech swept away every particle of resentment that might have been lodged in an enemy's mind, and with one accord the vast assemblage, bar rimg Benton and my uncle Blair, gave the great commoner that sympathy his worn heart craved, and that love which he himself bore to mankind.