Henry Clay, The Slaveholder

Jamos C. Fuller, a Quaker A. S. lecturer lias recently made a tour to the South to purchase a family of SI aves on behalf of GerrilSmith. He gives the following ac count of his visit to the premises of Henry ClayI also wished to see the mported cattle and plantation of Henry Clay, whose testimony ofhimselfisj "That everv pulsationof his heart beats high wilh liberty." 1 leurncd at the stage office thatthere was no stage to Harrodsburg until the day following, and were I to go on to Frankfort, should not reach the place of destination any sooner than by remaining in Lexington one day and taking the stage ihe succeeding d.iy which enabled me to accomplish my wishes. Directly after breakfast I started for Ashland, which is aboutone and a half miles from the city. On reaching it I went to the front door to which there is neither knocker.bell-pull or knob handle. Howunlike General Harrison's Log Cabin at North Bend, where political friends assert that the latch-string was ahvays hanging out, so that an oíd soldier or friend of thc General'á. could always havc entrance anda welcome to his board. I stood for some time in front of the house viewing it as having been reared and it3 inniates sustained by the toil of unrequited labor, and then recurred to the political station of its owner, and in doing so, involuntary thought of our mutual friend, Joshua Leavitt; it was scarce-j ly an involuntary thought for it was suggested by the beautiful appearance and ! fect produced of a ceder tree on either side of the Scïiator's door, shootingjip, each of them with three The cedar, Joshua has chosen for the crest of the third poülical parir, and thinks, when the Hickory of Tennèssee, the elm -of New York, the Buckeye of Ohio, anJ the Persimon of Virginia, shall have perished inlo oblivion, the Cedar shall stretch its sheltering arms over the nation. 1 suppose the Hickorv. for its toughness and thesmallnsss of the kernel of the nut, is an emblem of Jackson;the EIm, a crooked warping timber, of Van Buren; the Bjckeye, hearing a poisonous fruit, of Hirrison; and the persimrnon, a Virginia weed, the'abstraction' of a worn-out soil an emblem of John Tyler. The Kentucky Cedar, the native State of Birney, is of a slow stunled growth, generally a rag'ed looking thing,and after many year3 growth becomes fit for a post in rail fences, and it tnay bp sometime9 used as a whipping post for the poor slave. Some of us northern ireemen have been whippcd and laceraled by new organizitionists to compel us to take shelter under the Kentucky Cedar but itisnogo, and ihetree, Ihope wilt soon be removed, and ifan emblem of the tree kind must be u'ed, let us have a "fruit bearing one." As it would have appeared clownish to strike at Senator Ciay's door with the heel of one's shoe or boot, I oopcluded I would seek someother way of entrance, and went round to. the other side of ihe house, there finding a ciosed door, and as there were no steps other than loose square blocks, free from mor ter, supposed that was not a place for entry and proceeded; when opposite the window Isawsomecolored peonle, anda little black girl cama to me. I asked her if Henry Clay's wife was at home? Her reply - Yes. I wish to sec her. She; then desired me to walk round that way, which broughc ms to the door I was fitst at, and in a little time she opened it and I handed her my card, desiring her to give it to her mistress and say thal I wished to see the imported stock. She brought back word that there was no white n?en about to show it. I construed this message to mean that a black man had not brains enough to show a buil, cow, or calf. I lold her to go back and say Icame from England, and a! black man would answer my purpose asi well as a white min. She hesitated to do so,and as I saw a colored man approachingj the house, I went out to meet him, and said, "Where wert thou raised?' "Washington." "Did Henry Clay buy thee?" "Yes.""1 wish to see his improved caltle." "The man who has the care of them is n the orchard," poititing me to it. I said "I wilt go tohim,and 1 want an apple." As Í wontalong 1 saw a littlc boy who appeared to be going the same way, and asked if it was so, and being ansvvered in the aflirmative, calied to him, and said 1 would go with him. He appeared an aclive, lively lad, with an intelligent countenuncc,and I am mistaken if nature did nol design that intelligence should dwell in his bosorn. "Canet, thcu read?" "No." "Dost thou go to school?''. "No." "Is there a school ibrcolored people on Henry Clay's plantation?" "No." "How old art thou?" "Dont know." This boy 1 suppose was about eigbt or nine years old. After walking a little way, was met hv a white man, who said the man who had charge oí bé cow stock was on the other iurm,and that he would Lend for him. 'l'tie man whom I was conversing with I found to be a Sussex county man. 1 wish Engli&hmen would nol live withtlave holders, orgo lo reside in sluve States. 1 said if he would send lor him, l would go lo the orchard und get a few apples. On getting to ihc orchard 1 saw a woman at work with her needie, and as I wished to converse wilh her, and see her 'hul,' 1 walked loward her, and ader surveying her a moment or so,watching thccelerii oí' her hand, I said, "How old art thee?" 'A big fifty." "How old is that?1' ''Near sixty.' "llow many children hast tliou hutii?' "iïfieen orsixleen." "Whereare the}1?1' "Colored people do not know where their children is, for they are sent all over the country V "Where weit thou ruised?"' "Washington." "Did Ilonry Ciay buy thee there?1' 'Yes.' 'How inaiiy chiIJren hadst (hou tUen?1 'Four.' 'Where are the) ?' 1 o'on't know, ihey teli me ihey aredead.' 'How many husbands hast thou had?' 'Two.' ís the first dead?1 ' Yes.' 'Did Clay buy thy present husband ?' 'No, he is a freeman.' 'Did he come on with thee?1 'Yes.'The hut in which t!us source of weniih j lives is neilher as good nor as well floored ' as my stable. I then turned away into the orchard, where 6everal slaves were engaged in picking fruit, and asked one oftheyoung men ïf they werc taught to ; rcad on Ihis plantation. 'No.1 Mavirrg seen all I wanted, I made iorthe mnnsion, and found tlie man was there who had 1 been sent fur. Iiaving a whip under lus j arm, 1 told him, I need nol ask who he was, seeing thai he car ried hts badge öf auihority with him. He asked rf 1 wanted to ste the imported caitlc. Í said ycs, when he replied that thoy had but littlc, : and that was all out frotn home: ihal Mr. Clay's sons have the most, aiid us therc was nofull blooded, supposed it was no worth seeing. I said itcould not be. - They then nuule out thcre was two ful! blooded calves, but 1 was salisfifid with I whiit f had seen, and only wanted to feel i ín my own hand the weight of a short i handled but ponderous whip, which its : possessor said was his riding whip, but had been broken, - and that it answered two purposes, that of a ridingf whip, and "uccasionally to whip them off," alluding to the slaves. What, my fiiend, is to be learned froni these gleanings at Ashland - frorn the doings of our mutual friend Joseph John GurneyVdear friend,'Hen ry Clay !! Why,that he buys human kind, luale and female, on the spot, which, of all others under hcaven, ought to be freedom1;} own ground, and which oughl not to he lainted with the iread of a slave's foot or cursed with his presence.Perliaps thou ait not a ware that whcn a colilö of slaves some time since was marchod by the Caj)itol at Washington, on which wasfioating in tho breeze the starspanglcd banncr, one of tbem sarca?lically sung-Hail, Columbia, happy land! Hail, ye héroes, heaven bom band ! It remindü mo of Moore's sarcasm - "The fustian flag that proudly waves In splendid mockery o'er the land of slaves. We also learn that Ilenry Clay keeps immortal mind,mado in God'd own imago and desiined like ourselves, and like himself, to endless happiness or lo etemal tnisery; that he kcepá such in mental bondage - in Ejjyptian darkness ! ! What are we to expect of a man who ean buy, sell, or barter humanity? And what is humariïty? Is it not God's creation, and designed lo be Christ's by redemption? II it be so, what is its value? Estímate the sufferings in the Garden of Gethsetnane, and the death and suffering on Calvary's cross; ifthe atunement there made, and the triumphant resurrection and glorious ascensión ut'our Redeemer can be to the full extent appreciated,whüe in this mortai coil, the questiun can be answered. - And, shall the man who does this, and clothes another with unlimited, irresponsible power-placing in his hand a whip with wli oh he may lacérate woman's flesh - "Womwi, God's last, best gift to raan," iash her too, and in her daily toil, lash her to become a willing sacrifice to his lusts, shall such a man, who is considered heir prosumplive lo the Presidential chair be sustainod by American abolitionists? - ileaven l'orbid ! God and all nature cries out against it. Yet loud as may be the cry and convincing as may be the sound, for it praceeds from the vrumpet that does not give an uncertain eound, yet I fear that there are thosc in our ranks so weddcd and so welded into party, thaï political bondage will make them, when they want to serve their polilical bias, and thinkthey ure thereby serving their country and themselves, will be found swerving from the right and from their country's real good. Do not think that C'lay is a sinnerabove all other men. I think not so ofhim, as far as 1 have learnt he has about sixty slaves, and they appear to be weil fed lor slaves, well clulhed, and many ofthem are well Ibrmed, fine, grown persons. I would here remark thut the superior condiiiou oftheKenlucky colored peo pie over those cfMaryland and Virginiu cannot help striking a vcry superficial observer, und I account ibr it by their being belter fed, better clothed, less worked and the bestofihe species kepl for breed. In the aftertioon 1 cal led at the house of Roben Wickliffc, Scn'r., for several years a member of the State Senate, and in my way out of bis beuutilul pleasure ground feil in with a very active, smart colored boy, p'f whom I queried - 'Canst lliou reud?" "No' "IIow old art thou?" He artlessly, and wüh a good deal of innocénëy and checrfulness, said, lN'ót very old.'' 1 told hiin that was not an answer to Ihe question, atid repeatcd it, when he oaid, "Twoor three?" Now, this boy cuuld not be, I ihink iess ihan eight. Ilobcri Wicklifie, Seu'r., is u large s'mvL-huldur,iuii.l euiuncipaled some slave which wére bis wife's previuus lo their tuarriage, assiguing in a prioted pamphlet thul she id an aboliiionist. llis son, Robcrt, was elected to ihe Stalc Legislalure by a majority of 10(3 over Cassius M. Clay, vet 1 learnt thal lilllc or no dependence could be placed on (horcsult of ihis coriiest, Ibr thoso who voted agaiust Clay ivould not consent that ihe I-aw of 1833 should be repealed, and many thoughl that neiiher uf ihem ought to bc sent to the Legitluturej but Wicklitie it iá sa id, speut five ihousund dollars in bribery and intoxicating Brink, and I . suppose ihat Clas 's hands are not quite clear in these respecte. C JV1. Clay is about nventy seven years of age, ]osse?sing rare abili lies. Frurn Lexington 1 went forward lo iiairodsburgb, and was glad lo lind tha: my staving at ihe forrner place had nol impeded prugreosing in ihe object of my journey, for Samuel VVorlhingtou had been over lo the elcciion and returned lo ií.urodöburghshorlly; after my reac.hiug it. - On ihe way, passed through Blue Lick. ihe celebrity of whose waters are co-extenaive with ihe Uniled Siales. il is u miácrable, dirly hole of a place, )elpossesting local advantages but poorly used. While a fresh team was ]ut lo ihe slage, went lo get a dranght of the waie.-, nd found at ihe spring several white and Iwo colored men, and askcd if 1 could have a drink of the water. O;ie of the hite men said it was free fur all. I asked him if il would make all free who drank of it. - ile replied it was free fur all. 1 said thüu dost not understand my question, but from brighlning up ol the countenance of tbe colored men, I saw ihey did, and one ol them looking very chéerful sntd'lVe understand whatyuu mean,"' and I left thi.in to ihstruct iheir aristocatii brethren.