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Cassius M. Clay In Detroit

Cassius M. Clay In Detroit image
Parent Issue
Day
23
Month
September
Year
1844
Copyright
Public Domain
OCR Text

Tli. orrivül of Cas'snis AI. Clay tf ,tir ctv has givei) a new impulse to inqury, d, if I do nol mibtake the ti n.s of tie tifues, conrrbuted nn httfe to tbe idvancenient of the Liberty canee here. Au universal esirn ti ht'ar e-o distirtgruished an ndvraie ofemanci pmio from a slave State as weH as 1 1& peenlioriry ofhispolitic'olpceitinn, attractoda hrge ntulitory from all partios at the Whig c!ub room or the 5th insl. Nmptpen twen'ieihs of his speech cohsisted ofan abfe eposition of the characier artd tendencies of Amencnn slavery. Hff showed ir n clnr. calm, nnd sorïie whot pliilo-o'pliieaï eiwit of rcrumen', thf■ii. er iiworrrpntibuity of clave nnd free instiuiHons, nnd the mperinus rüecessity ofubolisliitigr Wie Ibrmer in order t.) preserve ihe htter - trno-d uil thé niobs. fyochnigfe, rrpudiations nnd other forms of public ourhreak, which rmve recent Iv givpu us bs a nution snch a disg-rncéful pre-emiuertce evéri when comparerl wirh ihe ol'de.-t communities of Europe, to the legit.im.ite Vorkings of thnt grent vi(laiion of natural ivtice irtolved in the inatitnticrtj of human sla very ïn fact, it was flius fat ú first anti slaveiry speech, but the ïhferonce' from-aH le was Iienvenwide from h8 premises and nltogether "ïnosf íamtí andimpoiem," to wit, that Liberty men sbouid vote for Henry Chy. As might have been prodicied, theabolitionists odmired his premian, tH Whigs lm cmclvstoti, and the Locos, rdnty dogs,) cötfM flnd to their aste m either. The result has ffceh the dif. r..Ron ofnot a Jittle sound ariti-slarery doefrine among a portion ofotircommnnity qiii'e inncreesible to ordinary anti slavery inflnences, and not a man lost to the Liberty cause. Mr. Clny'e arpument in favor of votinff fr hi5 ditinírwíshed remtive rested mninly on tlie assnmplion that Mr. Clay has said that he ts opoospd to (he admission of Texas, and 'hatnccordiníMo al! the rules which inspire nd requinte faiti between man and mnn, we re bmind M believe that he wil] do vhat he says he will do in the event of his election- rather a short cuf, we fhoupht, to a conclus on. As to the three Texas letters, thev were FummarÜv hnstled topefher with an od oitness which none so well as the practi?ed lawyer underslnnd whnn he wishes to dispose of adverse testimony. Some höw or her, fhey all meant aboiit ihe same lÜng, and the peneral doctre was deduccd, of implacable hostility to annexation. The excilement p-oducec! by this ppeech fbr gond or for evij, was deemed to afford a fitting occasion for an extra meeting of our Liberty Assr.cintion. Accordinaly a meeting wns called for Sniurday evening lost. A po lite noe waa addíessed lo Mr. Clay at Ann Arbor on Fridny hy theExecutive Cominiltee, statinp the obj-ct of the meetinp to be avie 01 his Bpeech delivered befure the Clay Club, and respecfnllyaskingbJsaUendar.ee. The announcpmpQt of ihe meeting drew a orowded house, and Mr. Clay favored the Assoeiation with lus presence. The tnsk of -evirwing Mr. O's speech and pnsition wbb ■sned lo oor friend, C. H. Stewnrt, Esq., and most ably was it peïformed in a speech of surpaFsing excellence of two houra and a !ialf. To avoid all misconception of the sentiments advancrd by Mr. Cny, Mr. S. commnced by giving a brief eynpsie of bis speech, to the tnitb of wbich Mr. Clay, after one or tvvo unimportaht coTectionp, assenied. Mr. S proceeded to a clt-ar and condensed sratement of the points on which there wa6 rio difference of opinión betweeñ liim. (Mr. C.) and the Liberty to which Mr. C' ofièred fío objrction. Th is of ronrse nnrrowed the controvorsy to the renl is6ue between Mr. C. M. Clay nnd the Liberty party, viz: the claims of Henry Clay to the votes ofliberty men. Then followed a eifting of the grear cornpromisers polifical life in relation to Texas matters from 1819 down to the present lime; andsuch a riddling ás 1 ween the veterun political etager has not of ten experienced at the hands even of his most talented opponent in the hnlls of national legislation. Many of ourfriends in the interior of the State will 1trust have an opportunity before election uf knowing from the testimony of theír own ears thaí this ie not an extravagant eulogy. Mr. C. responded in a speech ofabout half an hoon confíned alínoíí exclutiively to a vindication oí his great na mesa k' 8 personal feelings in relation to slavery. Your readers will be surprised to hear that the ceiebraled senatorial speech of 1839 was qunted to prove a deep npvgiíance to the painaichal institution! - With one or two triflinir exceptions, there was carcely a pretence of refuling. or even pxRfninirg a single positwn in Jtlr. Stewart'p argument. One exception is worthy of remurk as savcíring strong'y of the dex;erity of the special pleaoer. Mr. Clay, in his last Tcxari letter, speaks of "the cnmmon consent of the Stntes'' to annexalion as Jieceiseury tohis support or ifie mensure: Mr. Stewarl ver jusily contended tij at the word ucommon" i this eonnection, could not, according to th popular and genera! acceptntion of the tern mean all the Stnies. Wr. C. attempied t evade this otmoiisly correct construction by taking shelter under the k-gal 6i.d technica sente of the word, as in the conveyance o reaf éstatè by deed by persons hnving an uudi vided mierest, the word common is used to exprese all the parties in iniereut. Hud Heny Clay ben a physièian instead of a lawyer, arïd addressrng the p-;iipl t o!' the Umted Siates on topics of geiïeral interest to the country, we might be }lowed to indulge a serieus doubt ivhelher any sne man would huve drenmed of inierpreting his langtiage nccording to theU'CiinicalitiPs ol medical tcjfnce. out our noble friend in placed, or rather ha placed himse!f in a false positiori by al once he cause ofuumuri liberty nnd the eievatiou to power of one ofits greatest enemreíi. By sd doing he imolvcs fiimsclf in infinite diffieul Wa and cón'tradictiÓne, ah] what is vorse. Ij J is tl-.e minde of ome at leat of the friends of ihe tlbve with perplexilres as to ihe bíii-" ceri;y of nis proicss-ionsin Lite righicotis Caustio wiüch I yerily beieveb bas reaily devoieó nis hï'e and fine taientf. Por myself I ihiuk I sr-e a satísfactory soiötion or" evey gloomj' dmibt n the blindmg iufluences of 6lrong tifc ol' consongiiinity and pereonal I'riendship o a miiid PUéceptible of deep' and generous impressions artd nót yet fuik awake to the vasioeannjs ana responsiDiuties oí the great work upo which lie lias emered. Mr. Siewart was replying to Mr. C. in a courteous and felicitóos marnier when he was arresied by a propbshión to adjourn from oiie of our whijj friends on the grottnè of the 'ateness of the hor and th? pxbanstion of iMr. C. from a day of unúisu) fcúgae. Át rer a fev interlocutory remarks and explanatione of ütidirrtiiïïsAéd confidence arld respect between the generoun combattauts, the as8-'craion adjourned. . X.Unmarried rnnl are tnjted $!,75, married uien $t,&& m New Jersey. What a strong mducemerit tbis is for young men to marry- - saVt 50 cnt a yJir bjr it in toxw,

Article

Subjects
Signal of Liberty
Old News