The life of Henry Clay, the great American statesman

Dedication

TO THE AMERICAN PEOPLE,

To whose service, welfare, and happiness, the subject of tnis work,

HENRY CLAY,

Introduction

The first thing to be encountered as a subject of criticism, in the publication of this work, Is the writing of a man's biography before he has passed from the stage. This is easily disposed of by the fact, that Mr. Clay's life has already been written more times than any man living can tell. It is also answered by the consideration, that having spent his life in the public service, Mr. Clay's history is public property. His character, his principles, his pohcy, his measures, and all his acts, as an American statesman, are identified with the history of the country, and with the public and private interests of the people. Occupying this position, it is obvious, that they can not be too soon, or too well, or too generally known. To say that they are known, is not strictly true, for all the practical purposes required. His history, as a public man, is scattered over a boundless field, which no one person, not expressly devoted to the task, will ever survey. Its entireness is not available for use, except as it is brought together and concentrated. The author has considered there was a demand for this, and this belief was the motive of his undertaking. He has never asked Mr. Clay's leave, but only announced his purpose. It is due to Mr. Clay, to say, that so far from inviting the task, or affording any encouragement, except that of politeness, he has from the beginning and at all times, discouraged an early publication. When the author wrote to him in the fall of 1 844, to say, that he had concluded to enter without delay, on the completion of his work— the project of which had been before announced to him— and that he would soon be at Lexington, to avail himself of the best and most indispensable aids, Mr. Clay s b INTRODUCTION.

wrote to him to defer coming, whicli communication was on its way east, while the author was going west, and passed him.

All the author desired was, that he might be permitted to execute his own plan, and be favored with the necessary facilities, which none but Mr. Clay could afford, by answering the author's inquiries, by giving access to his papers and correspondence, and by consenting to render such other aids as would insure correctness in matters of fact. This the author deemed of the highest importance. But the plan and execution of the work are the author's alone. Mr. Clay did not believe that the demand for the work would be sufficient to sustain the expense of it, and as his last advice, the author received from him a letter, dated March 21, 1S45, of which the following is an extract : " I am afraid you are too sanguine. So far as it [the work] relates to me, it will daily lose its interest. I should be distressed, if it should involve you in expense. You must acquit me of all charge of encouraging you." The expression, " so far as relates to me," refers to the original plan of the work, which contemplated more history, and four volumes, instead of two.

But the author never allowed himself to believe, that the diffidence of Mr. Clay upon this subject, was a rule to determine the importance or propriety of his undertaking, however he might feel constrained to defer to such authority on questions of state. On the contrary, the author has felt, that a compilation of Mr. Clay's public history was alike necessary and desirable for public purposes, and for private instruction.

The author has used Mr. Clay's papers and correspondence entirely at his own discretion, and Mr. Clay has been equally ignorant, as the public, as to what parts of those documents were used, or for what purposes, till the work was stereotyped and submitted to him in the printed form, with the request, that he would point out any errors he might discover.

A man who has been for forty years constantly before the public eye, whose character and course in the minutest detail, have, for most of that period, been a common topic of debate, scrutiny, and criticism, occupies a very different position from that of ordinary private individuals. The question is not, whether his character and acts shall be publicly considered ; for that can not be prevented ; but whether his story shall be fiiithfully and truly told ?

It has been a question with the author, how far it would be suitable and expedient for him to show his respect for Mr. Clay ; whether he should write this work, as if he cared no more for its subject, than for any other man ; whether he should appear as an historian, or as a biographer, or whether he should combine the two ; whether he should betray what he thinks, and how he feels, not only in regard to his subject of biography, but on any or all of the subjects brought under consideration, political questions, measures, and so on ; or whether he should simply compose a statement of facts, totally void of a sense of interest ? His reasonings on this comprehensive question resulted in the conclusion, first, that the main subject is one that entitles to the exercise of a feeling of some interest, and that, if not morally impossible, it would be affectation, to attempt to conceal it ; next, that the defence of Mr. Clay against those w^ho have done him wrong, and the vindication of his character from aspersions, would necessarily excite feeling to a considerable extent, because such defence involves fault in other quarters ; thirdly, that the great political questions required to be handled, are, in their nature, matters of interest ; fourthly, and consequently, that there was no escape from the imputation of unfairness, whatever course the author might pursue ; fifthly, that, if it had been possible to be indifferent, indifference would enervate the character of the work, divest it of interest, and destroy its effect ; sixthly, that it is possible for a writer to be perfectly fair and true, and yet not be indifferent ; and therefore the author has allowed his respect for the subject of his work to appear, and has neither taken pains to conceal, nor to utter his private opinion, on one subject or another. He has no reason to expect, that this work wull be read with satisfaction by those who entertain opinions opposed to his, and he has made up his mind to acquiesce in this misfortune, if, indeed, it be one, in hope of the good that may be accomplished in other quarters. He expects and is willing, that his work should be scrutinized ; he does not anticipate that it will produce universal satisfaction ; the questions involved render such a result hopeless ; but he cherishes a confidence, that all the important facts, stated or disclosed, will generally be found correct, as he has sincerely endeavored to make them so; and if they are correct, then, so far as they go, they answer all the purposes of history.

The two-fold function of this work, as biography and history, requires to be considered, to appreciate the position of the author in his labors ; and it is due to himself to have it understood, that he disclaims all attempt at history, except as it is connected with the main topic. It will be seen, however, that the leading features of the political history of the country, from the foundation of the government, both in its foreign and domestic policy, are here. That there should be a uniformity of views as to the reasoning from facts, as they present the aspects of that history, was not to be expected ; and the privilege of such disagreement, is, that any one may have his own opinion, while the facts are common property, and abide.

Occasionally it will be found, that liberal citations are made from Mr. Clay's speeches, and public addresses ; but it is believed it will also be seen, that such extracts, when they appear, are not only pertinent, but that they are more condensed forms of history and argument, than could otherwise be given. It was not only incumbent on the author to narrate what Mr. Clay did, but sometimes what he said. And who could say it better than himself? He is made to speak, when it is believed it will be more welcome to the reader, and more instructive, as to the matters under consideration, than anything else. When any one reflects upon it, he will be surprised at the volumes of fact and argument, which roll from the tongue of this orator, in a style peculiarly captivating— often powerfully eloquent. It will also be found, that his speeches can never be fully appreciated, except when viewed in their connexion with history, and that they are among the most interesting parts of his life. The fact, that they have been multiplied in various forms, could not be regarded by the author as a sufficient reason for not using portions of them, where they naturally fall in, to en-

INTRODUCTION. l*

rich and adorn his pages. They are parts of the history of the man, and of the great occasions most worthy of note in his biography. It is a just subject of regret, that many of Mr. Clay's speeches are so imperfectly reported. Those which make him speak in the first person, are, for the most part, better done ; whereas, those which represent him in the third person, not only present defects of style, but not unfrequently violations of grammar, in the use of oblique tenses, past for present, and other peculiarities in the style of reporters, who give the thoughts, rather than the language of the speaker. These defects the author, when citing passages of reported speeches, could not remedy, being obliged to take them as he found them.

In regard to the great conspiracy, the new light which time and events have cast upon it, and the additional disclosures of a remarkable character, can not but infuse into that complicated, stupendous, and hitherto ill-understood affair, some — and not inconsiderable — new interest. The author has not hesitated to give it the name which stands at the heads of the chapters on the subject, believing that the case is fully made out, to show the propriety of that denomination. It has been with the author a subject of some degree of wonder, that the documents furnished by the principal actors in that transaction, had apparently never been thoroughly analyzed, to show what they prove.

It will not, perhaps, be surprising, if an attempt should be made to abate the effect of this part of the work, by alleging, that it was not done till one of the principal parties was dead. To this it may be replied, first, that the prospectus of the work, and an accidental public disclosure which went the rounds of the journals of all parties, in one form or another, will show, that it was done during the lifetime of that individual, and when, for aught that appeared, the supposed original accuser in this case, was as likely to live as the accused. Besides, there are several living witnesses, to whom the manuscript had been submitted. A few alterations have since been made, in one of which will be found a recosnition of the event of death above alluded to. Secondly, the charge, which was supposed to have gone by default — or which, at least, had jjassed measurably into oblivion — was reaffirmed, and the issue reconstructed, in 1S44, nearly twenty years after it was originally brought forward, by this very individual, thereby imposing on those who believed it to be unjust, the duty of showing it to be so, as an imperative demand, both of public and private justice. In such a position of the matter, forced by this new affirmation, the investigation could not be made contingent on the life of the parties more immediately concerned. Justice can not pause for persons or events. And, thirdly, it will be seen, that this part of the work was executed, as soon as it could be, without any regard to the position, in life or death, of the original parties. That it should occupy so much space, was inevitable, from the variety and extent of things necessary to be considered.

It might, perhaps, have been expected, that more notice would be taken of other prominent men of Mr. Clay's times, than will be found in this work; and to say truth, the author himself has been disappointed in this particular. But it will be evident, that such is not the professed object of the work, or necessary to its completeness. The author found himself so perfectly absorbed in the career of JMr. Clay, and such an abundance of matter relating to it claiming attention, that he could not make room for a notice of contemporaries, other than such of them as belong to the story laid out. It was impossible to do justice to the many worthy of notice, if such diversions were indulged in ; and it would seem to be partial to notice only a few.

On account of the importance of the measures of public policy advocated by Mr. Clay, the author has used his discretion, in regard to such as have been fortified by new facts, and brought into clearer light by experience and public discussion, to bring down the evidence to the present time, and to make such additional remarks of his own, as the present state of the questions seemed to require. Avoiding as much as possible all unnecessary offence to the political opponents of Mr. Clay, the author has not found it possible, in doing what he deemed justice to the subjects he has been obliged to handle, to pursue a course which he could reasonably expect would be gratifying to them ; though he would fain hope that even they may find some instruction in these volumes. Though the author has endeavored to avoid errors, it would be strange if some should not be detected in a work of this magnitude, having to do with such a complicated variety and vast amount of facts and events ; and none will be more ready than he to acknowledge and correct them, when they shall be made manifest.

That the author may not be held accountable for that which he does not profess to do, he would distinctly state, that he does not undertake to go further into history than as it is connected with the life, career, and public services of Mr. Clay, which alone present a voider field than could be fully and minutely surveyed in a work of this size. This is one rule by which the work is constructed. To depart from it, would have opened an indefinite range of topics ; and in adhering to it, the difficulty has not been to find materials to fill the volumes, but to select from, and condense those which most claimed attention. If the author had turned aside to notice contemporaneous events and characters, however important and interesting in themselves, yet, having no immediate connexion with the main subject, besides the violation of his rule, this work would either have been swelled to an inconvenient size, or more appropriate topics would have been left untouched. It will be found, that Mr. Clay's career draws into its wake all the exciting and important political events of his time, some of which have claimed such an amount of consideration, as to exclude many items of his personal history of less importance.

Not only has the author been obliged, by his limits, to abstain from history not connected with Mr. Clay's private and public career, but, for the same reason, he has been compelled to abridge and condense the materials that fall within these limits. In the selecdon of points and topics, he has chosen those which seemed to him most important, interesting, and instructive. A work twice as large as this would not fairly exhibit the whole of Mr. Clay's life ; but that was thought too voluminous for the greatest benefit. Chasms in the personal history of a: man who has lived so long, and occupied such a vast field, were unavoidable; and a few topics of great importance have necessarily filled a larger space than ^

could be given to others, which, nevertheless, required notice.

In a few instances, more extended extracts, employed for one purpose, will be found to comprehend other brief ones, used for another. It was not thought best, merely to avoid repetition, to diminish the force of the former, by suppressing the matter which constitutes the latter.

It will also be found, that the author has adopted a course which will perhaps be considered novel in biography and history, in disregarding chronological order, when any particular attributes of Mr. Clay's character, or any specific class of his actions or pursuits, are under consideration. For example: his professional career, from beginning to end, stands by itself. The specimens of his wit and exemplifications of his brilliant qualities, are selected from his whole hfe, and grouped in one assemblage. The facts which illustrate and establish his character as an American patriot, running through his life, are also brought together. His character as a politician, statesman, and diplomatist, stands by itself, though illustrated by facts far asunder in the order of time. So with all points of his character, and with various subjects of his history. If the isolated facts under these various heads, were left to be noticed in their chronological order, they would lose much of their force, and fail to show the character of the man. The work is constructed on this general principle : — When any subject is up, it is completed before it is laid aside, whether it runs through the whole, or any part of Mr. Clay's life, though the general arrangement is chronological, as nearly as could be, without sacrificing the advantages of this method. The design is, that the reader should see and think of nothing else but the specific subject under consideration, till it is done with. He will, however, find no difficulty, in determining dates, so far as they are of any importance though he may be frequently put forward, and frequently put back,

in the order of time.

The absorbing topics of this work, in their connexion with the career of a man who has filled so large and so important a place in the history of his country, have in fact produced the effect on the author's mind, in the execution of his task, to make him almost entirely unmindful of style. Whether this is a misfortijne, he can not pretend to say. It must be obvious to those who can appreciate the task of authors, that style is a habit, that absorption in the theme will naturally detract from attention to style, and that the study of it, simultaneously carried on, tends to abate the spirit and vigor of composition. If it must be admitted that style gives character to thought and fact, it can not be denied, that thought and fact are indispensable to style, and naturally enter into its structure. While the author will not deign to deprecate criticism on this point, it is nevertheless due to his own sense of the character of this work, to say, that it asserts no higher claim in literature, than a business document — to state

AND determine MATTERS-OF-FACT, WITHIN THE SHORTEST COMPASS.

Table Of Contents

Page.

Chapter 1 1'''

Mr. Clay's Early History.— His Birth, Parentage, and Family History.— Death of his Father. — The Widow's Cares. — Schoolmaster and Schoolhouse /

of the Slashes.— The Mill-Boy of the Slashes.— Second Marriage of Henry Clay's Mother. — Kindness of his Father-in-Law. — His Entrance on a Commercial Apprenticeship at Richmond. — Removal to a Clerkship in a Public Office. — First Impressions of Fellow-Clerks. — Change of their Opinion. — Henry attracts the Attention of Chancellor Wythe. — Becomes his Amanuensis. — Advantages of this Position. — His Tastes and Intellectual Improvement. — His Fame in the Rhetorical Society. — Purity of his Character. — ^His popularity. — Removal of his Mother and Family to Kentucky. — Letter from his Mother. — Basis of his Character. — His Study of the Law. — Admission tc Practice. — Removal to Kentucky.

CHAPTER 11* » 31

Mr. Clay's Domestic History. — His Marriage. — His Children. — His Domestic Afflictions.— His Domestic Character.— His Character as a Master, Neighbor, Citizen, and Man of Feeling. — Ashland and its Hospitalities. — Mr. Clay's Estate and Pecuniary Condition.

Chapter III 45

Mr. Clay's Mora'l Character and Religious Sentiments.— His Moral Character Formed Independent of Common Rules. — High Tone of his Moral Principles. — A Leader, not a Follower.— An Example, not a Copyist. — His • Pecuniary Morals. — Morals of his Domestic Relations. — Of his Social Relations. — Of his Politics. — Wherein his Morals are above the Common Level. — His Religious Sentiments.— His Character admired by the Young.

Chapter XI 210

Mr. Clay the Advocate of Universal Freedom. — British Claims to Monopoly in Philanthropy.— Letter of Richard Rush to Mr. Clay.— Mr. Clay the First, and at last the Successful Advocate of South American Independence. — History of his Action on that Subject.— Greece.

Chapter XII 252

The Cause of Great Effects.— Debate on the Seminole Campaign.— Position of Mr. Monroe and his Cabinet on that Question.— An Attempt to defame Mr. Monroe.— Mr. Clay's Denunciation of General Jackson's Conduct.

Chapter XIII 276

The Missouri Question.— Its Nature and Importance.— Agitates the Country.— Excitement in Congress.— Attempts to arrest the Extension of Slavery. —Continuance and Danger of the Controversy.— Mr. Clay's EflTorts for Compromise. — His Sway in Congress.— His Success.

Chapter XIV 287

The Great Conspiracy.— General Jackson's renewal of the Charge against Mr. Clay in 1844.— Statement of the Charge.— Present Position of the Question.— Mr. Adams' Eighth-of-January Party in honor of General Jackson.— Its Efi"ect.— Nomination of General Jackson for the Presidency.— The Re suit.— Examination of the Claims to Plurality of Votes.— Mr. Clay defrauded —Character of the Jackson Party.— Delicacy of Mr. Clay's Position in the House of Representatives on the Presidential Question.— Menaces.— First Opening of the Plot.— Mr. Kremer's Letter to the Columbian Observer.— Mr. Clay's Card.— Mr. Kremer's Card.— Mr. Clay's Appeal to the House.— Mr. Forsyth's Resolution for a Committee of Inquiry.— The Debate.— Report of the Committee.- Mr. Kremer's Decline to answer.— Unexpected Position of Afl"airs.— Who wrote Mr. Kremer's Letter of Decline.— Position of the Conspirators and Mr. Clay at the End of the First Stage.

16 TABLE OP CONTENTS.

Page.

Chapter XV 318

The Great Conspiracy. — General Jackson comes out as the Public Accuser of Rlr. Clav.^The Fayetteville Letter. — General Jackson's Letter to Carter Beverley.— The Manner of its being made public— Mr. Clay's Reply to it in an Address to the Public. — General Jackson's Address to the Public. — These Documents considered.

Chapter XVI - 351

The Great Conspiracy.— Mr. Buchanan's Answer to General Jackson.— Mr. Markley's Reply to Mr. Buchanan. — Major Eaton's Letter on the same Subject.— Letters of Mr. Buchanan to the United States Telegraph.— Extracts from Mr. Clay's Address to the Public in December, 1827. — The Conspirators Tried by their own Evidence.

CHAPTER XVn 374

The Great Conspiracy.— Mr. Clay's Position in the Case.— The Voice of many Witnesses.— Proof of a Negative.

CHAPTER XVni 404

The Great Conspiracy— Unity of the Plot.— Another Question.— Witnesses.— Singular Result.— Truth of the Whole Matter.— Proposals of Bargain made to Mr. Clay.— One through Mr. Buchanan.— One through General Houston. — Crime and Consequences of the Plot.

CHAPTER XIX 428

Mr. -Clay's Internal Improvement Policy. — The American System. — Objects of Internal Improvement. — The Great Barrier between the East and "West.- Cumberland Road.— The Policy Modified by Opposition, but Triumphant.

CHAPTER XX 453

Mr. Clay's Public Land Policy.— His Report in 1832.— Reasons of its Reference to the Committee on Manufactures. — Statistical Tables. — Extracts from Mr. Clay's Speeches.— General Jackson's Pocketing the Land Bill.— The Argument.

CHAPTER XXI 485

Political Character of Mr. Clay's Times.— Mr. Clay a Jeffersonian Democrat. — Democratic and Regal Power of the Constitution. — Influence of Names in Politics. — The Government of the United States a Democracy. — Who are the True Democrats. — The Effect of the Alien and Sedition Laws in rousing the Democracy.— Mr. Clay's Claims to Democracy.— His Denial of Democracy to his Opponents.— Jefferson not the Father of Democracy. — Democracy the Genius of the American People.— Reign of Democracy from Jefferson to J. Q. Adams, inclusive.— Regal Power rose with General Jackson.— Mr. Clay's Great Struggle against Regal Power, and for the Defence of Democracy.

THE

LIFE AND TIMES

OF

HENRY CLAY.

Chapter I

Mr. Clay's Early History. — His Birth, Parentage, and Family History. — Death of his Father. — The Widow's Cares. — Schoolmaster and Schoolhouse of the Slashes. — The Mill-Boy of the Slashes.— Second Marriage of Henry Clay's Mother. — Kindness of his Fathcr-in-Law. — His Entrance on a Commercial Apprenticeship at Richmond. — Removal to a ClerUship in a Public Office. — First Impressions of Fellow-Clerks. — Chan£;e of their Opinion. — Henry attracts the Attention of Chancellor Wythe. — Becomes his Amanuensis. — Advantages of this Position. — His Tastes and Intellectual Improvement. — His Fame in the Rhetorical Society. — Purity of his Character. — His Popularity. — Removal of his Mother and Family to Kentucky. — Letter from his Mother. — Basis of his Cliaracter. — His Study of the Law. — Admission to Practice. — Removal to Kentucky.

The man who leaves his impress on a great nation, and imparts character to the age in which he hves, not only merits tlie regard of contemporaries, but will be a study for future generations. That Henry Clay occupies this position in the social state of nfiankind^ by a consideration of the past, and in the prospects of the future, will scarcely be questioned. His name, character, and history, are identified with the history of his country; and the student who makes himself acquainted with his life, private, professional, and public, will not be ignorant of the standino; and career of the United States of North America, as one of the family of nations.

Henry Clay was born April 12, 1777, in Hanover county, Virginia, in a neighborhood commonly called- the Slashes — a term indicating a district of country that abounds in low swampy grounds. His father, the Rev. John Clay, also a native of Virginia, and his mother, Elizabeth Hudson, the younger of two

Vol. L— 2 daughters and only children of George Hudson, of Hanover county, had by this marriage eight children, three daughters and five sons, of whom Henry was the seventh, bearing the name of the second son, who had died. The daughters died in early womanhood, two after marriage. George, the eldest child, lived to manhood, and died in Virginia. John, the sixth, removed to New Orleans, and died on the Mississippi. The Rev. Porter Clay, the youngest of the family, was living at Jacksonville, Illinois, in 1844.

The paternal ancestors of Henry Clay were English. Branches of the family are still in the mother-country, of which Sir William Clay, bart., and member of the British House of Commons, is supposed to be one. The branch from which Henry Clay de- > scended removed to America some time after the establishment of the colony of Virginia, and settled on the south side of James river. The descendants of the original Virginia stock, numerous and widely-dispersed, many of whom still reside in Virginia and Kentucky, have branched so extensively, that their common orifin is scarcely recognised among themselves.

The Hudson family, on the maternal side of Mr. Clay's ancestry, also came from England, about the beginning of the eighteenth century, and settled in Hanover county, Virginia, where they remained till the abovenamed alliance with the Clay family was formed.

Tradition alleges, that the Rev. John Clay, the father of Henry, was a man of great vigor of character, of exemplary virtue and manners, and of a nice and high sense of the decorums and proprieties of the social relations — not unlike the son, who has made the world familiar with the name of Clay. It is also in evidence, that the mother of Henry Clay was adorned with eminent female virtues, and that she continued to interest herself in the fortunes of Henry to the last of a good old age. The father died in 1781, bequeathing to his widow little else than an estate of seven children, Henry being then four years old. Obliged by her straitened circumstances to make the most of the ability of her children to help her, Mrs. Clay did not, however, neglect to send them to school. Henry's tuition, for the term of about three years, was committed to the charge of one Peter Deacon, an Englishman, who came to America under a cloud, receiving occasional remittances from home, while he was employed for several years as the schoolmaster of the " Slashes" in which capacity he did himself credit, except that he would have done better, if teetotalism had begun in his days, and comprehended him.-elf. ilis schoolhouse was made of a crib of loirs, with no floor but the earth, the entrance serving for door, window, and air, being always open. (See frontispiece, Vol. II.) Under these rather inauspicious advantages, Henry Clay was put forward by Peter Deacon, in reading, writing, and arithmetic ; in the latter, to use Mr. Clay's own words, "as far as Practice." Mr. Clay's reminiscences of Peter Deacon do the master much honor, though he says Peter once, in a fit of anger, gave him a magisterial blow, the mark of which he carried a long time.