Selections: Mr. Clay And Slavery

We find in the Lexington Inielligencer an articlewi'h reference to the statements that have frequcnily been published conceming Mr. Clay's character as a slaveholder, many of them denouncing hm in terms as coarse and vile as they are unwarranted and slander ous, and all ot them founded in the grossest ignorunce or the basest misrepresentation. - The InieHigencer notices especially the published account of a visit to Ashland by J. C. Fuller - w ho calis hiniself an English Quaker, and whose sole business siHce his first arrival here, was to act the part of a spy - picking up the wildest and most improbable storics lrom every negro he met, and giving them to the vvorld as the results of his investigations. - This man went to Ashland under protence of wishmg to see Mr. Clay's cattle. He went prying about the back yards of the hou6e and tías fiiled his narrative with the most impertinent criticisms of the domestic arrangements of Mr. Clay's dweiling. He feil in with a negro woman, with whom he had the ollowing conversation. 'He asked her how many children sho had. She replied, 'fifteen or sixteen." "Where are they?" "Colored folks don't know where their chüdreu is; they are sent all over thee country." Where were thee raised?" - "Washington." 'Did Hcnry Clay buy the there?" "Yes." "How mnny childron had thee there?" "Four." "Where aro they? ' "I don c know; they teil me they aredead." The Editor of the Intelligencer has taken the troule io inquire into the truth of this story, and gives the following as the facts of the case: -?'Mr. Clay purchased the negro woman (Darkey is her nunie) many yeara ago, from Montgomery county, in Muryland, at her own earnest solicitation. Wcnever bought a filave who did not desire to come lo him. He never sold one without sorae serious faultï. - He never separated families, hut has freqvently purchased, in order to unile them. When he purchased Darkey, ehe had no child whatever with her, or in her master'e possession, ut was married to a freo man of color, who cmoved with her to Kentucky, and has remained with hcr ;ver 8 nee. They have had bur chilo'ren, all of whom are in Mr. Clay's 'amily, except one of them, a grow young man who lives in Lexington, wiihin a mile and a hnlf of bis mother. Mr. Clay built a -ery comfortable house lor Darkey, with a jrick chimnej and a shingled roof. She is a seamstress, and does nothing else, except ocsasionally to cook in the family. When [ames Channmg Fuller's story was heard of at Asliland, Darkey was asked how she came to teil him thut she had fifteen or sixteen chiltlren. Why, she said, the man cnme anealcing about lier house like a foolj and ehe houírht she would make a bigger fooi of ïim." Rev. AbelBrown, Secretary of the Eastern Sí. Y. A. S. Society, has publiahed severa 1 lotices of Mr. Clay in the Tocsin of Libery,of which the gross blasphemy and infaraous ndecency prevent us from copying thera. In one of them !ie says he "can prove by two iving witnesses that two young mulatto wonen were sold in New Orleans by a trader, vho said that they were raised on Henry Clay's plantation." Ifany trader would make uclia statement, the Intelligencer says that t would be fiilse, for Mr. Clay never sold any uch women in his life. The same paper copes from the Co.nty records articles of libera - ion by which Mr. Clay sets free five young nd valuable slaves; and gives the following )nragraphs, which we commend to the attenion of every candid and honorable Abolitioist:"Air. Clay owns about fifty slaves. Seveal of tbem, from age and infirmity, are an bsolute charge upon hirn. His ailowance of bod to them is a pound of bacon per day for duit men, and in that proportion for womcn nd chiidren - free access to the meal tub for read, and plenly of vegetables. Most of lem raise fowls. They are well clothed and ïoused, and in cases where tasks are given ïem, they are very light, insomuch, thac durncr the season nf breaking hemp, some of the men can earn their dollar per day. Their atacbment to Mr. Clay is strong. Charles ïas travelled with him through the greater )art of the United States and in both the lanadas. VVhen at the Falls of Niágara, iree years ago, Mr. Clay was asked by a Viend if he was sure of Charles' fideüty, for at some abolitionists had been altempting to educe him from his service. Mr. Clay re)lied that they vvere welcome to get him off 1 ihey could. He might go if he pleased - he vould only be amicipating his freedom a few 'ears. In Canada he was ogain importuned nd teased, until excessively vexed, he turned pon his tormentors nnd told them that he vould not leave his master, for both of the iueen's provinces. Charles' wife, a free vvoïan, and her chiidren, all live upon Mr. Clay's )lace andaré chiefiy supported by him, withut rendering any equivalent. "Mr. Ciay has emancipated five slaves, whose joint value, considered as lawfnl proprty, s probubly greater than ninety-nine hunredths of Aboiitionists ever cnntributed to vhat they professs to consider the cause of umanity in the United States. Charlotte is he motlier and Mary Anne the sister of Charles. To these might be added his father, vho is virtually although not formally free. ie works oniy when hepleases, and does noi arn his bread and salt. To these niight olo be added another, of a negro man whotn, pon his ar rival at the age of twenty-eight, VIr. Clay allowed to leave him, and gave him thirty-five dollars and a suit of clothep. Altbough not authorized to mnke, we will conclude with a proposition to Rev. Abel Brown. He may go to Ashland, and if he can persuade any one of Mr. Clay's slaves to leave him, the slave shall be free: provided, that if he fail to persuade him, he, the Rev. Abel Brown, shall go to wo'k upon the farm and continue as long as Mr. Clay shall think proper to retain him. He has much better, more useful and more honorable employment for him there than such an agent, Corresponding Secretary ana salaried officer, as he proclaims himself to be, of the Eaetern New York Anti-Slavery Society has, in the pursuit of his vocation as a libeler, slaiKlerer anti calumniator."- - I ' - - We have not condensed this statement from the IntelÜgencer in order to palliate the of fence charged upon Mr. Clny of being a slave holder. There are some who will ref use him their votes for President on that simple grotind - a cause which we deern directly at war with the spirit and closest application of the Federal Constitution. That slavery exists m Kentucky, we regret; we do not doubt that Mr. Clay regrets ii; we kuow that he did all that one man could do to prevent it, when the State framed her Constitución. He was overruled, and conformed to ihc institutions under which it is iiis lot to live. Those who wil] vote asrainst him on that account will not be persuaded to do otherwise by us; but there certainly is no excuse in this circurastance fof slandering him.