Rensselaer Gazette, Volume 3, Number 52, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 18 April 1860 — The Madison County Emeute—-Letter from C. M. Clay [ARTICLE]

The Madison County Emeute—-Letter from C. M. Clay

White Hall, Ky., March 26. To the Editors of the Louisville Journal;*— The secret purpose of the leaders of the attack upon the “Radicals” at Berea was to suppress in Kentucky, and aimed more especially at me. Knowing that I relied upon the justice of my cause, and the irreproachable and patriotic purposes of my whole action in the Commonwealth, I in good faith cut myself away from the revolutionary doctrines of the “Radical Abolitionists,” and the unfortunate purposes of.those who in their persons made an armed insurrection against the non-slave-holding whites of the Gommonweilth. The proposition that the Legislature should, as it could constitutionally do, enact a law to meet the difficulty, and thus avoid all violence, was met bf'Radical Abolitionists of the North, and their enenngs here, with equal denunciation. ’ _.The reason alleged was, that it Was useless to drive off those non-resistants, whilst I was left to agitato the slavery question! Ami it is well known that my personal and ‘political enemies desired to include mo in the proscription! Nothing but the friendship of s< me of the committee (when the proposition was made) and the conse.rva'istn of the' country prevented. Finding that they did not get a safe opportunity to att'ack the Republicans through the Radicals,* whom they supposed would be defended'by us, they k -pt up their threats against me till my I’rai.kfort speech ralleyeel around me all the true lovers of constitutional liberty, and thwarted for the time their criminal designs. Everything that 1 have said. offensive to the slaveholding interest has been studiously paraded in the ■ press and elsewhere, and calumny added,; both by the slaveholders and the “Radical Abolitionists” of the North, to consumate my ruin and the downfall of liberty here. J. G. Hanson, one of the expelled Bureaus returned to Kent ueky, his native State, on the 3d day of this month, as published in ;t i letter to the Centreville (Ind.) Republican. The mob again threatening him, but faintly,: he retired, which, was wejl known here m all circles, to the mountains for a while, ami then was generally at Berea, having preached and attended Sunday school more th.m once. ' But so soon as it was known that 1 was in Berea on Saturday, a great exci'em >nt '.vac got up and stories circulated that I was there . marshaling my forces against the revolution- I ary tribunal. By Sunday night the mob had taken tire iieltl, and on Monday brought. I on the collision at Berea, by •■illegal search” I of the houses of citizen# there without war- ; rant, adding insult to injury, ostensibly Io find Hanson, but in reality to raise a row. which they succeeded in doing, several , be-I ing shot on both Sides. And the Revolutionary Committee driven back, rallyed again on Tuesday and finding no one, bro te down that terrible thing—the saw mill—and declared vengeance against me and the Republicans who were engaged in the light. What was my true position! Standing on the doctrine of the Frankfort speech, I advised Mr. Hanson to leave the State, and thus i save himself anti my friends from the conflict which I well knew was premeditated ; by the Revolutionary Committee. On Sun- I day night I stayed at Kingston, where I . stated the whole thing, and my message of | peace to Berea, to several slaveholders. ■ One-of the Revolutionary Committee being I present, I was then informed by that committeeman that they were“afterr e certainly”—that I “was the one vanted;” and it was currently reported that a special detachment ha 1 been sent to “take me” wherever found! which the said dtflkichment was very CarefuLnot to do! At the same time the old letter of protest which Hanson wrote on the 10th inst. to Judge Field was now talked of as being dictated by me to Berea on Saturday, to stir up the community to madness, and execute vengeance upon me without time for truth or reflection. On Tuesday I was no doubt saved from this ruse only bytimely taking the stump and showing the true people of Madison what I had really done;-and that some of the mob well [knew the whole thing on Monday and had suppressed it with a. view to connect me with stirring up war in the State’ That committee well knew, whilst 1 Shall not defend the Radicals in their mad purposes, thatol will not be-driven into acquiescence in their usurped power, nor from the defense I of all Republicans who are attacked in their I persons or property because o-hiy their Republicdnism. They desire to renew the old fable of tire wolf and the lamb, and by the committal of outrages against my friends which I am pledged to resist, to consummate with a show of public justice against my life and cause. I publish these facts that all honest men may nut be deluded; that we may stand or fall upon our merits; and not be overwhelmed with clamor, which is the strong weapon of mob violence always. The Governor may make his demonstrations, the “Minnie Rilles” and “cannon” may come on to extinguish the just indignation of outraged freemen, in vain. Standing upon the laics the Constitution, and our own patriotic purposes, we shall not be intimidated by this new association of power in the suppression of our rights. If civil war is begun, it will be begun against our most earnest implorations of the forbearance of friends, and most solemn protest against the aggressions of enemies of the common liberties of all!—if blood be shed it will not be first shed by us! — if the States shall fly to arms, the citizens North and South become involved in one common ruin, Ift those who shall begin the conflict answer for the end. C. M. Clay.