POPULARITY OF MR CLAY. 159 



arrival of Mr Clay ; and complaints were not unjustly 

 made by those engaged in preparing for the Agricultural 

 Show that his presence, as a politician, seriously inter- 

 fered with the objects for which so many thousands had 

 assembled at Syracuse. To me, as a stranger, it was 

 interesting to observe how very popular Mr Clay 

 appeared to be, and how, in their liking for the individual, 

 so many seemed willing to forget the shade of politics he 

 represented. One of his political opponents observed to 

 me, that, since the days of Washington, probably no man 

 had so generally carried with him the hearts of the whole 

 people of the United States. He is also a man of great 

 ability, and has played a large part in the public affairs 

 of his day ; and it therefore appears remarkable to those 

 who are unaware of the small matters by which great 

 questions are decided, that he has never attained the 

 dignity of President of the United States. He is now 

 advancing in years, but is still fresh in intellect and full 

 of energy, as is shown by his recent action upon the 

 slavery question ; and his friends are not without hope 

 of seeing him still attain to that distinguished office 

 before his intellectual strength is gone. 



Of the able and ambitious men who now aspire to the 

 office of President, there are many who think Mr Clay's 

 chance all the better that the State of Kentucky has not 

 hitherto had the honour of giving a President to the 

 United States. It is a striking circumstance, that, of the 

 twelve Presidents whom the Union has had, no less than 

 five have been Virginia men ; while Massachusetts and 

 Tennessee have each sent two, and New York, Ohio, 

 and Louisiana each one, to the Presidential chair. The 

 principle of an equal division of office, or turn and turn 

 about, is a very popular one in some of the States ; and 

 it has been gravely urged to me, by a person of much 

 intelligence, in reference to Mr Daniel Webster, that the 

 circumstance of his being from Massachusetts — a State 



