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 654: CLAY bank to the last. "When the condition of Spanish America attracted public attention, Mr. Clay, in opposition to the policy of Presi- dent Monroe and his cabinet, urged the recog- nition of the revolted Spanish colonies as inde- pendent states. His speeches in vindication of the South American patriots, and in advo- cacy of their immediate recognition as free and independent, are among his noblest congres- sional efforts, and contributed largely to the recognition by the government, in 1822, of the independence of the Spanish American states. He took a leading part in the discussion (1819- -'21) relating to the admission of Missouri into the Union, and vehemently opposed any re- strictions as to slavery in the proposed con- stitution of that state. On Feb. 2, 1821, he moved a reference of the subject to a select committee of 13, of which he became chair- man; and on Feb. 10 he reported from a ma- jority of that committee a compromise, which provided for the admission of Missouri under her slave constitution, on condition that she should never prohibit the migration to or set- tlement within her borders of any persons " who now are, or may hereafter become, cit- izens of any of the states of this Union." This proposition being rejected, Mr. Clay proposed a joint committee of conference from both houses. This committee reported the measure, known as the Missouri compromise, which was adopted. This provided that, in consideration of the admission of Missouri as a slave state, slavery should in all the remaining territories of the United States, N. of lat. 36 30' (the southern boundary of Missouri), be for ever prohibited. Mr. Clay declined to be reflected for the following congress, but was again elected in 1823, and again chosen speaker. He now warmly seconded the efforts of Mr. Webster and others in favor of the recognition of insurgent Greece as an independent nation, which prevailed. In 1824 Mr. Clay was one of the four candidates for the presidency of the United States, and received 37 electoral votes. The electoral college having failed to give any one a majority, the election devolved upon the house, whose choice was limited to the three highest candidates, Adams, Jackson, and Craw- ford. Mr. Clay cast his vote in favor of John Quincy Adams. This action was denounced by his enemies as "bargain and corruption," and John Eandolph stigmatized it as a " coa- lition of puritan with blackleg," for which language he was challenged by Mr. Clay. The parties met April 8, 1826, and exchanged two shots without effect, when, Randolph having declared that he would not fire at Clay, the duel was terminated by the seconds. Upon the accession of President Adams, March 4, 1825, Mr. Clay was appointed secretary of state. The acceptance of this position, under the circumstances, was regarded by some of his friends as injudicious, and was afterward publicly acknowledged by Mr. Clay to have been an error. Mr. Adams's reelection having been defeated, Mr. Clay retired with him, March 4, 1829. lie was again elected to the senate in 1831, and in 1832 was an unsuccess' ful candidate for the presidency against An- drew Jackson, receiving the votes only of six states. When a collision between federal au- thority and South Carolina seemed imminent on the tariff question, Mr. Clay proposed, early in the session of 1832-'3, his tariff com- promise. Its leading features were: 1, sub- mission to the necessity of a radical reduction of the tariff; and 2, to have the change ef- fected so slowly and gradually that manufac- turers might adapt themselves to and bear up against it. To this end, the bill provided for an ultimate reduction of all duties then ranging above 20 per cent, to that uniform rate, but only one tenth of the excess was to be deducted annually, so that the last instalment would only take effect in 1842. This proposi- tion was generally acceptable, and, though opposed by Mr. Webster and not favored by President Jackson, passed both houses by large majorities. During the session of 1834-'5 the difficulty growing out of former French spoliations on American commerce assumed a threatening aspect. Upon the failure of the government of France to make the reparation which had been agreed upon, President Jack- son, in his message of December, 1834, pro- posed that congress should authorize him to secure the required indemnity by reprisals on French property. The proposition was re- ferred by the senate to its committee on for- eign affairs, of which Mr. Clay was chairman ; and he (Jan. 6, 1835) made a report maintaining that the failure to pay had been unintentional on the part of the French ministry, and that the government would not be justified in re- sorting to the forcible reprisals recommended by the president. It was unanimously re- solved by congress that any legislation at this time with respect to our relations with France was inexpedient; and thus the friendly rela- tions with that country continued uninter- rupted. In June, 183G, Mr. Clay, from the committee on foreign affairs, reported in fa- vor of recognizing the independence of Texas, whenever satisfactory evidence should be re- ceived that she had a civil government in suc- cessful operation. The proposition, somewhat modified, passed both houses without opposi- tion. In the autumn of that year he was chosen president of the American colonization society, in place of President Madison, re- cently deceased. During the winter following he was reflected to the senate, receiving 76 votes to 54 for James Guthrie, the adminis- tration candidate. When the financial strin- gency caused by the great commercial revul- sion of 1837 demanded congressional legisla- tion, Mr. Clay led the opposition in the senate to the administration project of an independent treasury, and indicated his preference for a modified national bank. In February, 1839, he delivered a carefully prepared speech on