Page:The New International Encyclopædia 1st ed. v. 05.djvu/22

* CLAY. 10 CLAY PLANTS. (]S32), largely on account of his tariff ideas, anil his unwise choice, as a party issue, of the ilcfen.se of the National Bank. W hen the Xulli- tication controversy eanie up. Clay's eompromise of 1833 prevented a resort to arms bj- satisfying South Carolina with regard to the rcduolioii of the obnoxious tariff and rendering the Force Bill uiniecessary. In the subsoquent anti-slavery agitation he occupied a moderate ]iosition. but lost few opportunities of opposing the adininis- tratiim of .fackson. Througliout this period of liis career Clay shared the honors of the Senate in its time of meridian glory with Daniel Web- ster, John C. Calhoun, and T. H. Benton. During Van Buren's rresidency. Clay xmsuc- cessfuUy opposed the administration measure of an independent treasury system, desiring in its stead the establishment of a national bank; but after Harrison's election he procured its repeal, the apparent victory proving, however, far from permanent. In the election of 1840 he was cha- grined at not receiving the Whig nomination, but su])ported Harrison, and after the latter's death cndeaored to carry out the Whig policy, espe- cially with regard to rechartering a national hank. In this attempt he was thwarted by the acillation and aTiibition of President Tyler. After the breach between the 'Tyler men' and the "Clay Whigs' became apparently irreconcil- able. Clay resigned his seat in the Senate and re- tired to private life ( 1842) . He was nominated for President in the campaign of 1844, and defeated by James K. Polk. Clay's defeat was due to his injudicious writing of letters, in which he did not take a stand upon the question of the ad- mission of Texas that satisfied the more extreme opponents of slavery. He was again and for the last time spoken of as an aspirant for Presi- dential honors in the convention that nominated General Taylor in 1848. Meanwhile he had on the whole lived in retirement, but had watched with anxiety the growth of friction between North and South consequent upon the Mexican War. In 1848 he was reelected to the United States Senate. Taking his seat in the Senate in the winter of 1849, and still more alarmed at the fierce dis- play of sectional feeling on the slavery question. Clay interposed in the cause of peace with the series of resolutions subsequently known as the Compromise of 18.50 (see Compuomise Meas- ures) ; and, in a stirring speech, delivered in spite of his advanced age and increasing in- firmity, with all his accustomed energy and fire, he appealed with great effect to the patriotism of his hearers for the restoration of harmony and the presei-va tion of the Union — an effort which was rewarded by the triumph, for a time at least, of his pacific policy. His last speech in Ihe Senate was on the subject of a revision of the tariff of 1846. Unable to occupy his seat for more than a few days of the session of 1851- 52, owing to his failing health, he continued to the end to manifest an interest in public affairs. The last incident of importance in his career was his interview with Kossuth, when, a short time before his death, he warned the Hungarian pa- triot of the futility of soliciting the interference of the United States in the internal affairs of Europe, and declared the true policy of this country in dealing with foreign nations to be that set forth by Washington in his Farewell Ad- dress. Sinking rapidly after this, he died in Washington on June 29, 1852, in the seventy- sixth year of his age. Clay is one of the most attractive figures in American history. No statesman has possessed more magnetism or been a more gallant party leader. The wisdom of many of his policies may be doubted, but his own zeal, integrity, and bril- liancy as an advocate cannot be denied. His oratorical powers have been traditional onlj". be- cause his speeches, partly on account of his lack of culture, have not held the attention of readers; but both in the Senate and on the platform he yielded in fire and charm of eloquence to none of his great rivals. His patriotism is above suspi- cion, but he was unfortunate in living in a bor- der State and in occupying a middle position be- tween the irreconcilable extremes of freedom and slavery. This fact made him 'The Great Paci- ficator,' but it probably cost him the Presidency, and has somewhat lowered his standing in his- toiy. In private life Clay was not free from some of the vices so prevalent among the men of his comparatively coarse period, but he was essentially of a fine nature and made hosts of loyal friends. Perhaps the impression he made upon hjs contemporaries cannot be better de- scribed than by the statement that Clay was Abraham Lincoln's "beau ideal of a statesman." For the most complete edition of his speeches and writings, consult: Colton, Life and Times of Heiirij Clay (revised edition, 6 vols.. New York, 1864) ; and for his biography, Schurz, Henry Clay, "American Statesmen Series" (Bos- ton, 1887). See also the histories of Schouler and Rhodes. CLAY'BORNE, Williaji. See Claiborne, Willi A r. • CLAY CENTRE. A city and the coimty- seat of Clay Coiuity, Kan., 87 miles west by north of Topeka ; on the Republican River, and on the Union Pacific, the Chicago. Rock Island and Pacific, and other railroads (Map: Kansas, K 2), It contains a private hospital and a fine court-house. The principal industrial establish- ments are flour-mills, cigar-factories, foundry and machine - shop, steel • tank factory, brick - works, broom-factory, etc. The city has good water-power, which is utilized by the electric light and power plant, and by some of the manu- factories. There are two large greenhouses, which make extensive shipments all over the State. Population, in ISOO, 2802; in 1900, 3069. CLAY IRONSTONE. The name applied to compact, argillaceous varieties of siderite, the carbonate of iron. It frequently occurs in the form of concretions, which may be so close to- gether in some particular layer as to form a continuous band. They are especially abundant in some beds of the Carboniferous, and at times serve as a low grade of iron ore. See Iron; Blackband Ironstone. CLAY-MARL. A calcareous variety of clay, containing from 40 to 60 per cent, of carbonate of lime. It is used as a fertilizer, and also in the manufacture of Portland cement. Clay- marls are found in many parts of New York, New Jersey, Michigan, Illinois, Indiana, and other Northern States, and in the West. They grade into true marls. See Marl; Soils. CLAY-PLANTS. The early stages of vegeta- tion on clay soil resemble those on rock areas, and are treated under the head of Rock-Plants.