Statesmen . e suf-ficiently strong to assert itself and to dividethe vote so that the State cast a majority offive thousand and eighty votes for James Clay was deeply mortified at his de-feat and complained that his friends had cru-elly deceived him. His prestige suffered, andhis personal feelings were painfully was no recovery from an overthrow sooverwhelming as this, and his later years weredoubtless clouded by gloomy views of the sin-cerity of human affection, the fallacy of humanhopes, and the gratitude of the republic. Hehad said on one occasion that he had ratherbe
Statesmen . e suf-ficiently strong to assert itself and to dividethe vote so that the State cast a majority offive thousand and eighty votes for James Clay was deeply mortified at his de-feat and complained that his friends had cru-elly deceived him. His prestige suffered, andhis personal feelings were painfully was no recovery from an overthrow sooverwhelming as this, and his later years weredoubtless clouded by gloomy views of the sin-cerity of human affection, the fallacy of humanhopes, and the gratitude of the republic. Hehad said on one occasion that he had ratherbe right than be President. Doubtless, he feltthat he was right, and still he failed to reachthe Presidency. Later, and while he was stillsmarting under the sting of what he believed tobe undeserved disgrace, he spoke at Lexington,Ky., in favor of gradual emancipation. Amonghis audience was Abraham Lincoln, who hadjourneyed thither from Springfield to hear thegreat Whig leader whom he loved so well 36 STATESMEN. V <*rS*. Clays Tomb at Lexington, Ky. Lincoln was greatly disappointed with thespeech, which was written out and read andlacked the spontaneity and fire which Lincoln had anticipated. At theclose of the meeting, Lin-coln secured an introduc-tion to the great man andwas invited to disappointment of thespeech was deepened byhis intercourse with afterward he said ofClay that though he waspolished in his manners,hospitable and kindly, hebetrayed a certain con-sciousness of superiority and an almost offen-sive imperiousness. This deeply wounded thesensitive soul of Lincoln. He felt that Claydid not regard him or any other person as hisequal. This lesson added to Lincolns experienceof human nature and was referred to by him inafter life as a disappointment almost as wound-ing as the defeat of Henry Clay for the Presi-dency. The examples of Clay, Calhoun, and Websterare often cited as proving that Americas greateststatesmen do not reach the Presidency
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