The Life and Times of Henry Clay, Vol. 1 of 2 (Classic Reprint)

Excerpt from The Life and Times of Henry Clay, Vol. 1 of 2The first thing to be encountered as a subject of criticism, in the publication of this work, is the writing of a man's biography before he has passed from the stage. This is easily disposed of by the fact, that Mr. Clay's life has already been written more times than any man living can tell. It is also answered by the consideration, that having spent his life in the public service, Mr. Clay's history is public property. His character, his principles, his policy, his measures, and all his acts, as an American statesman, are identified with the history of the country, and with the public and private interests of the people. Occupying this position, it is obvious, that they can not be too soon, or too well, or too generally known. To say that they are known, is not strictly true, for all the practical purposes required. His history, as a public man, is scattered over a boundless field, which no one person, not expressly devoted to the task, will ever survey. Its entireness is not available for use, except as it is brought together and concentrated. The author has considered there was a demand for this, and this belief was the motive of his undertaking. He has never asked Mr. Clay's leave, but only announced his purpose. It is due to Mr. Clay, to say, that so far from inviting the task, or affording any encouragement, except that of politeness, he has from the beginning and at all times, discouraged an early publication.About the PublisherForgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.comThis book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.