Columbus Democrat. [volume] (Columbus, Miss.) 18??-18??, 1840-08-01

49, AAASotf-f EOLA ANAL NO-N
" ag PoIcy frat shoes itsslf at Harrisburg
The farorue Of The Party rejected. and the non.
comHutIl candidate put fortsaFd No declaration
4 principles made at Harrisburg. The example
felotsed By The IFhigs ea orer the Union. Same
PoicyP pursued by the Whig papers. DIFFICULTIES
q fh!s plan q operations. 0rer ocattoR IN re-
gard 10 fhs Presl2ent,al Candidate Incredible
b!uaders Of the Confidential Committee. Harm
sons former opinions regarding United SfdtsI
Bank The game that u played rifh The .ibo!I
flonia' Harrison spoken Of not as a r'aa, kI as
candidate. DdEgtr Of sleetiHg as PrtsldeRt
enc nho tol1ors bad ndries.
| propose to furnish % you prnoC that the pres
emf great political contest is, on The part Of the Wing
| leaders not fairly conducted ,ha, they hold back
the true queSuans at lSsue that despalrng, as Il
would seem, 10 convince the reason Of the People,
and to induce them deliberately to approve the poi
ICY Of The Wing party, they seek by every means 10
their power to AVOID eomultisl on important poiats
| and to amuse snd distract public attention from
! these To thousand Other matters, either trihng IN
| themselves, or having little or nothing to do with
| the question before US,
| Let us begin at the beginning that is, with the
| Harrisburg Convention
General Harrison was the nominee. Aud for
| what reason Was it because he was considered
man Of more talent than Daniel Webster or Hem
~ Clay? Certainly not; every one knows that
he IS much inferior IN talents TO these great states
men. Was It because he is greater tavoHle with
the Wing party than Henry Claw Certainly not.
No one denies that Mr.. Clay is the first choice of
two-,hirds-of three iourths-of the Wing Party,
| Why, then, was a man Of inferior talent To Henry
Clay, and less popular with his own party, prefer
red by that party as candidate for President For
one reason only, as the Wings themselves will not
deny, because they thought it could be easier TO
elect General Harrison than 10 elect Henry Clay.
Now, uhy is it easier Because, with Henry
Clay as a candidate, The Wings would have been
compelled to fight the battle fairly to come out
from among HE bushes 10 make il contest of
principles, rather than Of men. Every man knows
| Henry Gays opinions He is the advocate of a
| National Bank. He wishes the Government to reg
u!ate the currency. He is friend of Banks IN gem
eral and Of h1nk.eharterlng He is not hard mo-
| ney man. He tavors an extensive System Of Inter
nal Improvement. He approves a high tariff In
word he is an incorporating, plain spoken, tho
| Tongh.gony Wing, oman can mistake his point
| zeal principles, or conceal them. He has spoken out
| boldly against jackson and all his measures, He
has denounced the abolitioniss. In short, had he
been a candidate, the non.commiual game could not
have been played at all.
II the American people in their hearts approved
Wing principles, no man could defeat Henry Clay
as candidate for the Presidency And had there
been any chance Of success except by the non-eom-
INITIAL game 10 one but Henry Clay would have
been the choice of the Harrisburg Convention
When they nominated General Harrison, every ex-
pcrlenced politician understood the move at once.
| The noa-comrnittal flag uas hoisted The man was
put lorwarI the principles were held back. The
question was made to be, not whether the Wings
should get into power and their principles prevail in
| the National Councils, but whether the Hero Of
rippccanoe" should take possession Of the White
House"
Talent therefore, was set aside. Personal pref.
ercnces were mortified. Henry Clay, the plain spo-
| ken was passed by; and General HARRISON the I'M
| committed, was put forth.
| Thus The cautious game began; and in the same
| spirit have the Wigs paved it ever since.
| The Great Opposition Party assembled at Harris
| burg g1yo to the world no Address, no Resolutions,
no Declaration oil their principles Was no. this
strange No. 1t was Ike every thing else they
| have done. twas the beginning OF the bush-fehl-
ing. The Wing Conventions throughout the coun-
Try took the hint and, with very few exceptions,
they were as silent in regard to principles as the
| Harrisburg delegates. They had noise and show
and excitement music 10 please banners to amuse,
spectaces TO tickle the fancy. But as for putting
pen TO paper, that they took good TO avoid 1t
might embarrass and commit them.
| The Wing papers, too followed shrewdIy enough,
in the same lead. They could not, indeed, like the
| Harrisburg OOHNtHtFDH, say HolnllR Dut hheE uid
the next thing TO il they resolved TO say nothing TO
the point. The United States Bank-the Great
| Question their darling measure and true object
was a dangerous subject 10 touch upon 80 they lie:
| il rest. The banks and exclusive bsnk-chartering
were becoming unpopular; SO they SAID little about
! them. Internal improvements, here in Indiana es-
pecially, were even more cklfeh ground yet These
| and similar subjects were not available, and there
fore were, for the most part passed by and hushed
80 M. n.
/ else to talk Of and fill their columns and get up
excitement about for the old stories Of tefacatiors
and eg-treasury, and even the Cuba blood hounds,
| were getting worn out, and were hardly worth haV
king about any longer. The Wings were in man
| ner compelled to raise something new and some
| thing new they did raise, in good sooih they raised
the cry Of og-cabns and bard-cider, mingled with
lamentations over General Harrson's poverty, and
Ioud shouts for his military fame. VIVA. these cries
had to do with the great questions Of national poll
cy which divide the United States, and must soon
be decided Tor good or fer evil, these newspaper ed.
iiors did not think il necessary to explain.
There were two difficulties in carrying out this
ingenious Wing plan Of the present political cam
paign, The first was that the American People, on
whom these tricks were played, though they
may b. carried away for time by idle cries, and
empty shows, never stray long from the paths Of
reason and reflection. Their softer second thought,
as was justly said Of them by one who knows them
well, their President, is seldom wrong and always
efficient. This was the first great difficulty OF the
plan. The second was, that IN large party like
that OF the Wings, united by one common sentl-
! a: except opposition to the Administration,
me-, :. ol.srers will now and then, forget them
s seues and and as IT,: phase IS "e the cat out Of the
bag. .e,.,a :, Gen
| Harrison himself After they had go, over ing
Harrisburg Convention wl'hou, an AoI h.d ,,len
the various State and lesser Co0.eni'onI ,or,.nsd
lhe hint and kept pruden'y sen DID an no, commit
himself and his party.
! IT, -T.-A 49, -La--'
= t4s,. ~, vy.-c,, soon sheF iAe HARRISBURG
| : fKenllernen Oh