The spirit of the age. [volume] (Woodstock, Vt.) 1840-1844, 1840-07-31


skunk skins, and command the people to fall dow
and worship him, They dare not DISGUST has an
Client tederGliSm-hiS SuPpor Of The eider .adams
and the usurpalons of his admnistration--his op
/, position 10 a reduction Of the Standing mmy-ht
approving an act as Cor Of Indiana for selling
whiie men as slaueS, and rhipping them for at
tempting 10 recOrer their HJerty-his rotiag for
similar lac in The Legislature Of Ohio; his sup
poet Of the younger .Adams--hiS tampering wH
j he .fjoiHiOaiStS, and refusing TO disclose hi
principles to the people uhosc sg0iages he asks
They do not, because they dare not ayow ont
single principle of their candidate ; aud when thu
people ask for statement Of his principles, they arr
told by the priest of this great mute, that - tht
policy is that the General make no further declara
ton Of his principles for the public eye whilst oc
cupyng his present position And then, OF
shame shamel as if the people had not yet beei
sufficiently nsulled, this declaration of the priest i
at last followed by the confession of the Idol itself
who says that he did authorize his committee :" ii
cases where further opinions were asked for, tc
state his determination 10 give no other pledge o.
what he would or would not do, il he were elected
TO the Presidency" Here then is au argument
strong holy welt, to show the identity oithe OLE
federal and the wing parties, VIZ their perfect con
tempt of the people, of the popular intelligence, as
exhibited in the conduct Of their candidate, who
declares, himself, that ne WlLinot avow. his prn-
ciplcs, in any event.
And here stands this idol in the broad dilated
eve of mi ions of lreemcn; mntc, dumb, solemnly
and deliberately insulting them by refusing to an
swor their reasonable Notwithstanding to avow
his principles and declaring that he 'wiIl give no
pledges of what he will or will not do" if they
should elect him to the highest office in their gift.
! What! has ii come to this, that freemen are TO be
led blindfolded to the ballot box Has it come to
lhis that when the people respectfully ask the
opinion Of Il candidate ford ain Office, and that office
the Presidency of the United States of America,
men shall be stationed about his august person to
flap sliunk-skns and throw hand cider in their ia
res and tell them to 60 about their business? Has
it come to this that the people of the lned States
are TO submit 10 the grossest insult that ever was,
or ever can be offered 10 free people Do the
people elect men TO sit in their halls Of legislation
without knowing anything of their principles And
il they should at any time, preceding the election
respectfully ask Of their candidates what course
they would pursue in regard 10 this or that meas
urc, do they allow them to say that they will give
no pledges of what they will or will not do, if cleo
tod' It a candidate III any town in this State
should thus insult his constituents, is there a single
freeman that would degrade himself by ever think
Ing of voting for him. What il the freemcn of this
town should III Il few days address letter 10 one
of their candidates for the Senate, asking him in
respectful language, il he would oppose the re-
charter Of banks on the old system il elected and
committee of three should reply that it was the
policy of the candidate they have addressed, that
he make no further disclosure Of his principles
while occupying his present position; and then to
II, ,li.,
YOU that he did authorize the committee TO say that
he would give no pledges Of VIVA, he would or
would not do if y0u should elect him. Tell me
sir,tell me gentlemen if You believe that, that man
could command single vote in the county of
Windsor? Would YOU not consider that you had
been insuted, that one of the great principles of
Republican government had been outraged and
abused? Tel. me if Won would not think the man
who would so far forget his oath of Office his self
respect MS to vote for him mailman or fool
And yet this man-this muzzlcd candidate, would
occupy the same position in regard to the lreeEcn
of Windsor county, that General Harrison does
in relation TO the frccmcn of The Union. When
before has any candidate for office, however unim-
porlant, dared to refuse to answer the questions of
his constituents Mr.. Van Buren, has plainly, aud
like freeman, declared that " the sovereign pco-
pie always have Il right To inlcrrogaie those who
may be candidate for their sutrages,' and acting
upon This principle, when Intercepted by the SOW
ereign people, instead Of telling them to ask his
committee, or that il is none of their business what
his principles are he tells them plainly what he
will md what he will not do if elected, This is
plain republican language Here is no non-com-
mittnisnl, no evasion, no insulting the Ieppe
In The position which the federal candidate is
now placed, no human being can tell what hi, prn-
cipcs arc Not single freeman in this vast Re-
public can tell what principles he is supporting
when he gives his vote for Harrison.
At the S0uih, Harrison is recommended as n
violent -.1bolHioaiai but at the North, he is
Il moderate diScipie Of abolition!
At The Hest, he Is in favor of repeating the soH
6utp; bu, at the East he is strongly opposed 10
such II movement!
At the Souih, he is called strict copsiruciion-
list; but at the N6rh, his constitutional beliefs of
the indefinite Webster school
In Virginia he is Aafi-Baak; but in Maine he il
in tGrDr ci'a BGRE'
In one section, hc goes for Internal Improre-
ments by the General Government; in another Sec
lion he goes decidedly against them
In tins portion of the country, he is Protective
TjrO man; in other portions he is held up as thor
oughly opposed to such system
! have seen myself in one day federal paper
ut the North advocating Gen. Iarrison's claims to
the Presidency, because he is m.hyoro of Tariff;
and federal paper published at the South adyo-
eating his claims because he is opposed TO Tariff.
Not week passes but that iird one set of my
federal exchange papers declaring, that Gen Iurri-
son is warmly in favor of National Bank and
ANOTHER set declaring that he is opposed to Ma
tiona Bank. ! repeat not freeman in the whole
republic can tell what Gen. Iarrison's principles
are. 1t is the policy Of the federal party that the
people should not know. They know that Gen.
Harrison is nm old black cockade, John Adams
Alien and Sedlion Law and Standing. Army fed
eraist but they dare not tell the people so. They
know that the people would never support him.
aud they conceal his principles under the shallow
disguise of log cabins, huzzas, parade and show.
Still further proof is at hand TO show the identity
Of the Old federal and the wing parties. Ia the DAYS
Of John Adams they insued every democrat whom
chance threw in their way. We see the same spirit
manifested now. In il is seen in their howins and
groauing under the windows Of the President as
they did under windows Of Thomas Jefferson. II
is in their iusolencc, in their hrow-bcnlinc
1t is in their utter abandonment of all the rules
AZ ,ni;,io, o,,I H. Ia.