The daily Madisonian. [volume] (Washington City [i.e. Washington, D.C.]) 1841-1845, 1842-10-01

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| Kerr, Wing delegates from Maryland TO the Hair
| risburg Convention IN December, 1889.
| GENTLEMEN: In your letter 10 The Wings of Ma
| ryand bearing date 18th Of September, 1912, the
only facts that find eDuncated contained ia the
| first two paragraphs, wherein you publish TO the
world the interesting news Of your selection Wing
delegates 10 the Harrisburg convention from tue
| State Of Maryland, and the other equally inter
esting news Of your acqulescence IN the choice OF
General Harrison a candidate for the Presidency,
| and of Mr.. Tyler a candidate for the Nice-Pres-
dency,
| / regret exceedingly, that you did not pay the
same nice and strict regard To the truth IN the re-
mainder Of your address for, had you done So the
remarks which am about TO make would not have
| been necessary
You iDnocently ask how it happens that the Wing,
! party is defeated and discemhtedi IL you had adj
dressed this inquiry TO Mr.. Clay, with a demand
that he should you without reserve, he could
tell you that the defeat and discontinue Of the Wing
p rty flowed solely from his violent and unwse coun-
sells, which utterly overturned the compromise OF po-
ltca opinions that ensured the victory OF 1910 He
could tell you that the same, II not worse, results
| would have ensued had General Harrison lived. lie
could tell you that he (Mr Clay decreed the spara-
ton Of the Wing leaders from President Tyler, when
he came TO know that the Chief Magistrate would not
consent so to administer the Government as TO secure
| the succession of Mr. Clay himself to the chair Of
state. He could tell you that the treachery of which
you complain loudly and SO bitterly, was nstgated
| by him as early as the month of April, l84l and
| that Mr. Tyler is not to be blamed for the present
state of things.
| Your desire, gentlemen, to eXonerae yourselves
! from all censure in acceding TO tht nation of
| Mr.. Tyler as candidate for the Vic, Presidency is
very natural, Traitors to any cause always seek to
account for their treachery and it is matter of
great pain to me TO find you IN such an awkward pre-
dicament Mr. Clay is manlfestly traitor to the
Wing principles OF policy, upon which the battle OF
1910 was fought and won. You have plainly desert
ed those same principles and it is more than your
duty to Mr.. Clay to try and account FIR the nomina
! tion of Mr.. Tyler That act was consummated after
the most mature and careful deliberations best cal
culated to unite all the fragments of opposition to the
administration of Mr.. Van Buren,. Mr.. Tyler's we'll
known and determined hostility to a national bank
was large element In the reasons which induced the
convention to fix upon him You now attempt to
pudiae your concurrence in that act which crowned
the compromise policy of Harrisburg; but, in do
ing, you should recollect that you must share with
Mr. Clay the Just odium of the regeneration, which
| has, in remarkable manner, signalized his ac
lions in the closing days OF his long, and once brilliant
career.
Having turned your backs upon the Wing princi-
plies of l640 (Which were those of the true Demo
| cracy,) you cannot, IT seems, endure the thought
that Mr. Tyler should be called Wing President ;
but if you reflect gentlemen, that it must be equally
obnox ious to him and to his friends that this title
should be bestowed upon him in view of the new
tangled doctrines proclaimed TO be Whiqgery, by
Mr.. Clay and yourselves, you will cease to give your
selves any further concern on this head.
You characterize the Administration policy the
silly abortion of MIR. Tyler's BRAIN You are in err
ror as to the fact The policy pursued by Mr.
Tyler is the product of Mr. Clay's mind. He chalk
en- it out in 1910, and it had the sanction of all the
leaders of the Wing party. 1t was the high-road to
success in the late Presidential contest. During
nearly two years of Mr.. Tyler's administration, his
adherence to it has enabled him to go conquer,ng
and to conquer, regardless of the detection of Mr..
CT and the of the deserving Wings in Con-
gress Most of the mighty results promised by the
Harrison and Tyler triumph, have been attained
and the remainder are now being achieved, in des-
pite Of your reachery, gentlemen, and that of your
leader
You disclaim in your own names, and in those
Of your constituents all responsibility for the course
of the Executive That you should speak for your
selves, is very proper, seeing the position you
Ply but that you should undertake to commit all the
Wings of Maryland, who voted for Mr.. Tyler against
the President is only If accordance with that spirit
of arrogance which Mr.. Clay has so successfully
taught you. The result of the coming election in
your State will tend, trust much to bring you, gen
tlemen, to due of humility. Mr. Tyler
} wants not your responsibility. He rests his
upon the shoulders of American freemen who are
ever ready to do justice to the faithful public
want
You anxious to know whom it is that Mr.
Tyler represents ? He represents the whole Amer-
can people, in virtue of the letter and spirit of the
Constitution, and in accordance with that great
Wing doctrine which General Harrison proclaimed
in his inaugural address, viz: the Chief Magistrate
should be the President of the nation and not of
party.
A national bank purely protective tariff an alb
soute distribution of the proceeds of the public lands
you assert, the measures and principles of the
Wings in the late contest.
This is not true, gentlemen
The measures and principles Of the Wings in lS4 ,
are set forth in the Bunker Hill declaration of the
10th September of that year, drawn up by Mr. Web
ster. They proceed upon the broad platform of com
promise of conflicting opinions of public policy
Upon that platform might meet the most ultra and
the most moderate men and there they did meet,
and beat their opponents This declaration does not
contain either of the measures principles stated
by you, gentlemen. 1t avows the high and solemn
duty of Government to watch over the currency Of
the country, in opposition to the dogma acted upon
by the then dominant party, that no such duty was
required of Government 1t denounces pr scrption
for opinions sake. 1t proposes not single partisan
object to be attained but ii is content with announc-
ing general, grand, Democratic principles and it
leaves the precise mode of settling the points in
troversy to the wisdom OF the National Government
guided by the state of public opinion, when they
to be acted on. Mr.. Clay, Mr.. Webster, General
Harrison, Mr.. Tyler and all the leading spirits of
the campaign, as well as the public press sus aimed
this of policy and hence it that the
stream Of the opposition was sweed by the access
sion Of thousands upon thousands of Democrats, de-
sirous of seeing public affairs placed in new hands
upon such Democratic principles 1t was blind
adherence to special that caused so often
the defeat of the position previous to 1910. At
Harrisburg they resolved TO learn wisdom from ex-
perience to be tolerant; to allow the greatest la
tude of opinion and views; and to conduct Govern
ment, if they should obtain power the most libe
raj basis, always keeping upon the track of compro
mise. No definite mode of settling vexed questions
was started, for fear Of alarming public prejudice ;
and this was the main reason why no announcement
OF measures made at Harrisburg The country
sighed for change of administration. The public
mind was disconnected. People saw a chance of es-
cape from the thradrom of partisan violence. And
when the Bunker Hill declaration came, it mbodied
the general feeling of the opposition throughout the
country The victory of 1910 was sacrifice upon
the altar of liberty OF all the urapolitica principles
| { LII o. i