The Whig standard. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1843-1844, 1844-08-08
w AS H | N G I @ N.
THURSDAY EVENING, AUG. 8. 1874.
MR.. POLK-THE TWENTY-FIRST RULE
SOUTHERN TO THE BACKBONE"

MIR. POLK-THE TWENTY-FIRST RULE
"SOU rHERN TO THE BACKBONE"
While the Northern Abolitonists are reyilng
Mr.. Clay, and doing every thing in their power
TO defeat his election. the Southern friends Of Mr..
Polk proclaim that the principles Of that gentle-
man are Southern to the backbone" -thaA is to
say, he is in favor of free-trade, of immediate
annexation, and the twenty-first rule. All this is
perfectly true, and yet many Of the Aboltionsts
and Northern Locofocos, whose views are direct
y the reverse. are doing whatever lies in their
power to elect Mr. Polk to the Presidency. Such
is the spirit Of Northern dough-faces. The Editor
Of the Nashville Wing, understanding that the
friends Of Mr.. Polk, in Ohio. are endeavorng
to court the Abolitionsts, has republished the
following among other evidences of Mr.. Folks
affection for his Abolition friends.
We commend the article also to the majority
Of Mr.. Folks friends, who during the last session
of Congress, repealed the twenty first rule, which
inhibited the receipt Of Abolition petitions. 1t
will be seen that Mr. Polk attempts to identity
the Wings with the Abolitonists, because they
repealed the rule, and now, in the year Of our
Lord 1874, the Locofocos themselves, with a ma
jority of two-thirds in the House of Representa-
tives, haze done the same thing. Mr.. Polk declar-
ed, in 1641, that the repeal Of the rule "opened
the door" to the Abolitonists, and they were "let
in" The courtesy Of opening the door" having
this time been performed by the friends of Mr..
Polk, it is presumed that either he will acquiesce
in it's propriety, or else he will demand Of his
dough-face supporters to shut the door," Which
will he dog"
But Mr.. Polk charged the Wings with having
"opened the door" in order to secure Abolition
votes for Tippecanoe and Tyler too" Pray
tell us why the Locofocos have opened the door!
Was il done to promote the election Of Mr.. Van
Buren, and since he has been thrown overheard,
will the benefit enure TO Mr.. Polk! We should
like to have these questions answered Are the
Aboltonists vifying Mr.. Clay as guild pro quo
to the Locofocos for "opening the door!
And. while we are upon this subject, we wish
to inquire, and we hope the dough-faces will have
the spirit TO inquire, does Mr.. Polk hold the same
ground nop which he held in ls41 upon the sub
ject Of the twenty-first rule ? Would he re-es-
tablsh it? We ask these questions because the
President, whoever he may be, can always exert
vast influence upon members of Congress, and
wiH exert II. Inthe event of Mr. Folks election,
therefore he will, unless his opinions have UNDER
gone great change, do all in his power to re.
store the twenty-frst rule, which his dough-faced
Northern friends have lately repealed. If they
possess spark of manly spirit they will require
him to define his present position, and should he
stand where he stood in ls4l, they cannot vote
for him, unless they wish "the door" which they
themselves have opened, shut in their faces
From Mr.. Folks Nashville Inn Speech, Oct %, Is4I.
.'The last two years have been full of great
political events Means were resorted to, and
political excitement produced in the last Presi-
Dental election, which has no parallel in our his.
tory. candidates were presented who made no
pubic declaration Of their principles. The policy
OF the leading men of their party was that they
should stand mute. They were not permitted to
answer interrogatorles respectfully propounded
upon important public subjects. The people were
called upon to extend TO them " generous con-
6dence," and give them their support The par.
~ who supported them declared no common nrin.
ciples by which their candidates would be goy.
erned if elected. In different States they held
and advocated the most opposite and conflicting
opinions upon the most important public subjects.
In different States they declared their candidates
would, if elected, support or oppose the same mea-
sure. Where National Bank was supposed to
be popular, they declared to the people that they
were in favor Of bank; and where it was un-
popular they declared they we're opposed to it
In the Northern States their candidate for the
Presidency was represented by members Of Con-
grees and others as entertaining opinions not hos
tile at least to the abolitioniss and was thus ena
bed to command the support Of that wicked and
worse than fanatical faction who level deadly
blow at the integrity of the Union, whilst in the
saveholding States he was represented as being
opposed to the abolitionists and favorable to South
ern interests"
Their second measure was to repeal that "a.