The Whig standard. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1843-1844, 1844-09-11

L hIteT tnGy SuCCecucu III lHfOtliuS MI dI Du-
rem, it little mattered who was chosen to be the
sign of the Convention still Mr. Van Buren's
friends were determined to PROSTATE him, by the
union of whose capital, with the disaffected at
the South, he had been sacrificed, and thus Gen.
Cass was made the martyr to the vengeance of a
powerless majority. The commotion and wrang-
ling and elimination that occurred at this stage of
the proceedings matters of history and need no
| recital on our part. Mr.. Wright was tempted
with the Presidential bait, but refused to nbble.
At length, as in all violent lamentations, the
dregs rose to the surface, and James K Polk, the
last and the least man of those prominent in the
party, was nominated. Mr.. Wright was then
offered the unanimous nomination for the Vice Pre-
sdency, but could not be induced to play second
fiddle to so small leader, and was unwilling to
swallow the whole dose of his free trade and
Texas quackery. Finally, they hunted up Sc
cond sized sign-post in the person of Mr. Dallas
and after this came the proclamation of principles
and the trumpery of Democratic" faith.
Some of Mr.. Van Buren's wellpad friends Of
fered the resolutions of coincidence and respect
that is, they wrote very entertaining eptaph by
way of consolation for killing him, which of course
was very acceptable to the gentlemen concerned.
In winding up the affair, resolution, emphatic
in its terms and decided in it's meaning, was
unanimously passed, soemnly declaring that the
opinion of the Convention was in favor of annex
ing Texas at the earliest practicable moment.
Indeed, nobody who watched the movements of
that meeting will pretend to disclaim that the
" annexation" question was the only prominent
and powerful issue which was avowed through its
deliberations. 1t had the effect of displacng
majority candidate-of giving less than one-third
the sway of the Conventional upsetting all the
old-fashioned usages of the party, and of procur-
ing an unnatural order of things, by which the
weak and insignificant became the strong and ar
rogant. By far the strangest of all its queer ca
pers and somersets was the choice of its candidate
for the Presidency, who appears to have been re-
sorted to because of his notorious insignifcance,
or that he was too small to have ever called any
serious attention to his public private history.
AT all events, the leading and absorbing ques-
ton proclaimed and canvassed by that Convention
was the annexation of Teras." 1t was the car
dinal measure of the party, and man might as
well profess to be believer in religion without
acknowledging the Bible, as to be a Democrat"
and not an annexationist. The South Carolina
men, who were unotficially attending the meet
ing, because the State refused to participate, inn
medately rushed in and swore allegiance upon
this nomination of Southern man after their o,on
hearts. Indeed, we have occasion to know that
those very gentlemen, the confidential friends OF
Mr.. Calhoun, (Mr. Pckens and Mr.. Elmore,) were
here upon the ground for weeks previous, and that
they, with others more able, concocted the game
that was played at Baltimore They even went
so far as to predict the result! Annexation was
then the lever power that raised and controlled
the Democratic" Convention. In all parts of
the country meetings were reused up by appeals
to the new issue. Great clamor about patriotism
and American feeling was created. The old
hacks and leaders were instructed to shout about
Texas. Everything else, not saving the Sub
Treasury, 100000 standing army, Poinsett's
blood-hounds, the royal Presidential splendor, and
the chances Of magnificent dealcations, all equally
parts Of the democratic" creed, at least of the
Democratic" practice, were buried and forgotten.
The "Old Hero" Gen. Jackson, with the scat
tered remnants of his fast-fading popularity, was
called out to endorse the new doctrine. He res
pended in series of letters, which, with all the
knowledge that we have of his fury and vindic-
tiveness, might not have been expected from one
standing upon the brink of the grave, soon to be
summoned to the presence Of eternity, and in
whose past life there is SO much that requires to
be washed in the waters of absolution. He de-.
nounced every body that opposed annexation, and
declared that any Senator who voted against the
treaty then pending was a I" TRAITOR TO HIS
COUNTRY" In order to impress more dis
tinctly upon the public mind that the contest was
not between the Wings and so-caed Demo-
Gratis" but between the Wings and Gen. Jack
sons spawn, the candidate for the Presidency was
chrstened " Young Hickory" Poles were rais-