The daily Madisonian. [volume] (Washington City [i.e. Washington, D.C.]) 1841-1845, 1845-02-14
THE RIVAL CLIQUEs.


Ii is a strange spectacle to see the partsans
of rival aspirants TO the succession, engageu ~
active operations TO secure the PRESIDENCY '"
1913 before the President elected by the whoie
Republican party in 1874, has been inausu'a'eu'
We are quite sure the masses do not eole' 'h'o
anv Of these intrigues, that they do not feel any
interest in them, and that they do not, and VIII
moi. sanction or countenance them.
Tou,itis a matter Of profound as,onishment,
that the distinguished individuals whose names
are 40 fsmniary uttered by their peculiar iriends'
i, connection with the candidacy In le4s' 10
NOT promptly adopt such means aswill enec,u1i'
" nut an end to the premature and lmpoi'tc
agitation of their claims. Surely the example
Of ls44-when all the active and eager aspi-
rants were cast aside by the People-shoula DC
remembered, and cause the over-anx'ous 10
smother their ambition, at least until the grahu
axnerimenl be tested, whether or not Peoples
President shall prove TO be more advantageous
10 the country than any mere m'nlon oil pro-
frssed politicians. Should the experiment
proye 10 be successful, we TAX Tor granted
A
we will have no more candidates created oy
management and intrigue. Men will not
come forward Of their own accord; but VIII
be called upon by the People 10 serve them
But the main struggle between the factions
seems 10 be which shall obtain the greatest
amount of favor-in other words the greatest
share Of patronage, under the new Admin
istration. Now. according TO our humble con-
yictions, Mr.. Polk is not indebted TO any OF the
factions, or sections, for his success. He con-
spired with no man, or any body OF men, 10 OBJ
tain his nomination and his election. He was
elected BY the free and unsought sutifages oil
majority of the People Of the United States,
and is bound in gratitude, in honor, In duty 10
administer the Government, and 10 distribute
his patronage, exclusively with view 10 The
advantage of that vast body OF his conhd'ng
countrymen. irrespective OF the expectations,
solicitations, and demands OF particular lndiYi-
duals or particular States.
A great man is only one man at the polls, and
his vote counts no more than that Of the most
unpretending citizen at the election. The ini.u-
ence of a great politician is given him by the
People and hence il is absurd TO say. "but for
the support of this or that leader Mr.. Polk would
not have been elected" The People elected
him, and would have elected him, if all the
great political leaders in the country had re-
NAMED away from the polls.
We have not the slightest doubt that each OF
the factions will receive as many iavors by rely
ing upon the discrimination and imparuaty OF
Mr.. Polk, as they can gain by ferocious impor-
tunity and we doubt not that he is far more
intent upon serving the People, who have I'M
doubted claims upon him-by the benefits OF a
successful Administraton--than he is likely to
be upon division of the "spoils" among the
greedy "expectan:s" who have resolved TO con-
tend for them. .. ..
Again we say, it is our sincere conviction
that Mr.. Polk is not indebted TO any clique for
his election-but that the debt is due only to
his country, his whole country, and nothing
but his country. And if it be discharged, as
we have every reason to believe it will be, in a
spirit of unlerri6ed and incorporating pa1ri-
otism--the cliques may fret and censure for a
day, but the majority of the People, and the
whole of posterity, will applaud him forever.