Staunton spectator, and general advertiser. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 183?-1849, 1846-03-26
FSom. the Petersburg Iutelligcncer.
THE BRETHREN. =

The quafye <Aong the Democracy at WASH
ington is going on in manner that would gra,i-
~ the pugnacious propensi.ies Of Sir Lucius o.
Trigger himself. 1, is not only ga very pretty
quarrel as it stands'' now, but bids fair to grow
in beauty. 1t is getting to be sort of ''free
fight" and every democrat seems to believe that,
like the Irishman, he can take hand, il he likes.
"Macon"-the correspondent Of the Richmond
Enqurer-looks upon the fray with the GOODNESS
Of philosopher. Hear him:
tThe dullness Of the House., which Of late
has been perfectly overpowering, was varied to-
day somewhat, by deal of sharp-shooting be-
tween Mr.. Douglass of Illinois and others, which
added nothing towards quieting the troubled sp-
rits in our party. An alteration between Demo-
Gratis would have caused much excitement a
month ago, but now these occurrences are mat
tiers SO frequently happening that ], for one, have
concluded TO let nothing Of the kind disturb my
equanimity and, therefore, to wait patiently for
the grand result until, as Pat says, 'the buther
milk comes out Of the s.ir.about.'"
| II the Democracy do not ''mind their points
and parallels the '.bu,her milk" when it does
come, will be sour enough to turn the stomachs
Of the whole country.
On Thursday, in the Senate, Mr.. Atchison
made the following hypothetical attack the
President. 1t is not eyere as that of Mr..
Hannegan, but not less poinsed end significant:
Mr.. A. said he must hero be allowed to 20
back y the beginning, and to refer for moment
W H10ng ievxaH ~ .Se. i,ai heon contained in the
I Balnmore resolutions, because they were il, io-
ality the foundation of this whole proceedings
He did not refer 10 these resolutions with any at
tempt to show that they were binding on the Sc
nator from Maine, (Nir. Evans,) the Senator
from New Jersey, (Mr. Day'on,) or the Senator
ln,,I Val IL
were binding on the masses of the Democratic
party; but he did believe that on every principle
of good morals those resolutions were binding
on the members of the Convention, and on those
who were its nominees. The declaration of tina,
Convention was, in substance, that our title tc
the whole OF Oregon was clear and unquestion
able.
| Now, Mr.. A. insisted that the President of the
United States, and the Vice President, or, if the
liberty would be allowed him, that James X
Polk and George Nj. Dallas, were bound by tina
resolution, because, if they differed from it il
sentiment, common honesty required them to in
form the Convention of that fact, and to decline
the nomination. Was not this right! Would
any gentleman dissent from il? Hence it wa,
that the Senators from Indiana and Ohio had al
luded TO the Convention i'm that connexon.-
Though the resolutions at Baltimore were no
binding on the Senator from Maine, any NOR,
than the New Testament was binding on a Mus
vines on Methodist or Baptist, still, if they &C
cepted the nomination. but dissented from tn,
resolutions, they ought 10 have stated the fac
and given their reasons.
MIR. A. admitted that the great masses of the
Democratic party were not bound by all these re
solutions. When man joined political party
or joined church, though there might be in the
tenets OF that party or that church some which
seemed Objectionable to him, he weighed the
whole case, and if, OH the whole, he believed the
creed of that party or church 10 be better thar
that Of any other, he might conclude to join it
though he had still objections TO some of its OPT
mons. So, ii MIR. A. believed the Democratic
party to be sound in its doctrines, or, on the
whole, better than the party opposed TO it, he
would join it. Yet he did not thereby bind him
self to adopt every opinion it might put FORTH
On this ground 1t was tina! he held that the mass.
es OF the Democracy were released from the OBJ.
legation OF resolutions passed at Baltimore. Bu
the President of the Senate and the President Of
the United States, having accepted the nomina-
lions OF the Convention there assembled, which
Convention had put forth these resolutions, were
certainly, IN common honesty, bound by them
Hence the known ground taken by the President
in the fact of his accepting the nomination, TAX en-
in connection with the language of his message
and the language Of his inaugural, left no doub
as tc what his opinions really were. And who
could think for moment that the President
would sacrifice rights which he had himself pro-
nounced 10 ne clear and unquestonabie, and lie
Democratic President! If the President could
do this, then Mr. A. had NO clear notions OF right
or wrong. If he had been appointed guardian
over ward, and his ward had clear title to Ger.
tain lands which were claimed by third party
he would put 1T to the common sense and common
honesty of all men whether he should not be d
relict TO the sacred duty he owed TO the father.
less if he yielded up half quarter of the
land. Then, if the President of the u. States
in the very first act of his official life, had de.
clared our title to Oregon 10 be clear and unques.
tionabe and the people were fast going into Ore
gon 10 consummate that title by actual posses.
sion, how could he now go back from that ground
and relinquish the territory by compromise 3
When the people of the West heard his declara
ton on this subject, the whole Democratic party
as one man, and large masses of the Wing party
also, threw up their greasy caps and hurraed fol
Polk and Dallas.
THE LATE RICHMOND AFFAIR.