The daily national Whig. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1847-1849, 1847-12-10


1t was hoped that the House would, yes
terday, have reconsdered the vote by which
Mr. Johnson was made Postmaster in def
ance Of the voice of the majority, but that
hope has not been realized; and, unless the
House shall retrace the step now taken, the
Wing party in that body will exhibit divided
counsels upon matter which, though light
in itself, is important as an index to the real
state of feeling among the members of our
party. 1t is anything but favorable to unit
ed action upon the great measures Of the
country. II, after the major part Of the
Wing Representatives consider the Office Of
Postmaster to their House of so much impor-
lance, as to designate the person beforehand
whom they desire TO place in it, any Wing
can with IMMUNITY disregard the voice Of his
friends, and indulge in his own preferences,
then there is no earthly use for party associ-
atoms, and no necessity for the expenditure
Of time and labor in the sustaining Of party
organizations. The liberty now exercised
by Messrs Pollock and Pendeton in abb
senting themselves or being absent from the
House, and by Messrs. Thibodeaux, Pal
frey, and J. w. Houston, in voting against
their party, is destructive Of the objects and
purposes for which men, who entertain
particular set Of opinions, band together to
secure their ascendancy in the government
Of the country. If they may act and vote
as they did, others may do the same.
But these gentlemen, we understand, urge
that the postmaster of the House is not an
officer of such Importance as to,require them
to sacrifice their individual feelings and pre-
ferences on the altar of party. Pray, who
constituted them the Judges in this matter |.
Shall they set up their Judgment against one
hundred and nine Of their brethren, and yet
claim to be Of the political fellowship of those
who deemed the Office to be Of sufficient i'm
portance for them to sacrifice their feelings
and preferences to advance the common
cause Their constituents did not elect them
to seat in the House of Representatives
upon any such principle of action as that by
which they are said to justify their defeating
the known wishes of every whig member
except themselves There is not one Of
these recusant gentlemen who was chosen to
the seat which l\e now occupies as the per-
sonal choice of Ms constituents. Every one
of them owes his election to the force OF par
ty organization. And it must always be so
when the constituencies extend beyond the
mere neighborhood Of man. If, then, no
man can be elected to represent a constitu-
ency, except by organized masses Of voters,
put in motion by the political opinions which
they hold, does not that Representative,
when he comes to act in party capacity, do
a wrong to his constituents in refusing to be
governed by the expressed voice Of his bro
Their representatives, upon any given subject,
which can only be carried by uniting all the
members of the party to which he and they
belong' Surely he does, or there is no truth
in these premises.
We have enumerated two Wings who
were absent on this occasion /; but it is ne
Messrs. Gaines and Holley. Major Gaines
was prevented from being in his seat by the
nature of the service in which he was engage
ed by his country. Had he been here, we
take it upon ourselves to declare that he
would sooner have cut off his right arm than
have refused to go with his party. Mr..
Holley was PROSTATE, we learn, on the bed
Of sickness. He had, at the imminent peril
Of his life, voted for Speaker and Clerk and
we have no doubt, had he dreamed Of even
the possibility of the election of Mr.. john
son, he would have braved exposure again
to do his duty to his party But foa Messrs.
Pollock, Pendeton, Thihodeaux, Palfrey,
and j. w. Houston to act as they did, it is
almost impossible to believe. They are all
high party men of the strictest sect Before
and during the canvass in which they were
elected they were nearly incandescent Wings.
Their Whiggism rose to white heat, and now
they have so suddenly cooled down that there
is not even ray Of Wing heat or light left
in their whole composition, if this act is to
be taken as an evidence Of their faith, Why
this violent metamorphosis
We do not question, we repeat again to-
day, the perfect legal right of these gentle
men to vote as they did. We only arraign
their act on party grounds. Various are the
motives freely ascribed to them by the pub
lie for their course and IL we were to re-
peat some of them, the recusants might be
astofished, if not at their correctness, at their
probability. But we leave for the present
the motives which influenced them to this
act to the consideration Of their constituents,
who will be sure to be informed Of them at
the proper time. Meantime, we can assure
these gentlemen that their course has inhict-