Iowa capitol reporter. [volume] (Iowa City, Iowa) 1841-1855, 1847-05-12

WEDNESDAY, MAY II, is47.
Enron or RrroRrER--Sir: Please announce
thu name Of THOMAS HUGHES, Of Johnson
county, a ! candidate for Secretary Of the Board
Of Public Works--sublect to the decision OF the
Democratic State Convention-and obiige
an10 MANY DEMOCRATS.
Gen. Taylor md the Presidency.
Hc,n no longer be concealed, that settled
determination 10 entertained by the leading fed
eral presses and politicians 10 force Gen. Taylor
upon the track for the Presidency in 1s4s, in
order themselves to ride into power on the mil
;tary fame Of that chieftain who has led our gall
liant army to victory, in war which they have
loudly denounced as UNCONSTITUTIONAL, IN
yvsr and AoGarss,vx''--'sA WAR AGAINST Hu-
nANirY AND AGAINST GoDr' The small fry OF
whieeery throughout the length and breadth Of
the country, who have SO faithfully echoed the
tory sentiments uttered by federal members in
the halls of Congress, from which our perhdi-
Gus enemies have drawn so much ssaid and COM
fort'' in their struggle with our victorious ar
mics, all now chime in with the shout Of OLD
ZAcx TAYLOR roR THE Presidency" as raised
BY the leading affiliated organs and advocates OF
the Mexican cause, at the South and East
Even the more staid and honest portion Of the
whig prints, whose editors entertain conscien-
tons scruples upon the subject Of elevating
military chieftain to the head Of the civil gov
eminent, and who, moreover, were unprepared
to give their support, for that exalted station, to
a man concerning whose political sentiments
there was 50 much uncertainty-even they, to-
gether with all such, or nearly oil, as had other
favorites Of their own, are beginning to waver
in their opposition, preparatory to giving in their
adhesion to to the policy prescribed by those as
pirants who, despairing of themselves attaining
to the Presidency, have set the wind in that de
rection in order to forestall their more popular
wing competitors, and at the same time secure a
controlling influence in Gen. Taylor's Admins
tration, or a place in his Cabinet, should he
be elected.
Time and again have they stigmatized all who
were engaged in this war, including, of course,
the commanding General, though not naming
him, As no better than q ruffian band Of outlaws.
freebooters, and murderers, shedding the inno-
cent blood of Mexicans, pillaging and burning
the towns and making desolate, without cause,
the dwellings Of wronged and injured people,
in fighting for the extension of slavery; and
now, with no other motive than their own polit-
ical ACKNOWLEDGMENT, they have resorted to the
expedient of raising the name of that comman-
der--the chief freebooter and murderer Of the
gang-as their candidate for the first Office in
the gift of the American people
We acquit the gallant hero of four victories of
any participation in this design; nor should he
be held responsible for the absurdities Of those
who are demonstrating how utterly contempti-
bic wing principles are, by this recklessness to
secure popular candidate, though made such
solely by his chief participation in acts which
they avow in their resolves that they ttABHOR,"
and which they daily denounce as unconstitu-
tional and infamous. But the lustre Of that
name which is associated with his country's
glory, has been much dimmed, in being seized
upon by those unprincipled demagogues and
mountebanks who aim to convert him into
mere political puppes, to dance as they may pull
the wires, for the base purpose of pandering to
their inordinate thirst for power.
The Hartford Convention men were at least
consistent. They denounced the war and all
engaged in it. They treated the President and
his military and naval commanders as alike the |
authors and instruments Of villiany. They passed
resolutions reprobating the President and his
war, and at the same time refused vote of
thanks to the heroes who had achieved victorie, |
in that war, and they stuck to it with consis- |
tency that would have been honorable in an hon
orable cause. Sage men as they were, and
shrewd statesmen, with their Otises, and Quin- |
cys, and Cabots, and Websters, they never tho't
Of this grand expedient in modern whig MORALS,
Of cursing a war and lauding and rewarding |
those who fight it; or, in other words, denouu-
cling highway robbery as the most infamous of |
crimes, and then taking advantage of the popu-
larity Of the chief robber, to make him their
President, that he may give them the ofices!-l
This is purely refinement Of modern whig- |
gerry.
This is now the precise position, in point Of |
morals and consistency, Of that party which has
the utter shamelessness to attempt to get into /
power upon political capital, one half of which
is to be made up of cursing the administration
and the f'NEFARrors WARP and the other half,
Of the popularity Of candidate acquired in car
rying on that snefarious war"
Just one word as to Gen. Taylor's political
views, and we have done: While we protest
against this base use of his name, while fighting
the battles of his country, we presume that, like
other men, he has his political sentiments, and,
whatever they may be, that they are honest, but
can those .apient wing editors who have, with
such infinite cunning and self compIacency,
decked their necks with his collar, looking
around for marks of universal admiration and
spontaneous bursts Of applause upon their course,
inform their readers what his views are upon the
sucject of Tariff, National Bank, and Indepen-
dent Treasury? The Nativists FIRST nominated
him, and the wings only followed in their wake;
but in this they were perfectly consistent for they
always endorse the Native American doctrines.
But can they tell US whether he is bank or an
slavery or anti-slavery, high tariff
or free trade man? We pause for reply.