Vermont watchman and State journal. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1836-1883, 1847-04-29
From the National Intolgcneet
The Administration and the Ar

is made by the adherens of the Administration,
in some instances boldly, and in others covertly,
TO snatch the merit Of those successes from those
to whom it properly belongs, and claim it all for
the President and the Administration. To this
end, three or four formidable columns made their
appearance in the Union" Of Tuesday evening.
The UNION indeed, evidently carries its purpose
q little further than a mere demand for praise
and honor and renown to the Administrations
It's commentator of the President, made in the
usual style of that paper-that is to say, made
by mere repetition and accumulation of eulogis-
tic words and phrases is intersperscd here and
there, with hints not to be misunderstood, that
Mr.. Polk is again to be presented to the ODE
inocracy" of the country MS a candidate lnr the
Presidency. OF this we care little; and the
country, we presume, cares as little. But, for
whatever end or object the attempt is now made
to clothe the Administration its head or its mem
bers, with honors truly and deservedy belonging
to others, 1t is our purpose to expose that attempt
to the utmost of our power, and to call down up
on it the just Indignation of honorable men,
If we can prevent it, such birds shall not strut
in borrowed plumcs
Before proceeding TO the consideration of
some particular occurrences, we have one or two
general remarks to make, by WAY OF preliminary
explanation.
In the first place, then, it is known that
great majority, no doubt at least thrhe-fourths,
of the eminent and distinguished gentlemen in
the Army are Wings. Not, indeed that they
take any part in political contests, which their
official station leads them, not improperly, to
avoid; but that they are Wings in sentiment,
judgment, and feeling. They believe that, in
general, Wing principles are the true prime pies
of the Constitution, and Wing policy, the true
policy of the Country.
1t Is still more generally known, indeed it is
known universally, that General Scott, the Chief
in command of the Army, and Gen. Taylor, who
has distinguished himself so greatly, are both
Wings, Constitutional American Wings in all
their opinions and sentiments.
In the next place, it is known that Gen. Scott
has already been once strongly supported MS
Wing candidate for the Presidency and it is
known too, that after Gen. Taylor's brilliant a.
chievments last year on the Rio Grande, great
many persons in the country, some of them of
much consideration ard influence, knowing the
General TO be sterling Wing, were quite dis
posed to bring him forward for the highest place
in the gift of the People.
And, in the third place, VIC have to say, that
after all the various specuIationS on the real mo
tires which led the President aud his Cabinet to
plunge the country into this needless war, by far
the most rational conclusion Is, that they were
instigated by half phrenzled purpose of gaining
ing in the country, and pushing it forward to
combat and to victory.
But now comes the predicament The army
is, essentially, Wing army. Its Generals arc
Wing Generals. If there was to be fighting,
they were to do it. fthere were to be victories,
they were to win item. Was the administration
vain enough and weak enough 10 suppose that it
would gather up for itself all the honors of sue
cessful military operations, and obscure the
n amino 1,tnx,
be the immediate agents and authors Of success.
ful military achievements This was precisely
the vanity and weakness, and the obique and
unjust purpose, which accompanied its motive
tor war. "War necessary or unnecessary; war,
for our honor and Qualification war, the ms
fortunes of which, if there shall be mislortunes.
may be ascribed to others, and the glory of
which, if there shall be glory, we can grasp en-
irely for ourselves" This short sentence, in our
conscientious belief, serts forth Truly the motives
of the war, and the real objects and purposes for
which it was brought on the country.
In snort, President rnaking-to secure success
10 Mr.. POLK, or to some other politician of the
same stamp, by the acquisition Of territory and
Of military glory, was the original moving, burn
ing stimulus, that led the Administration to
plunge into war
After these preliminary remarks, we now pro-
coed to show, by clear and connected facts that
from the first the conduct Of the administration
has been marked by ceaseless jealousy of the
Wing Generals in command OF the Army.
General Taylor has been the especial object
Of this jealousy from the day on which he drew
his conquering sword in the battle of PaIo Alto.
This can easily be made apparent. In his An
rual Message at the opening of the last session
of Congress the President speaks in terms sufli-
cicntly high of the importance OF the victories OF
Pao Alto, Resaca de la Palma and Monterey,
and in terms also sufficiently complimentary to
the Army, in the aggregate, both regulars and
volunteers, but he says nothing Of ZACHARY
TAYLOR. Gen. TAYLOR, commander. in chief
though he was in these hard fought fields, is moi
named.
Does any man believe that this would have
been so if General Taylor had been a political
partisan, man ready to devote himself, body
and soul, to the personal objects OF the admins
tration? If such had been the character and
the political relations Of General Taylor, the
praise bestowed on him in The message would
have been as indecently excessive as 1t was, II
fact, indeccniy frugal. His name would have
appeared, be assured conspicuously CROUCH, il
his name had been one on which laurels coulC
be hung, not for his own honor but for the honor
of his superiors. We rejoice, we rejoice
greatly, that ZACHARY TAYLoRs name was no.
such name.
Here, then, was one open mark of disrcspec
to General Taylor, viz the omission eren Il
mention him in the Animal Message, when re-
counting the victories achieved by his galantr,
and good conduct and won, all of them, unde
his command.
But this studied and offensive SligM was soor
followed by holder demonstrations. Be 1t re
membered that General Taylor had pushed for
ward his forces into Mexico, by order of the
President; had every where acted with pru
dence and sagacity as well as bravery; mac
fought three several battles against odds, ant
been successful in all and now stood high il
the confidence Of the Army, and waiting onl!
for orders and proper reintorcemontc to advance
further. At this juncture the President sent t.
Congress his famous message of Jannary4, ls47
recommending provision to be made for the ap
pointnent of Lieutenant. Gener2l. The oDjec
/ of this recommendation was not consented.
was TO supercede General Taylor, as well as eve
~ other officer in the Army, by appointing al
officer of higher grade; and the person intende
to fill this higher office, as all know, was a mem
Der OF the Senate of Mr.. Folks own party, an
, whose support OF Mr.. Folks measure, in part
estimate of its importance, was absolutely essen
tial. General Taylor was thus to be checked, i
mid career ; and henceforlh he was to be undo
the direction Of an officer Of higher grade, ju
/ transferred from civil iie as was also his supt
T rior, General ScoTT, when he should take tn
! field.
An efficient organization of the army says the messing