Martinsburg gazette. [volume] (Martinsburg, Va. [W. Va.]) 1833-1855, 1847-07-08
THE SIGNAL LETTER or GENERAL
TAxrr M.

Cd from lin. /; ~ not necessary for US 20
copy il again, but we desire our readers 10
refer 10 II, IN order that they may appreciate
lis spirits and understand perfectly the senti-
ments Of H.
The letter comes before the public as pri-
vate communication made 10 private indi.
vidual, and as such given 70 The public BY the
person who received II, though evidently not
intended for publication, still il is notthe less
important as a declaration Of The sentiments
oi Cen Taylor on important subjects. II has
bees suggested IN some papers That tie ieiter
is forgery, but we have no idea hat 1t is.---
Not doubling It's authenticity. we say al once
tina, IL Is just s,scll kfter as Gen gaytor sloih
,crits asd in spirit and IN sentiment IS all mat
the Wing party could desire. IL is Gen. ! az
Tor all oyer--frank, independent, patriotic and
self -denying; and as such must give him
stronger hold upon and wider popularity a
rnong ne peopIe than he ever enjoyed, strong
asd wide as were his hold and popularity be-
fore.
There are several things distinctly settled
10 This letter, which It may be proper here TO
cbumerate
Fnaly, That General Taylor miH not re-
fuse to be a candidate for the Presidency.
Secondly. That he can have no agency
whatever either in putting himself up as a
candidate, OF m advancing lis election when
fairly in the field.
Thirdiy That he viii not Ne fle candidate
of any party, OF yield hmselfto party schemes.
I'Uathig, That he has no longing after the
office, and that be can make no sacrifices OF
public feeling or sentiment TO reach II. He
will not change his opinions. he viii not alter
his We've, he will not lend himself 10 any
man, ITO do 80 It accessory, before he can be
made President. If elected, il must be by the
free and spontaneous voice Of the people.
The only point which calls for special re
mark is thar in regard 10 his announcement
,ha, he "will not be the candidate Of any par
", or yield hn TO party schemes"
We hike this. II is Of the essence of Wing
principles. Its shows that he will be, # elect
ed, the President of the country, and not Of a
payty--that he will not allow his personal in
fluence, or the powers and patronage Of the
office, lc be directed to advance party schemes
or subserve partition ioierests--that The mere
politician, who has taken up polite, as trade
whe lives upon the corruptions which he may
introduce into Office, and who derives impor
lance and influence in his party from the sue
cess OF inirlgues in which he has embarked
will find no favor with hm---that he will
clrnse tie public Offices, from the highest TO
the humbleSt, Of the corrupt men, who hav
from time TO time crept into them. and that he
viii put an end to the corrupt practices which
have now become so frequent and so notori-
Gus, that il is only FOR man to hold a public
office, and he IS suspected OF having received
il through improper means, or OF retaining II
through improper in1uences-that. in tine. il
shows that General Taylor will seek 70 bring
back the government and its administration to
those times when personal independence was
n recommendation 10 executive regard, when
honesty in public as well as IN private life was
held TO be merit, when TO be an uRscrupu
lous partizan was 10 be disgraced, and when
the ambition of the rulers of the nation was TO
conduct the public affairs for the welfare OF
the whole people, and 10 make them more
virtuous, more prosperous and more happy
every day of their lives.
This s the spirit in which Gen. Taylor de
slrcs TO administer the government, il he shall
be called TO the Office Of Chief Magistrate, and
IN desiring this, he shows himself most tho
roughly Wing.
The testimony, SO TO speak, OF the Wings
OF the Union has ALWAYS been against part.
zanship. Their organization was ,ooppose it.
They discovered It's secret workings when Mr..
Van Buren, was Secretary of State--,hey saw
II controlling every part OF the government.
when he became President They have
fought steadily against il ever since, and they
hoped they had overhrown it when General
Harrison was elected. His death disappoint-
ed their hopes, and thenceforth it has been
more odious in their eyes, aud though becom-
ipg every day more contemplate is even now
stronger Than ever, so that whilst good men
fear. those who live upon i, rejoice TO believe
tina, ii is already too strong 10 be ever over
thrown.
Gen. Taylor avows his determination to
overthrow this rule of partiar ship, and we
have rOnfI1pU 20 that he Il ,ha
does not desire, nay, he ,ciH not be the candi-
date OF party, in the sense in which these
words are now iamiarly understood. If he
IS to be candidate and elected, he intends
that It shall be as the candidate of the people,
and that he is elected by the people.
AND so IT was that Henry Clay, was re
CONNECTED on the two occasions on which he
was candidate. His advocates intended him
10 be the candidate Of the peope-and he was
so, emphatically. His public character, his
private worth, his long service were guaran
ties that he would administer the Govern
Inent Tor the benefit Of the whole country
tbs ambition was 10 be gratlfed, moi BY reach
ing the othce,-it could have given him no
grace he would not have paid back mot by
having lis patronage to distribute, he regard
ell that as an evil incident,--to the place;
not by having It's high powers under his sole
ne an honor mot by being called President
and OF living on the record as a man who had
been elected TO that oflice-a more enduring
fame, higher reward than all that his deeds
and the admiration Of his countrymen had
given hun but his ambition was to be graf
lted, # he had been elected, in the purity Of
his administration, in the exakation Of the
public virtue, in the Punishment from the
public councils Of that spirit of party, which
then and now decides every public measure,
controls every public mans fortune, distrib-
utes as rewards of party service the highest
offices, and makes every thing bend to party
ends, no matter how selfish. how dishonest
how destrutiye Of the best interests Of the peo-
pie, they may be.
ltMr. Clay had been elected it would have
been his ambition TO have worked this reior-
nation IN public offices and in public men,
And he would have done il. Blu, he was
not elccted-and the signs now indicate that
the great work he was not permitted TO &C
comphsh, is to be confided 10 other hands TO
do. Gen. Taylor is that man and if for moth
ing else, we should heartily desire his election
that IN performing this duty he may give TO
the country the example of President Of the
I'D H. Il a.,