Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1848-02-29
ENQUIRER.
R;CNMON II, VA.
Monday Morning, February IS, 1898.
TIE RICHMOND WIG AND GEN. TAYLOG,S
PETER SKEN SMITH, LETrE

Ieier 10 MIR. Smith, and the same day we find il.
IN The Wing, with a column documentary upon
i, in connection with General rs ~Ingersoll let
ter. The Wing says:
III is known 10 all, that when urged upon The
SUBJECT with a view 10 lis iuture nomination, he
has always said that he would NOT be The candi-
dale Of a party, preieIring rather TO be eieclcd by
The whole people, il elected at all. Al the same
Time, his letter 10 Joseph Il. I~nsersoil, published
by US yesterday, proves him, beyond all manner
Of d1ubl, TO be a Wing. While with admirable
modes,y, he prefers seeing Mr.. CLAY cr any other
prominent Wig President Of the United STATES,
he tells u that the doctrines OF lhc Wing party
are, in his view, more nearly in accordance with
The principles Of Jefferson and Madison, han are
those OF any other party whatever. This letter 10
Mr.. lncersoll may serve as a commentary upon
that now under consideration. In The lasi named
lcNeT, General Iarior says, speaking Of the reo-
pie Of The United States, III they think fit 10 bring
me before Them Tor this office, through their lesis.
%laiutes, mass meetings, or conventions, | cannot
object 10 their designating these bodies as Hhie,
Democratic or Native. shall not be brought for
ward by them as the candidate Of their party, or
considered as The exponent Of their parry doc
%tines."
What docs Gen. Taylor mean, when he says
~ ~ VI Ut v D5 pITlt dit III his view
more nearly in accordance with The principles
Of Jefferson and Madison, Than are those OF any
other party whalcvei2' We had been led 10 sup.
pose, from some Of General aylor's letters, that
ne lid not understand what were The doctrines
Of t1e different paltics. Certainly This impression
would fix itself upon the minds Of all the rca.
drf> Of his Dclony letter which contained An al.
mis- ion Of his wanlo l knowledge OF government
matters.
The Wing says 'ihis letter (rriaem in IN
gas lasi,) may serve as a commentary upon that
now under consideration" rh,rt r0s wriitcn SI
monaE after ihe commentary. Gen. Taylor is
very complimentary 10 lhr Natives" as he puts
J Ihemon The same platform with the Wings and
| Democrats, and why cannot they as well claim
that u will be "the exponent Of their party doc
trine|' as well as ',he exponent OF Wing "doc-
l'incs" Surely General Taylor visits no con.
demnlion upon The doctrines of 'the Natives
so TAI rom it, he distinctly says:
I'm conclusion, have 10 repeat, that il | were
nominated tor the Presidency, hy any body OF my
fellow citizens, dcsignahdJy any m:0ns they misii
ciooSs Il adapt, Istonid e.tcnl IL an aonar, and
would accept such nomination, provided il had
been in'de entirely independent oil party conside-
fatiors.'
And ;ei in The face Of his open declaration,
witness he indirect rap over the knuckles The
Wing gives The brave old General, and The Pfesi.
dent Of lie late Wing no.prineipk Convention,
Tor giving laid AMI comfort" 10 'the Nativcs."-.
The Wing says:
"It is impossible lha, Gen. Taylor can be nom
mated BY nc Locoioco parry, and he knew il per-
irciiy wei when he pcnnrd the lines which ~
have inserted in This article. Mar is it probable
hat he Can ever receive The nomination oi he
araa-land n~qrsow-mindei, ons-ldeaed payt2 ul
VA i've AMERICANS. They, il they ACT in accord.
ance with 4 main article OF their creed, would
insist that he should pledge himself 10 oppose
immigration in every shape, and by all means in
his power, an! il they id not insist upon il, they
woald cease 10 be a party; for th;s principle IS
ihrif bond Of union, and is, in fact, The only one
which Iacy profess. For composed Of seceders
ifom The other great parties, there are 10 be- found
in their ranks men 9! every shade and variety oil
political doctrines, agreeing only on the one great
point, hostility 10 immigration. The party COM
prises among its members ~tariGi'es and anti.iar-
ilfiilcs, bank men aud anti-nanS men, distribu-
,innislS and Observation-Disclosures annexaiianisis
and aniiannexalionists-i fine every variety oil
the genus politician. No man, who knows any
Thing Of General Taylor, can believe that he
would give himself up 10 the narrow views OF
lnis political sect, as remarkable Tor their bisolry
as they are for The infinitely diversified materials
OF which they are composed. The idea is pre-
poslerous"
We Judged from the character ofthc advocates Of
the "no.patly" doctrines" that The political ele-
mcn,s 81 beautifully grouped together By The Wing
vcre tile contamination most dcvontly 10 BE- wish
cG for" ~ The "no-parly"-iies; but the bare idea Of
such a hing being entertained by Gen. Taylor,
causes he Wing to pitch into the Natives 'like
vralh.n The Wings version OF Gen. Taylors
Smith letter, we understand to be lhis-Cieneral
Tavlor knew The L,ocofuco party would mol nom.
inare him and lha, he wculd never give himself
IN 10 Inc narrom ric1rs" of Tie N~atiYcs-1so Ge-
neral Taylor meant when lie wro.e the letter, hat
nc would acccP, a party nominafion from the
HaisS
We believe thai party principles" and "pariy
doctrines" have been always considered as con-
ycying The sane sense, and although General
TAYLOR says, abiding TO lhc Wings, Democrats
and Natives, ~ shall mob b. broush! tUrrard ~
hsm az nc eanddak IF thcu party, or considered
as ii. exponent Of their party doctri.cs," the
Wing, nevertheless, SAYS:
every candidate for a public Office is desi-
rous 10 get as many votes Of the opposite party as
he can, hul il has never been understood Iha' he
thereby compromises his principles. II a man Of
The opposite parry vote for him, he knows exact
" what he i 10 expect. II, alter The lnscrso'l
letter. any Naive American or Locofoco Con-
- ----. rnrln thay
would DO 50 with their ryes upen. They know
he is a Wing; and il, knowing thus much, they
are disposed 10 assist in eiecling him, being well
aware that he will administer lie GorcrnuieHt IN
Uhig principles, it is one step towards The true
faith. and we offer them the right hand oil fellow
ship"
If Gen. Taylor will 10 VIVA! his letter says be
will 10, then he issue is direct between hin and
The Richmond Wing. For, 10 "adminisler The
government on Wing principles" would certain
" make General Taylor the exponent oil wing
doctrines" We have been told by some Of the
no.pariy Wings, that General Taylo!'s political
oninions we're unknown, and that constituted "AS
hphe,. his eiiel recommendation" We have al
w.ays though, the politics OF a man bore The
same relation 10 the politician that a tract of land
does TO the owacr. The owner Is The possessor
If Inc land, and the politician is The possessor OF
hi. politics, and 10 confess TO having politics
without the exercise OF the mind which moults
The opinions Of the politician into his politics, IS
an absurdiiy; and hence the strange position as
sumcd by General Taylor, when, in his Inger'oll
letter, he says, al the close Of he frs; paragraph,
~ can hardly imagine how any one who was
present and heard The speeches on that occasion,
or read them after they were published, could
yell misiake. the complexion of nv politics."-
And in the same letter he says he is no Politl-
clan. and gives the reasons lor his not being one,
which certainly are very plausible-and yet he
i, surprised that any one "conld well mistake the
complexion OF" his 'po!iIies." Certainly II was
IL .Lax;.ht u fam anu