The spirit of democracy. [volume] (Woodsfield, Ohio) 1844-1994, 1848-09-30
Despair Of the Wings It's Causes.


The reins Of government-now so gen.
orally confessed even by the whig jour-
nails themselves--has grown out of the
whole series Of causes, almost any one
Of which might account for the fact,
and all Of which, in combination, are OF
force sufficient to PROSTATE any party
which has ever appeared in this
country.
The first great disadvantage under
which The wings now labor, appears in
the fact that they take the field in oppo.
sition To all the great measures, both OF
foreign and domestic policy, which
have signalized the present administra-
ton. Il is too late to dispute that these
measures have made the country emf
nently prosperous. 1t is too late to dis
pute that they have crowned the Amer
lean name with new honor. They have
established, on basis immutable hence
forth in its principles, our commercial
and financial syslems-thus finishing
the work which the democracy, under
the lead Of Gen. Jackson, began twenty
years ago, in the old hero's war upon
the bank and the attrocious tariff Of
1928. In our foreign relations, this same
democratic policy has rescued from the
tenscious grasp Of England the most
valuable portion Of Oregon, and con-
quered in a just war from Mexico the
vast regions Of New Mexico and Cali
fornia. In gaining this mighty acces-
sion to our territorial wealth and re-
sources, we have wrenched from Eng
land her last cause Of quarrel with US.
and we have made manifest to Mexico
and 10 the world that the only policy
which lis expedient for any nation to
pursue towards US, is policy ofjustce
and ofpeace. Against results like these,
it is hard, it is almost hopeless, for any
opposition party to struggle before a
tree and intelligent people. The whig
party show their sense Of this faci in
their manifest fear to make any broad
issue Of principles before the country
at the present time.
In the second place, the wings now
find themselves as party crushed
down under the odium of opposition to
their country's war. They have revi.
led their country's cause. They have
cheered on the public enemy. Their
speeches and pamphlets have given to
that enemy his arguments and his
watchwords. Foreign journals have
quoted Wing denunclations for the pur-
pose Of casting foul dishonor on the
American name. Against such course
of political action the heart OF patrl-
o.ic people burns with indignation.--
By such course the wings of 1919, in
a war neither more just, nor more ne
cessary, nor more glorious, nor more
advantageous in its results than has
been the war with Mexico, made their
very names by.word and reproach
in our history, and fell, as a party, to
rise no more. The last two years have
witnessed the same great political
crime, and are now witnessing the same
punishment.
Nor has the whig craftsmanship in
this great controversy between our
government and Mexico been any
more acceptable to the mind OF the
country, than that moral treason which
has thus done its worst to sully the gIo-
ry of our arms. On the vital question
Of oul rightiuI territorial expansion and
the growth of our free civilization, the
wings have arrayed themselves in
steadfast opposition to the best and
highest aspirations of a free people
The whig party has utterly failed to
comprehend, or at least to show in its
action that it comprehended, the gran
deur Of the great crisis through which
our history has just passed. 10 wing
eyes, there has been nothing inspiring
or elevaling in, the extension OF our re.
publican self.government along the
shores OF the Pacific. The wings have
fought desperately against the spread
OF that system Of confederation. which
is the pride of our nationality and the
main hope Of freedom throughout the
world. Now that this mighty augmen-
tation of our national power and re-
sources has been achieved, leading rep.
resentatives of the wing party pro-
claimed their resolve "to cast it away
as a burden and curse!" The whole
mind Of our people rises up in revolt
against a policy so repugnant to our
national pride, and so derogatory to
our national institutions. The Ameri-
can nation is not prepared to trust men
who practically protest against the
spread Of American seIf-government as
an evil and wrong, and who would
stigmatise just reparation and indemnl-
" ais lust Of conquest and plunder!