Weekly national intelligencer., 1848-02-05
SATURDAY, FEBRUARY S, ls4s.
A WORD TO wHIG FRIENDS.

WORD TO WHIG FRIENDS
Whilst ourselves studously abstaining from dis
cussng the relative claims of citizens proposed for
the great office Of President of the United States, it
cannot be supposed by any one that we are unob-
servant spectators Of what is passing around us in
reference 10 the approaching contest. DESTROYS
above all things Of the success of the Wing candi-
date, whoever may be selected for that distinguish
ed post Of honor and Of duty-because, as parties
now classed and characterized, we consider the
salvation of the Government from the alternatives
Of Anarchy or Despotsm TO depend upon the event
of the coming Presidential electon--we shall take
care not to leopard that by creating schsms
among the Wings themselves. Least of all shall
we be found joining any combination of jealous
partisans whose purpose is to rule or break up the
party. Nor shall we be either led or driven into a
controversy with such persons, should they even,
in pursuit Of some darling object Of their own,
chance to forget, in the blindness and deafness of
their zeal, what they owe to themselves and to us.
Would that all our brethren of the press would
adopt the same course, which long experience
prescribes to US, of avoiding harsh reflections and
vindicve retorts, well upon the several eminent
men spoken of for the Presidency, as upon one
another
That it is in the power of the opponents of the
Misrule by which the country has been placed in
its present false position, and surrounded with dam
gers the more appalling because as yet only seen
darkly to elect President under whose admnistra-
ton the country may be rescued, and the Govern
ment restored to the paths Of recude, prosperity,
and true glory, we do not entertain a moments
doubt The PEOPLE are with us. Union and con-
cert Of action among all who entertain the same
opinion that we do of the necessity of change of
administration in the Government is all that is
needed to ensure the attainment of the object.
That object, however, we cannot if we would
conceal from ourselves or our readers, may be de-
feated by war among the Wings themselves, to be
carried on by the journals which represent the pre-
ferences Of their conductors each for his own par
ticular candidate.
As illustrating the danger to be apprehended from
this source, we may be allowed, we trust without
offence, to individualize the City Of New York
That city can boast of several Wing presses, con
Quoted with an ability unsurpassed certainly in any
part of our country. .7cting together, they could
sphere of their circulation But it is unfortunately
fact-which, though the state of things is Of long
existence, has never before worn so alarming an
aspec-that these journals, instead Of being in
cord and harmony, are generally engaged in despe-
rate conflict with one another, now upon one ques-
ton and now upon another, which now seems to
turn upon difference Of opinion between them as
to the political claims and merits Of the citizens who
have been spoken of candidates for the Presiden-
cy. Upon this point their contention is even more
acrimonious than usual and more ominous of evil
to the party.
In full view Of this state of things we submit,
with the greatest Difference to our brethren of the
Wing press of New York. that, if the eagerness and
bitterness and ability with which they scanning
the merits and demerts Of the several distinguished
Wings who have been named for the Presidency
shall have their due and natural effect, the Wing
National Convention may, when it assemblies, be
placed in the singular predicament of not finding
one of these eminent politically surviving, for
they will all by that time have been killed off,
candidates, by the dsparagng recrimnations Of the
presses of their own party.
There is one consideration which, if the entrea-
ties Of their friends here and elsewhere have no in
fuence, ought to have some weight with our New
York brethren. 1t is this since all whose superior
claims 10 the confidence Of the Wing party are
conended for cannot receive the nomination for
President-since some one must, after all, be pre-
ferred to the rest and supported by them-how
much that is now said must then have to be unsaid
Commodore RIDcELY, of the United States Navy,