The daily union. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1845-1857, 1848-12-13
CITY OF WASHINGTON.
WEDNESDAY MORNING, DEC. Is, ls4s.


readers, Few OF the many Just appeclatohs oi TIC eS
sage by the leading democratic papers in all sections Of
the country. They show the power with which this
mastery exposition OF democratic achievements and
principles is acting and is destined 10 act upon the pub
lie mind
The howl which the wing press-and especially the
patrer portion Of has set up the message, shows
clearly that il has hat federalism hard Amid all the tor
rent of abuse-abuse of the meanes pot-house order
which these federal prints have poured out upon the
President and upon his Overwhelming exposure OF the
corrupt and dangerous tendency of their party
have been unable TO find single attempt 10 reiue
his positions, dsprove his facts his argu
menis. Instead OF this, iwo-penny seven nine
tells that "soi It's columns with such
dirty stuff" the message, which the constitution re-
Qures the President submit 10 Congress- and, through
them, 10 the country Another kennel print yelps out
that the President is 'poor thrd-rate man." Well,
them what poor creatures must be these presses, be-
longing, they claim 10 belong to all the intellect
and aihe-dencency party, they can yet lind nothing
better 10 oppose to the message Of such than this
most senseless and indecent railing Why do they not
it, at least make respectable attempt to
answer it,
If the wings with State paper in their hands from
the Presidents pen which puts their arguments to silence
and to shame, and leaves to them only the weapon of
abuse and vituperation 10 WELD against, because it
places upon the impregnable ground of constitutional
right and high public expedency The great principles and
truths OF the democratic pocy-f under such crcum-
stances the wings choose to make issue to the
Presidents ability, certainly shall not argue that issue
with them. Let tina, matter all speak for itself. The
President on record and the record viii stand There
IL the his of his There il the
of the difficulties which it has surmouned There
its mighty achievements, and their grand results And
there, too, the successive State papers OF the Pres
dent, in which all these things and the policy from
which they sprang, and the grounds of that policy.
set forth to the people. If these things bear
witness to the Presidents ability-i they testify 10
his forecast, energy, wisdom, satesmanshp-then is
this pal,ry wing detracton not only impotent, but
ridiculous, undeservng alike of refutaton and of no.
ice. But when did the wings find out Mr. Folks
want of abiliiy' Was it when he took the lead-yes
the admitted lead in the House of Representaives-frst
chairman OF the most important committee and then
Speaker for session after session, during the s,ormest
times of General Jackson's administration Was Mr.
Folks position then second in any respect to that of any
in that House Did not the very brunt of high and
arduous public duty fall upon hm and it not in the
sight of all most ably and manuly borne Did the
wings find Mr. Polk wanting in ability when, after he
left Congress, seeing the State OF Tennessee in whig
hands, he went through it a candidate, opposed
by the ablest wing CHAMPION and, meeting the peo-
pie face to face, in single wresed If by the
main force of argument and eloquence from whig sway
At these periods, if remember, ii not even the
wing fashion deny Mr. Folks ability In order TO do
this, they have waited till he has produced message
which is conclusive TO be answered, too formidable
federalism 10 be neglected. and which, therefore, TO
the end that its effect upon the popular conviction may
be partly ayered must be cried down and dsparaged BY
reckless and vulgar abuse OF the intellectual power
which produced it, This is the of this wing sour
rility. They dread what they deame. Ii Mr. Polk
had written weak paper for his last message-if
he had made the avowal of his principles less
manul, the vindcaon of them less triumph
ant-the wings would have spared him all the
compliment OF their vituperation. What is Mr.
Folks lot in this matter was the lot Of Mr. Jefferson
before him. His too was cried down by the federal
ism which it overthrow, as the pen OF reckless and
ranting demagogue. Mr. Jefferson has found his
pensaton and offset for the Islander, in the admiration
and reverence of the American people. To the sober
verdict OF the same free people, Mr. Polk may well ap
peaappeal in the calm confidence inspired less by
the character and the results of his administration than
by the victorious ability with which, in this his closing
annual communication TO Congress, he has laid before
them irresistible vindcation of the old time honored
principles of the Jeffersonan platform.
That this vindcaton wetmed, is shown
clearly from the vote of day before yesterday, in
the House OF Representatives, in which the wings
of that body-though by most lean majory-de-
monstraed their purpose to revive the tariff of 1912;
and with it doubtless all the odous features of that
" system" which the message has ably exposed
We quote in this connexion and in lieu of farther remarks
of our own, the following eloquent comments upon the
message, from the Trenton True American: "Besides
review" (says that journaD "of the measures of his ad
minstraton and of the prosperous condition of the coun-
try the President has very appropriately seized the occa
sion to resate the principles OF the time honored demo-
cratic PLATFORM and to contrast them with the
doctrines He has chosen the hour of federalisms tr
umph to unmask the monster and compare its arsocraic
features with the placid countenance of that fair spirit Of
repubicanism which has, through twenty years of con-
c guided the country TO its present greatness and glory
For this he deserves thanks The people can never be
too often called upon to rehease these principles and to
renew to them their early devotion Especially in the
moment OF temporary eclipse profitable to recur to
the lessons of fathers and retrm our lamps BY the
lights they have left u.s.
FOR thus drawing the line between federalism and de-
mocacy-tor thus unmasking the anti republicans AT the