The Davenport gazette. [volume] (Davenport, Scott Co., Iowa) 1841-185?, 1848-09-07
POLITICAL.
From the Cincinnati Gascttc.
GEN. TAYLOR'S POSITION AS TO
PLEDGES.

We think that, for want Of due consider.
alton, some Of our Wing friends hnvc fallen
into serious error, rs to the position which
n candidate for the Presidency should take
in reference to Pledges; and we propose To
sny few words on this point, asking for
them the readers careful snd candid at,en-
lion.
In the first place, distinction should be
made between pledge as to the general
principles Of an administration, md n
pledge as to particular measures. No man
should he supported for the Presidency.
without the people knowing the principles
upon which he will, il elected. administer
the government. and when those are known.
there is no need Of asking wha, he will do
about any given measure. During the first
forty years III the existence of our Govern
ment. no one thought Of looking farther
than into the general principles # the can
didntc. Such thing as demanding Of him
n pledge 10 favor or oppose specific meas
urcs was not .hough, Of and would not have
been submitted to bv . candidate, or mp
proved BY the people. Gen. WASHINGTON
said. "shoud it become inevitably necessa-
~ for me to 90 into the chair Of govern
ment. ! have determined to 60 free from all
positirc engagements Of erery nature rhat.
scorer. This is the answer have already
given to multiplicity Of applications; aud
have assigned as the true reason Of my
conduct the predominant desire ] lind of
: being at liberty to net with sole reference
10 justice and the public good" This ex.
ample of The Father of his Country ough,
IT, nc sufficient; but We will consider the
suhicc: farther.
/, When candidate for the Presidency
pledges himself in advance % carry out or
oppose any particular measure or meas
urcs. he will inevitably feel himself bound.
when elected. TO use his o6icial powcr and
influence to redeem his pledge. From this
very thing has followed much of the inter.
ference Of the Executive with the cons,itu-
iional province Of Congress; which has,
within twenty wears. done more To warp
tho Government, from its true theory than
MI others combined. The necessity for
using tho Presidents official power and in
1ucnce creates necessity fr resort 10
The Veto, md to the spells of office, aud to
all the other appliances bv which power
wins or compels submission 10 its will
Who can doubt, for instance, when Gen.
Cass, pledges himself. rs he has done in the
most marked md decided terms, To the
"Dcmocratc Platform adopted bv the Bal.
timore Convention, that he will, il elected.
use the whole power aud patronage of his
office TO prcven, the General Government
from making Internal improvements; from
protecting the Industry Of the Country from
f,rcign competitions; or from doing amy
thing condemned hy that "Pla,lormw No
one can have nny donh, on this point, who
il disposed TO, or capable Of understanding
and approaching tho truth.
4 What then is the result Of pledges thus
given? Why, simply, that the candidate
giving them. is. when elected, not the Pres
idcnt q. the United States. in principle or
in feeling. but the President Of a party
lie sees through the eyes Of n partizan, he
feels ns n par,izan. he acts rs n partizan.
and the object he aims at is, not the good
Of the country. but the supremacy Of the
party that elected him. This is perfectly
understood by the Locofocos. who would
not vote for any man who would nvow his
determination to I've the President Of tho
Nation md no, Of his party.
Another result Of this vicious system If
specific pledges, considering it in reference
~ the great question Of the Extension Of
Slavery. is to make the Executive the Pres
ident Of a section ot the country, mud not nf
the whole country. Il Is Ear more danger
Gus to the peace and stability Of the coun-
try TO hive il divided into sectional than
into political parties. Whenever the time
comes that the people Of different sections
IRE arrnyed against each other on sectional
grounds, The Union Is in danger. On this
question of the Extension Of Slavery, there
fore. Presidential candidate who binds
himself by pledges to either side, becomes
at once the candidate, and, If elected, will
certainly be the President Of the section 70
which he gives the pledge. II, like Gen.
Cass. he holds that Congress has no consii-
tu,ionsl power to prohibit Slavery in the
Territories of the United States. he will.
ms President. he bound BY his pledges to
use his official influence to prevent the
passage Of a law to TINT effect; and If all
other mems 10 that end fnil, to reto any
such law. i, on the other hand. like Mr..
Van Buren,, he il opposed 10 the Extension
Of Slavery, and il elected On TINT ground,
he will not fail to attempt. by every means
in his power, to sway Congress to its prohi
bition. In either case, il requires no EXTRA
ordinary saeacity to perceive that the Pres
ident Is the President of a section, and not
Of the whole country.
Now this whole matter Is utterly at war
with the true nature and reaI Qood Of our