The Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1837-1867, 1848-09-16

to make out the proper qualifications for n
President of the United States; but what Is
more important, believe he is nm entirely
honest and upright man. | believe that he
is modest, cledr-Lnndcd, independent and
manly character, possessing n mind trimmed
by proper discipline and self-control; | be-
lieve that he is cs,imahlc and nmiuble in all
the relations fprivate life; believe that he
possess n reputation for equityand fair Judge
mcnt, which gives him an influence over those
under his command, beyond what is conicrr-
ed by the authority ofstation; believe that
he is man possessing the confidence ana
attachment of all who have been near him,
and know him. So much for whit think
of the personal character of Gen. Taylor.
! will say, too, that so far as have observ-
ed, his conduct since he has been n cand-
date for the office of President has been ire
pronchabe. | hear no intrigue imputed to
him, no coutumclious treatment OF riyas;l do
not find him making promises, or holding out
hopes to any men or any party; 40 not hhu
him putting forth any pretensions ofhis own;
and therefore, think ofhnI very much as nc
seems 10 think of himself, that he is an hon
est man, of an independent mind, aud with
upright purposes; and MS to his qualifications
for the Presidency, he has nothing more to
say about it. =,
Now, friends and fellow-townsmen, with
respect to his political opinions and relations
can say Mt once, that believe him TO be a
Whig, and believe him to hold the main doc
trines ofthe wing party. To think other.
wise. would be TO imputc 10 him degree OF
tergivel sation and fraudulent deception OF
which | suppose him to he utterly incapable
Gentlemen, it is worth our while to consider
in what manner General Taylor has become
a candidate for the Presidency oithe United
States. II would he great mistake TO sup
4. Il. sole ~
nomination of the Philadelphia Conventions;
for he ind been nominated for the Presiden-
cy in a great many of,hc States, 10y various
conventions and meetings of the people, n
year before the Convention nj Philadelphia
assembled. Gentlemen, the whole history
of the world shows that, whether in the most
civilized or the most barbarous ages, the nf-
fec,ions and admiration of mankind are al
ways and IRE easily carried away towards
successful military achievements. Az hIsto-
nv proves this and we KNOWN the case now
before rs, that so soon MS brilliant success had
attended General Taylor's operations OH tic
Rio Gran dc, ut Pnlo Alto, and other places,
spontaneous nominations of him for the Pres
idcncy sprang up in various parts OF tie I'm
ion.
And here let me say, that, in general,these
were Wing nominations; not universally, Dut
generally, these nominations in various paris
of the country, made Mt various tunes before
tie assembling of the Convention ut Phila-
delphia, were Wing nominations. General
TAYLOR was esteemed, from the moment his
military achievements brought BIN into pub
lie notice, as n Wing General. You all re-
member that when we were discussing his
merits in Congress, upon the question OF CIV
ing thanks 10 the army under his command,
and 10 himself and the other generals, the
friends and supporters Of MIR Folks admins
tration denounced as being, and because he
was Whig General. My friends near me
here, whom am happy TO see, belonging, 10
the House of Representatives, will rcmeuiher
lint n leading man on the part of the Admin
is,ralion declared, in his place in Congress,
that the policy ofthe administration connect
ed with the Mexican war would never pros
ucr till the President recalled those wing
generals, Scott and Taylor. The policy was
a democratic policy, aud the men TO carry 1t
out should he Democratic men; the oihccrs
TO finht the battles should be Democratic OIL
ficers. That was the language; and, on that
ground, an ordinary vote of thanks was re-
fused to General Taylor, on the part OF the
friends of the administration, in the House
of Representatives. lie was nominated,gen-
tlemen mainly thus: and | speak OF those
spontaneous nominations, without regularity
or system. made in the country by Wing as
semblics and Wing meetings and Wing con-
ventions.
Let me remark, in the next place, that
there was no particular purpose connected
with the advancement of slavery entertained
in general by those who nominated INN. AS
have said, they were nominations, more IN
the Middle and Northern than in the South
ern States. and by persons who never enter
tained the slightest desire, by his nomination
or by any other means, 10 extend The area OF
the slavery of the human race, or the iunt-
ence oftho Slaveholding States IN the coun
ellis of the Unipu. The "Quaker CIT, Of
Philadelphia, the wings ali over Penpsyivq-
uia, nominated Gen. Taylor, certainly, with
no such views. A great convention was as
sembled at N. Y, of highly intelligent and
respectable gentlemen. very many OF them
we'll known 10 me, and they nominated Cen
eral Taylor certainly with no such yIews.-
Gen. Taylor's nomination was hailed, not
very extensively, but by some enthusiastic
and rot very fnr-seeing people, in the Com
monwealth of Massachusetts,. There were
even among u.s. Wigs, quite early enough III
maniiesting their confidence in this nonlna-
tiou, II little too early, it may be, IN uttcrIng
notes ejaculation il an anticipated TRIUMPH;
it might have been better that thcy sho"iu
wait. ,
Now, the truth is, gentlemen, aud no one
can nyoid seeing it unless, us it sometimes
happens. the object is too near our eyes TO DC
distinctly disccrned-the truth is that in these
Conventions and also in the Convention at
Philadelphia. General Taylor was nominated
exactly for this reason, that believing him TO
be u wing, they thought he could ne chosen
more easily than any other whg. That Is inc
whole oft; that sagncious, wise, tNr-seeng
doctrine of availability lies at the bottom OF
the whole matter. (Cheers.) So far them,
from imputing any motive to these Conven-
tons over the country, or to the Convention