Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1848-08-04
RICHMOND. VA
wednesday Morning, August 2 1913.


,,,,. SEVENTEEN GRAND POLITICAL Posi-
m,oss oe GENERAL TAYLoR-CLEARLl
aow,xo gIu A CONSISTENT, uPRlGHl
AND FIRM POLITICIAN
Tn. acceptance by General Taylor OF Inc no
,,;D,,;on Of the Philadelphia Convention IS nov
. fixed iac;-,he long delayed eHef naS'"'
made its appearance. The General no lonse
.,,,as before ms in the attitude Of milltar.
nan n. has lef. The field CT arms Tor the poiiil
-, ,-sn, and is row identified with The Fedora
vb,o narty. We sincerely deplnre this associa
,;oo not as our opponents would say from ed
q, defeat, bu, from The iacl that we must no"
without reserve, examine the course pursued Q
General Taylor, since his first letter was PUT
lished 10 that of his acceptance. AS Inc parry
which he is now attached, has mol hesiiaeo
heap upon man of equal virtue and PURIFY
character with General Taylor, and one %
poli,ician, far more consistent, abuse anu '''0'
nresen,a,ion. without regard 10 truth o. uece".'
we NAV claim the privilege not OF uoihs VIZ
came toward. General Taylor, but certainly '"a
of holding up to The public eye Inc u''e' wa" '
6,mness. consistency and stability OIL oP'o'on, ca
,,h;,.a hv General Taylor 10 his letters whlch
NAV be considered only as SO many o''s w "'e
Presidency.
pererofore. in reviewing the course Of can
dida,e for The Presidency, We have oech a"is :"
refer 10 years Of political experience and service
t,r Inflammation as to his views upon Inc sica'
r,,i,;cal measures which have existed since 'ne
and political writings Of such canoioa'es' We
have gone TOR information as 10 inc iine
of policy they would pursue, if elected 10 'he
highest office within the gil, OF the America"
people This opportunity has been alioiue''
.ven when military men have heretofore oeeh
candidates for the Presidency Tor oo'h uene'"'
Jackson and General Harrison nave, al various
lines been members Of legislative bodles-or, u
from the records We could obtain no cue V
lnsir opinions, we have never, until recently, ia''
ed 10 procure, by correspondence with the oandi'
dates, an expression OF their opinions upon 'he
great questions which have asitaieo me county.
For the first time nearly all OF these sources u
obtaining LIGHT have been closed. No lie ol Po-
Hlical usefulness gives US any insigh' in'o '"'
opipions of General Taylor-no vote aecia'eS
his political preferences or preludices' ii' ""''
(aaye that which has been obscurciy ana VasueS
Swallowed forth BY his strange corfesPoI'-
encel no political past, and ne gives NO
nledees Tor the future His correspondence, IN
stead Of alfordng information, from us various
inconsistencies leaves us in still greater aoeo''
10 how llgI HIN 10
declare his opinion OF the Bank, Tam ano c's'''-
hutton. an answer, whilst il is expected 'ha' 'hey
,y;lI snnporr him. Like the Prestess IN the tenn
uls OF Apollo, he sends forth obscure answers
which have been subjected 20 every variety OF ~
,srnre,a,on. In the absence OF clear evidence OF
his opinion, there have arisen sor' OF in'efp'e'
,srs whose versions have been controlled MOI oy
truth but by policy and the portions OF me on'oo
in which they have been made. tie IS IepEeSeh'
Ted as entertaining opinions which are an'ipode,
vel he gives US no means Of discerning which con-
s,rnc,;ons al his obscure decara ,ions are True or
which are false. Yet we arc called upon 10 "ol-
shin This .peile4" idol without daring 10 Invesli'
pate his claims 10 our worship and support.
more elarins instance OF duplicity ami hr'Htug
gerry has never been exhibited by any par y, than
by the TAYLOR party OF the United Sla'es;
a more bold and unbushing attempt 10 impose
upon an hones and conf1iag people has never
been prac,ised.
The TAYLOR party in some respects carries e.
1rourery farther than did the Whis party in 1871,
because mey promised reform reirenchmen', and
no prescription. Now we are promised nothing
bu, called upon TO vote tor Gen. Taylor, wiih"u'
why or wherefore. We were asked IA 1910
10 vote for Tyler, because he was "Jetferson'ah
Republican" and opposed 10 the Bank and Ia
riff. We are asked TO vote Tor Fillmore Tor no
reason whatever; for as be is only known as
rabid Wing. and opposed 10 The extension q
slave territory, he canno, be recommends, al The
same time, with Gen Taylor, who, We are lold, j
no, parry man and is opposed 10 the Wilmo'
Proviso. To say that Fillmore is Wing
and an ab ,litonsi, and Gen. Taylor no parry
man and Shareholder, would involve al ab.
surdi,y; 50 nothing is said about Them, but he
Convention al Philadelphia Simply nominated
them, and, withou, farther recommendation, they
stand before The world as candidates for the sui
frages OF The people.
AS To Gen. Taylor we have no clue TO his OPT
mons save through his letters. We propose to
examine those letters, for the purpose OF showing
that Gen. Taylor in two shor, years, has been
guilty OF more glazing Inconsistencies than any
public man il this country (more inezeusabls
,neonsisteacies,) WIN. G. RIvss ALWAYS excepted
We con from his letters and from his dcclara-
lions,
ist. THAT He IS No-PARTY MAN
81. That he is UNWILLING TO BE NOMINATED BY
PARTY, OR To r. The CANDIDATE OF PARTY.
Sd. TuAr HE WOULD ONLY ACCEPT a soMtSA-
TIos FOR THE PRESIDENCY COMING UNANIMOUSLY
FROM THE PEOPLE.
4.h. THAT III has NOT FORMED POLITICAL OPT
MONS.
5lh. THAT HE HAS FORMED POLITICAL oPiSioSs.
9Th THAT he WOULD PREFER Henry CLAY TO
ALL OTHER MEN AS A CANDIDATE FOR THE PREs-
DENcY,
1h That re WILL not QUIT THE FIELD FOR
HENRY CLAY.
9Th. THAT lie IS OPPOSED TO THE ACQUISITION
OF TERRITORY By CONQUEST.
9Th. That HE is IN FAVOR CT IT.
10Th. THAr HE Ia FOR THE WlLMcr pRoyiso.
lib. TnsT he IS AGAINST IT.
18th That He is A MODERATE WHO
18Th. THAT HE IS a RABfD WING
1h TH,ragwILL Not pscLARe Ills OPINIONS.
18Th. Ta.r HE DOES DECLARE THEM
l,h. That HE WILL Not LEND HIMSELF TO FAR
rY PURPOSES
lin. That HE DOES LEND HIMSELF TO PARTY
PURPOSES.
Wns,ut further comment Lot us urocecd 10
examine The truth of The first charge.
POSITION |.
That ne IS q n0.pHty man.
On The 18th OF May, lS47, he writes:
81 am MOI prepared 10 say shall refuse, IL
tie country ellis me 10 the Presidential Office
but th.t can and shall yield to no coll that does