Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1848-10-12
VOL. V. NO. II.

PICS, "hle ucy nave TeprOdcneQ Ule untaEOnSt party
with having no principles but going it blind for party
and IN the days Of Gen. Jackson going it blind for
man. Are they not plainly in that condition?
What are they contendlng for? The election OF Gen
Taylor. And what principles to be carried out
by his election? That, he tells in effect is none Of
our busines5-that we must wait ill he is President
and then he will tell us officially.
The Supporters of Gen. Taylor have by the natural
process of conforming 10 their candidate, come, naly
to the conclusion that it is really of great imor-
lance that he should avow any principles. They say
Washington would give no pledges and why should
it be demanded of Gen. Taylor? OF course, they
must as they do, represent him as second Washing
ton and worthy of equal confidence! It's only nee
essary to state this assumptionto commend 1t to uni
versa Indignation.
1t is natural for men whose candidate will avow no
principles, to scout the idea of a Platform. They look
at the Platform of the Buffalo Convention and morti-
fed at the contrast, exclaim-What need of Plat
form? We want none. The wings had no Platform
in 1874, and why should they have one in 1913, 1t
would be a sufficient reply to this to saythat Plat
form was needed to hold Mr. Clay to wing principles
| for he was every where regarded their very en-
bodiment and vet there was a Platform in the OIL
lowing Resolutions adopted by the nominating Con-
Ivention.
"ResoIyed, That in presenting to the country the
names of Henry Clay for President, and Theodore
F'renghuyscn for Vice President, of the United
States, this Convention is actuated by the conviction
uliL all LlC 8IGdI prlUC PIES VI ulc w NY parry pIlI
cipes insoparable from the public honor and pros
peritv will be maintained and advanced by these can
dilates
"ResoIyod, That these principles may be summed
up as comprising a well regulated National currency;
tariff for revenue to defray the necessary expenses
of the government, and discriminating with special
reference to the protection of the domestic labor of
the country the distribution of the proceeds of the
sales of the public lands; asngle term for the Presi
dency; reform of Executive usurpatlons;-and, gen.
orally, such an administration Of the affairs of the
country asshal impart to every branch Of the public
service the greatest practicable efficiency, controlled
by well regulated and wise economy"
What contrast between these resolutions and the
skulking noncommalism of the Philadelphia Con-
vention and its candidates.
But this not the only Platform. The question
of annexation having come to be so prominent and
mportantNl to demand expression of opinion ION
the candidates. for the Presidency, Mr.. Clay met that
demand his celebrated Raleigh letter. 1t was his
Texas Platform. The wings of the North went into
the canvass on It, Every speaker had it on the stump,
and every editor in his port folio. We could not nave
moved step without it. What a contrast between
this, and the obstinate silence of General Taylor on
the great question that now agitates the country.
1t is true, Mr. Clay persuaded by shareholders
to alter his Platform and, in evil hour yielded and
| mored it But yet to his honor be it Spoken even in
this, he recognized the right Of the people to know
where he stood on the question. What would have
Taylor in his letter to the Tuscaloosa Monitor, adapt
ed to the question Of annexation, he sad-"should it
ever become my official duty to give my opinions on"
the subject Of the annexation of Texas, Il shall dis.
charge the duty to the best of my Judgment: until
then nv opinions on such matters are neither neces-
sary nor important?" Or what would have been said
of him if in reply to the queson-"Are you in favor
OF the annexation Of TeXas?" he had said in the Ian
guage of Gen Taylor, replying to the enquiries of Mr.
IMcConkey-"l have laid itdown prncip pie not to
give my opinions upon or PREJUDICE in any way, the
various questions Of policy now at issue, nor to pro-
mise what would or would not do, were elected to
the Presidency" If Mr. Clay had taken such a posi-
ton ant used such language in 1914 exclanatons Of
establishment and ndgnation would have blCien forth
: throughout the entire North, against him.
: But he said no such thing. He had loo much re-
spect for the people to insult them thus Alas! how
now have We falen that we now bear it from Gen
9 Taylor and what's worse, that can sanction the
nonstrous principle that candidate for office in this
II Representative government may claim the popular
II suffrage while he refuses to respectful enqu
ries to his views upon vital questions OF public po-
Icy.
| am naturally brought in this connexon, to corsid"
another, and very serious objection to supporting
Gen Taylor II is that he has been brought forward
l. upon the strength of his military reputation. Military
10 services and slave holding associations and sympa-
y hies, constitute the ground Of his supposed avaab
ty. He military man; and far as his expert
IL
e out hours civil experience he Is TO be transforme
re if wing vott do it-from the camp and the battle
y field to the highest civil office in the wordan Office
Tor which but for the battles of Palo Alto, Monterey
e & Buena Vista, he would have been thought
al of than any of thousand other men IN the United
- States
if What change has come over the Wing party :
or Where stood the party, twenty years ago regard
N the danger OF eevatlng mere military TO civil Of
s. fee Shall not forget the speech nude by Mr.
e. Clay, at Baltimore in 1929, in which he invoked war
10 pesence and famine" and any other scourEe" rath
1T err than I" military rule, blind and needless en-
IN thusiasm for mere military renOwn This sentmen
= then approved in common with The Wing party anC
OF | approve it still But what do see? The &" bn;
N and needless enthusiasm for military renown" 81
~ much deprecated by the Wing party in 1929 appealed
y 20, and relied on, by the same party in l846 saw
nd painful illustration of this, recently while passing
e. through village in nelghborng State, where fla
a. was floating, with the of Taylor and Fillmore
G. and two mounted cannon beneath half length like
l ness of the hero of Buena Vista arrayed in mitar
I'D costume. 70 ME it was a sad sight. What speec
rs would Mr.. Clay have made in presence Of such fla
in 1891 The nature of things have not changed; bU
ey men have Twenty years ago it regarded as
serious objection to Gen. Jackson that he could loo
Ter on blood and carnage with composure." Now, "a lii
Its tie grape" quoted quite approvngy and is
deemed out of place in attempts to awaken enthusiast
tor for candidate to fill the Office of President OF tn
terminate If conservative Whigism is thus to thro
d. itself into the military current what will it not swee
ng away?
us You thus have the grounds of my objections to Ii
$ support OF Gen. Taylor. now proceed to state m
It. reasons for supporting the Buffalo nomination
shall support the nominees of the Buffalo CONVEX
eS ton, not because they nominated by lie CONVEX
m ton, but for the sake the principles contained in
~ Platform. The Philadelphia Convention refused
ny pledge itself its candidate on any principles
~ facti almost literally turned out of doors resoutio
M affirming the paramount principle of the non exensic
:" of slavery, and called on the Wing party to 20 for I
ha candidate merely because he was the nominee OF til
10 Convention.
~ Tho Buffalo convention claims such prerogatv
~ as this bet has, with particular respect to the nte
GU ration of prncples and submitted whether they ar
ma worthy to be sustained in the coming election An
be the candidate selected has, his acceptance, evince
an equal respect to the popular intelligence, by adopt
w l.. .fA,. N-Intf hic Otvn To n ror