Vermont watchman and State journal. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1836-1883, 1848-08-17


itors of the Democratic press throughout the
country shouted "clear and unquestionabe." A
thousand Democratic meetings echoed back the
sound. "Oregon and 81 40" were painted on
party banners and party walls and printed on
party handblls. Mr.. Folks Inaugural address
also declared the title "clear and unquestiona
ble." His message, in December lS45, repeat
ed the same folly, and threatened war to the
knife, and the knife to The hll, against the En-
glish claim above 80, all the little, and nearly
all the great politicians of the party, standing
ready to make fight on this platform. The party
leaders afterwards occupied the attention Of
Congress for six months with this Oregon ques-
ton, disturbing and dstracting the natlon en-
barrassing trade and commerce, alarming the
business men with the apprehension of a war
with the most powerful nation on the earth, with
which we have more commercial relations than
with all the world beside. The price of insur-
ance rose so high at one time that no shipping
merchant could venture on any distant voyage.
Gen. Cass stood in the front OF the whole riot.
He declared war to be inevitable. His beig.
erent propensitics displayed on this as well as
on all other subjects, covered the whole platform.
never believed that this cry for war was sin
cere on the part of the wire workers behind the
screen, though never doubted that the worthy
General was perfectly sincere, and was com
pletely duped by them. | advised my friends
here TO vote for the amlcabe notice to England
to pay out rope" and test their sincerity about
this platform. The result precisely answered
my expectations When we refused to hold
them, they refused to fight and the result was,
that the whole pretensions to fifty four forty were
abandoned by themselves, and they fell back to
tne British line OF forty nine, upon which set
Element could, at any moment, have been made
without word Of all this unjust and insolent
bravado. The platform was abandoned those
who had adhered to it most violently, among
whom was General Cass were Frustrated in the
dust. The Chairman of the Committee on For
elgn Relations, MIR. ALIEN under deep sense
oil this humiliation, instantly resigned, and the
present chairman, Mr.. HANSEGAN) declared in
his place, that Mr.. Polk had, by surrendcring the
platform and his own pledges to adhere to it,
"sunk himself so low that the hand of resurrec
ton could never reach him" When put to the
test, Mr.. Polk treated the whole platform of 81
4O' with contempt and gave up the whole coun-
try above 49,.
Mr.. FOOrE, lin his seat.) - He was wise, and
acted by the advice of the Senate.
Mr.. CLAYTON oh yes, he was wise. The
folly was in having platform In this case an
Irresponsible cabal, called a convention, like the
last one at Baltimore many of the members Of
which were appointed at tavern or ss-road
meeting, assembled and assumed The duty of d
reclng and controlling the whole legislation of
Congress on questions Of peace and war. They
did not devote ten minutes to the title to Oregon
which they decided, and not one out of fifty OF
them had ever read or known any thing about
it. Tie platform thus formed deeply endanger-
ed tie peace of fifty millions Of human beings.
We were at one time, by all the laundering and
clustering OF the Administration, driven within
an inch of a war with England.
There was another plattorm-that made by
hp In X nj lott In hat Inpi,
ment, your President, according to the construc-
ton of some, avowed himself to be in favor of
the tariff, and according to that O.. others, oppo-
sed to it, Unquesonably the mass of the peo-
pie in the Northern States believed that in that
letter, he avowed himself to be a friend of the
tariff 1t is as true as scripture, that in the State
of Pennsylvania and olher States at the North,
the flags were flying with the inscription, "Polk
Dallas, and the Tariff of '42;" and when we as
sailed those who practiced these imposions on
the people, as we repeatedly did, and accused
them of duplicity, the reply was, on all occa-
sons, I'VE are the true champions Of the tariff
of A." and in proof of the assertion, we were
referred to the Democratic vote in the other
House, without which the bill of 1919 could not
have passed, and told that, therefore, the Demo
Gratis were entitled to the whole merit of the
measure. Now again, the politicians have pub.
lished one life of General Cass to suit the North
and another to suit the South. in regard to the
Wimot Proviso. Thus by platforms, they ever
palter with us in double sense" keep the
word of promise to the ear, but break it 10 the
hope" at one time deluding our honest people
into vote for Mr.. Polk, which he never could
have received had he then avowed himself to be
what he has since proved to be, the champion Of
free trade and at another, representing Gener
al Cass as a man of Northern principles at the
North, and man Of Southern principles in the
South.
There is another platform: 1t is that of al
| honest man, who says that he is a wing, but thai
if elected to the Presidency he will not be The
tool of party-that he will be the President OF
! the People-that he has no enemies to punish
no friends to reward that while he will do hi:
! duty in removing corrupt, incompetent, OF un
| faithful men from office, he will not be the sup
| porter OF that Infamous system of proscri ptioT
which distributes the public offices of the coun
! try as the spoi!s OF victory that he will, or
this and all other subjects, endeavor TO restore
the Government of the country to the principles
of the Constitution. HIS PLATFORM is THE
CONSTITUTION all others are unworthy of re
spect. The patriotism of mere politicians which
expodes in deceptive party pledges, is under
stood to be, as DIR. Johnson defines it, the las
refuge of scoundrel.' There is little difficult,
in finding notices and illustrations to suit tht
! title page of the whole volume of political plat
! FORMS In the action of some of the Presidents
! OF the United States we can find enough to re
mind us of the old saw
" The Devil was sick the Devil a. monk would DO
The Devil got we'll, the DepA a monk nGs he"
The honorable gentleman also attacks Gener
al Taylor on the ground that he lacks quallica
tons. la justice, however, to his own nobl'
heart, the Senator admits that General Taylo
is pure, honorable, high.ninded and patriotic
man. But he finds fault with General Taylor oil
account of what he supposes to evince wan
of great learning lie reasons from Genera
Taylor's confession that he was not pltcian
that lie is not competent tor the Presidency
That is, think, his chef objection The gen
tleman Certaln.y did also find much fault witt
ono or two of General Taylors letters. ! shall
not deny that his letters, like those OF other grea
military commanders, written IN The hurry of
camp on barrel, box, or a drum head, heaC
not the beauty of finish and the rotu' dity OF pc
riod which the gentleman so well knows how t
give his own letters But for strong sense an,
appropriate language to convey it, no man cal
excel those letters o. Taylor in which he foun,
it important to attend to the manner as well al
the matter OF his composition. On every court
m rtla on which he has served Tor the last TWEEN
ty years, the other members of tn court, altho
often scholars of high character, have general,
selected Taylor to draw up the sentence OF th,