The daily union. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1845-1857, 1848-09-13


have so much as dreamed Of President coming for.
ward with such peculiar qualifications, and under such
peculiar circumstances. to make it both natural
and expedent for him throw all the headwork of his
office upon Congress beforehand II was reserved for the
wings Of lsis to originate, and for General Taylor to
mpersonate the bright idea that constitutional con-
servatsm consists in making the President mere clerk
of the two houses to sign their bills pro orma and of
course 1t was reserved for the Baltimore American and
other southern wing journals to iaud this new constu
onal conservatism specially fitted for an era in our
history in which Union is rocking with sectional
ag'tatons, and in which every one of the checks and
balances ordained in form of government is wanted
to protect the rights of any minority interest against
which passion or prejudice, fanatcism or faction, may
have arayed themselves in partisan or in sectional or
ganizationl
We come now to the Americans last proof of the
Generals conservatism, laid down in the Allison let
ter. The American thus quotes and comments:
my life" Gen. Taylor, in the letter have
been quoting has been devoted to arms yet look upon
war al all times, and under all circumstances national
calamity, to be avoided if compatible with the national
honor The principles Of government, we its
policy, opposed to the suugaton of other a~d
the dsmemberment Of other countries by conquest
In this passage in the preceding Ones the reader will
discover exact anagonism those maxms of facous
domination which have perverted the of de.
mocracy, and to that ultra spirit Of progress which makes
violence its handmade and thrsts for for enjoy
ment The condition of the country at This time, sick
II Is OF the into which rash and weak admins
ation has involved it, calls for tke wholesome reaction OF
constitutional conservatism more, in which may
find and recruit exhausted of its pros
pery.
Our commentary upon this proof of General Taylors
conservatism shall be brief and shall be in the Generals
words extracted from his letter to General Gaines
just after the battle of Monterey In that letter. General
Taylor says:
IN me, the most j.dcious course 10 be pursued on
part tcoHd be to take possessio at of the line
scod accept by wegoaton extending from the Gulf of Mer
to the Pacific aud occupy the keep Chat al
ready hare possession of and that of Tampieo, (which
hope to take in the course of the month"; can
get the Of tansporalion,) chich oM gpe all
this side of The Sierra Madre, and occupy Satfa
10, irH include STATES PROVINCES thus hod
ing Tampco Victoria Saltilo, Monclova, chihuahua
(Which presume, Gen Wool has possession OF by this
tirne,} Santa Fe, and Caorniaand say Mexico, Drive
from the country" throwing her the responsibility
and expense of carrying offensive and at the
time closely bockadng all her the Pac c and the
Gulf"
From this the "American" will perceive that General
Tayors "exact antagonism to maxims of domination )"
and his Opposition to the dismemberment of other
tries by conquest" led him to advise the taking of SIX
or SEVEN Mexican provinces, instead of the which
the perverted democracy of this crash and weak ad
has acquired by way of territorial indem-
nity One really knows not which to admire the most
the Generals conservatism or his consistency as dis
played in the above extracts! Probably Mr. Webster
heretofore regarded pretty good judge Of conserva
tism had BOTH these memorable letters of the General
before him when he proclaimed that General Taylors
nomination WAS A NOMINATION NOT FIT TO BE
MADE