The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1848-06-05
isTELL,sEsCg 81 TnE NAILS,
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Baltimore Coaptnfion


reelection. Sour present distinguished Chief
Magistrate certainly made stubborn fight for
the nomination. Now that the struggle is over
of course he would not have accepted IT.. on any
terms.
Compassionatlng the bitterness of his disappoint-
ment, would not have sharpened its poienancy by
a single allusion to his defeat but thar his hired
cfaqucWs, from the organ down to the smallest Of
those small creatures who iatten on his patronage
In Tits city, have raised the cry Of SANDER against
those who have exposed his desperate struggle for
| denomination.
Inc efforts OF the Union in behalf of its friends
ana patrons; are IN general, sineuary unfortunst.
ts vlndlcatlon OF Mr.. Polk IL specimen ot The
most refined and aiiecuonac torture anr,.d with
the very best intentions. Any man but the editor
ri the Union would have perceived that IN Mac
Mr.. Folks letter OF 1874 and that Of 1913 in iuxtr
position, was n laceratIon OF the Presidents feel
lngs as terrible as II was unnecessary. For nv.
sell scon 10 be guilty OF such cruelty. Much aa
| am compelled to loahc Mr.. Polk 3 mens ures and
duplcity, yet cannot Danish all commseraton
tor his msiortunes. His present position, although
he owes 1t to the Indulgence Of his own selfish aspi
ratlons, IS sufficiently mortifying TO command for
nm the llvellest sympathy. From the first month
OF his term, his policy has been shaped to that sole
purpose--o produce such state of things as wou!a
force HIM onthe democratic party for reelection:
ana now he hnds his combinations completely
success. To evlncc no sympathy for Mr.. Polk,
under such circumstances, is TO prove that one ia
absolutely heartless The editor of the Uaion Is
oil after strange gods. like the 3nQnr1is sujt lha,
he ls--carrylng torch through the streets at mid
night, IN honor Of Mr.. Cass; and with Juvenile
warmth and gee, beselgIng the door-posts OF Mr.
Benton, and making wild love to that tender young
Senator. To Mr. Polk thus shamefully abandoned
to the tedum of his own thoughts, /, who have
ccnsured him little in the hey-day of his pride
and power, now offer my most tender condolences
III would be, perhaps unjust to the editor of the
U,ton to accuse him of prepcnse and Intentional
ialsehood IN declaring his conviction that Mr. Polk
had no aspirations for reflections; and yet one
can scare!y believe that even age, or the besottng
lniinence OF executive patronage, can have pro-
duced IN man who boasts of having been comp.-
mented by Mr.. Jefferson, such absolute stupidity
as to make him insensble to the efforts of the
President tor re-eection; but the latter Ia the
more charitable suppositon, the compliments OF
Mr.. Jefferson must, fear, be attributed to over
courtesy IN that genteman; or ii must be nc mitted
that age though II has brought grey hairs to the
object OF his laudauon. has deprived him Of thar
were living now, surely he would publish an ex-
purgaed edition OF his correspondence.
=, That Mr.. Polk has strven for the nomination OF
the Baltimore convention, admits of no question
With whatview did he make such degrading sacr-
hces to MIR. Benton Why court him with such
savish tawnlng as. disguised even the Missouri
Senator, egotist as he is! Why attempt to force
Congress to the appointment of Lieutenant
General, IN order, by foul injustice to General
Scott, to hatter the vanity of Mr.. Benton Why
pursue this course in despite of the remonstances
OF the ablest men IN his cabinet? Why take such
trouble to pour Hood of patronage into the wing
states! Why raise up one candidate against ano-
Their, so as to neutralize the strength of each II
Is well known that the democratic party has never
before been so divided against ITSELF md that to
the Presidents efforts these divisions are mainly
attributable. But Mr. Polk claims to have been
always consistent party man, and it is natural to
suppose he would not have thus caused dissension
n ON tfG daSf Uh..t
then could have been his object, unless to embltter
faction against faction, to such an extent, that
each falling to elect It's own candidate, to prevent
the success of It's immediate antagonist would
turn to hun IN preference TO a rival Against
Mr.. buchanan, he attempted to raise up Mr.. Dallas
IN pennsylvania, by giving all the patronage of the
government to that ,gentleman's friends and when
that failed, he endeavored to raise up Mr.. Cass.
Mr. Cass IN his turn, became too formidable,
and the President was seized with sudden
yea! for Mr.. Woodbury.. A member of the
cabinet received orders to profess himself
in favor of the latter gentleman. Against him.
when he waxed somewhat too strong, the
President determined 10 raise up Mr.. Houston
Was all this trouble for noughtl or was 1t taken
edness and impartiallty! AS the time approached
for holding the convention, the presidential pulse
was cautiously thy several small papers in the
receipt OF the executive patronage. IL was a time
when, if Mr.. Polk was sincere, there should have
been no equlvocatlon Instead OF bold decara-
ton that no circumstances could arise which
would induce HIM TO accept a re-nomlnalon his
organ put forth an ambiguous article that meant
nothing. Did not the emssares of the President
penetrate into every hotel, while the delegates
were arriving IN this city, and hold conferences
with them, and sound them! Had not the Pres-
dent made out for him the exactcst possible esti-
mate OF the strength OF each candidate! and was 1t
until the very last hour, when II was clear TO every
man IN the convention thatNlr Cass would receive
the nomination on the fourth ballot, that his most
ambiguous letter was produced! Mark the date OF
this communication. Ii purports TO be written
Saturday, the 2Oth, and the convention was
held on Monday, the I'D; so that 1t was not until
within two days OF the meeting OF the body Mr..
Folks mlnd was made up. Tins Is not all. The (.
production OF that letter before the convention was
to depend on contingency 1t would seem tha' n
II the Presidents prospects should Justify such -
course. the letter was to be suppressed IT not 10 z
was to he produced Tor the purpose of saving ap-s
pearances. In this letter the President declares,
. am not candidate for the nomination and
that 2By use OF my name with that view, which
may be contemplated, IL without any agency or
desire on my part | will venture TO assert that
nobody ever supposed Mr.. Polk TO be quite so inn
polite TO put himself forward formally a can
dIdatc for the nomination.. | have never seen 1t
anywhere Unlimited that he would be likely to do
so. Such course would be prcposterous. H.
would expose him to the hazard of modification,
and. at the same time, destroy every chance oil
success. His policy was whilst protesting that he
was no candidate, so to manage the different Sec
tons (and this he able to do with the immense
patronage of the government as to render each OF
the other candidates powcrless that the choice
of the convention perpexed the body would
become by the conventions of the rival factions,
would ultimately through necessity fall on him
self Such a state of things would have weakened
the party immeasurably, and would finally have
worked It's overthrow but Mr.. Polk would have
preferred to be, like Mr. Van Buren, the defeated
candidate OF the party, in his struggle for second
term, than see MIR Cass or Mr.. Buchanan elected.
Aud finally, Mr.. Folks letter of the 10th of May,
Is, by means, expressive of that stern de
termination TO refuse the nomination, if offered,
which is claimed to characterize 1t. 1t is some
what of the ''golng, going, gone order; and GER
taluy no auconeer ever dwelt with more sublime
pathos on the enormous nature OF the sacrifice
which he Is about TO consummate called atten-
ton more earnestly TO the delicacy of the work
manship of the article which he exhibits for sale,
than does Mr.. Polk in regard to the steadiness o.
his principles and to the faithful performance OF
his duty. 1t is as if he had saId-sul IN the Ian