The republic. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1849-1853, 1849-06-26
REVOLUTIONARY AND MILITARY SER.
VICES.

While General TAYLOR was candidate
for the Presidency, Locofocoism protested
that, being military man, he would, on
his Inauguration, fill all the civil offices in
the country with soldiers. Now that he
is elected President, and selects his subor-
dinates on the principles which must al
ways govern sensible and well -inten-
toned Chief Magistrate, the opposition are
very much outraged because the military
men do not have fair play. They say that
the General turns cold shoulder on the
gallant men who shared with him the perils
of Palo Alto and Buena Vista.
So neglectful is he of military services,
they say, that he permitted his Secretary
of the Treasury to turn out of the Collec-
torship at Richmond an elderly gentleman
who had held office forty-two years, and
who is the son in-law Of gentleman who
was an officer under WASHINGTON This
is offensive in another light, moreover.
Mr.. NELSON, the Collector in question,
is man whom the senior editor of the
Union "knows," and has been superseded
by new man, who is not recognised in
the aristocratic circles Of Virginia Locoio-
coism.
We have not altogether made up our
mind as to the paramount importance OF
these ancestral claims in any case. In
our judgment, every man should stand on
his own merits. 1t furnishes not even the
shadow of claim to an office that the
applicant is the son or the son-in-law OF
\ distinguished soldier or an eminent
civilian. Such a principle is at war with
all the notions on which our institutions
rest. Original and personal merits the
people can understand and appreciate and
they sympathize with the sentiment anc
applaud the sagacity and judgment which
select and reward them. Derivative OF
ancestral merits-whether direct or col
lateral-the WIG people of the country
do not recognise or admit Those who
are themselves the most capable of rem
dering service to their country are not e
be forever postponed to men who happier
to De connected, by blood or marriage
with the descendants of men who were
meiitorious seventy years ago.
But how have the Locofocos themselve.
regarded these revolutionary or military
claims in the persons Of Wing incumbents
We know the case Of an humble man whc
had enjoyed Office for much shorter tern
than forty-two years, and whom the Loco
foco aristocracy of Virginia probably do no
"know''-a man who was and is WIG
whose father and grandfather were Wings
and fought in the battles of the Revolution
This man, moreover, was himself sol
der, and served through the war will
Great Britain. He was the father of
young man who was an assistant messen
ger in the General Post Office Department
for some three or four years, and who Oh
the LIST of March, two years ago, was re
moved. The father-with the Wing an,
revolutionary blood of three generation
in his veins-called on his Locofoco supe
riour to learn the cause Of his sons reno
val. He was very frankly told by the Lo
cofoco official: "Sir, have ascertaine
that your son is Wing, and ] canno
} keep Wing in my Office" Now, VIII
was not the exemption extended to thi
humble Wing, which the Union claims 70
Mr.. NELSON Or is this immunity to b