Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1849-10-12
For tie Eag,sire :

on account of them" THIS wrote Gen. Taylor
in APRIL 1913. and it is only necessary to con.
trast his own practices and professions before
and after tho election, to see how forcible and
truthful an application of the saying may be
made 10 himself. An ignorant solder. without
,0titica! character or opinions, drawn into The
vortex of politics by designing knayes who
wished 10 profit by his military reputation aud
the honest gratitude of the people for his ser
vices in the field, he had just enough discern
menl 10 perceive that the least he said on poll
teal subjects the better, but not enough 10
avoid the laundering folly of pledging himself
in some way or another by every word he utter
ed or wrote, whilst swearing most Justify bis
resolution 10 be pledged 10 nothing So that
even before his elevation 10 the Presidency, the
equivocal position in which his voumnous ard
ridiculous correspondence had involved him,
gave sufficient token 10 the sasacious, that
however far othsrs might be "trusted without
pledges" he was mol lu TO ''conhded in merely
on account OF them" To make this more ap-
parent, we ask attention 10 his position as de-
fined BY himself in the early part of the can
was. and a comparison of II with his attitude
before the Philadelphia Convention, party ga
thering for party purposes.
In one Of his first lellers (Which was made pub
lic) on The subject OF The Presidency, he said 10
James w. Taylor Of Cincinnati: II am mol pre-
pared 10 say that | shall refuse il the country
calls me TO tie Presidential office, but that can
and shall yield 20 no call that does mol come
from The spontaneous action and free VIII OF the
nltion at large" He also said in The same 'e.-
Ter, "Ia no case can ps'mit mWeDt be the tan'
didaie Of any party, OR YIELD MYSELF TO PARTY
SCHEMES" So chilling 10 the budding hopes OF
Whiggery was this epis'le, and so far was ne then
from being both a party man and Wing, that
the Richmond Times Tor one, did not hesitate TO
declare againsl him 10 such terms as tnese: "t1e
(Gen. Taylor states wi hout equiroe0ton, mat IN
~ case can be permit hins,l 10 be the Candidate
VI patty. II Gen. Taylor atheres 10 this fesolu-
lion, We are constrained 10 express the opinion
lha. me Wing party cannot be expected 10 SUI
render heir organization and their principles Tor
The purpose Of elevaling him 10 The Presidency.
But since his resolution has been taken, II only
remains for rs, As PARTY, 10 look with more
prudence IN a candidate VINO will mol rudy re.
ice, our emtra1s, and Tho is willing 10 commit
himself 10 our policy" Such was the view taken
of his resolution to be no-party man oy the
Times; and other Wing papers OF pariy chafac-
Ter. followed suit. Declarations similar to those
in Inc leuef TO James w. Taylor, are scattered
through his whole book oil epIslles, aid were
precisely such as Induced respectable portion
OF the presses of The country, Wing, Democratic
and neutral and large number Of sober minded
necpc of all parties who were llfed OF party
CONVENTIONS and vain|y supposed or hoped, that
in Inc existing prosperity OF the country and IT'S
established greatness, no further fields were open
To paty strife, 10 lay aside old party Distinctions
and unite 10 eevaling 10 The Cniet Maels.
tracy man who protested 10 be above, and
10 abhor those distinctions, and who would,
By his example, settle The seething elements
Of pany warfare. Following mp his Tay>
10, letter, and still having the vani'y, perhaps
To imagine that "lhe nation al large" "wihout
distinction of pary," would make real secihd
Washington If him, he wrote, on The 29h OF May
lS47 al will not be The candidate OF any parry or
parry clio ,e," and thai, "by The spontaneous and
unanimou, voice OF The people alone" would he
be "wiltd,awn from The cherished hopes ot pri-
yare retirement and tranquility when peace shall
return" To Mr.. Delony he wfote, "Should |
ever OCCUPY the White House, it must be by ihr
spontaneous move Ct the people, and by no ACT OF
nine-su that could go into The Office untiam-
melted and be the chief magistrate OF Inc nalion
and not of patty" To Peter Sken Smith he
said III eecied 10 that Office (he Presidency II
must BE- BIZ The spontaneous will oil the peopie al
large" In The same letter he says, I'll ever fill
ma tn obligations or interests" and, in The same,
he further says, al do moi desire the Presidency,
and only yield thus lar my assent 10 be consider
ed candidate in n, same proportion in which
il is desired by the people, irrespective OF party"
10 these and many other instances did General
TAYLOR reilerate his no-partyism, avo~ed MS de-
termination TO accept only national nomination
Tor the Presidency, ard receiving as ne was Inc
support al encou asemenl o! some OF all parl'es,
in other words Of The people, Irrespective oil par
w." he pledged himself 10 yield 10 none, nor be-
come the builder Of their projec!s, nor The guar
dian OF their interests. Wings Democrats ana
Natives, AS individuals, but not The Wing Demo-
crat or Native parties, rendered him her support
upon the faith OF his promises, ana all were &C.
copied, an.esuch acceptance accohpdIleu -
fresh ratification OF The resolution wnich So
ruIe.y rejected The Whis embraces. bai, a, Inc
very moment when The ola mans mead was o'zzy
,si:h The anpareor neigh, and splendor Of his Pc.
,ition. and The modest soldier, who knew nothing
of notifies and did not desire the Preside y, had
had his ambition iLflamed 10 The inlensest and
mes; eager aspiration Tor ill., he was made 10 I'M
dersland by those, who from The first only design
ed TO make a TOOL OF him, that, unless he received
their embraces. his chances for The Presidency
were indeed slim, and that 10 talk Of mans
reaching the chief magislracy in this country and
in This age by the unanimous and spontaneous
move Of he people, irrespective oil party, was
which man fit Tor The place could never
have indueet in. They exIcred from him fun
less, indeed, The whole game had been previously
arraagei) al the right Time and al the crisis OF
he agitation for the candidacy OF The Wing
yarty The confession OF his Whigsery, along
with the supreme!y stupid declaration that
DC was Wing because the "Whigs Tor
10 nc
regards political matters to those Il e. opinions
and principles,) Of Mr. Jefferson than their op
and he was reared, he says, in the
JeiTersonian school He and The Wings, among |
hem tho Times began now 10 be on much bet.
er ,erms, though few then rejected as em>
braces. Which had changed position, he or
ney-Iet them say. Bur still, and after the
erection of the new Wing platform in that mas.
erIy piece Of political chicane and cunning
.yasion, the Allison letter, No. |, be wrote 10
no Allison letter No 9: "If elected would not
,e the mere President Of party. would en-
f party doniualon' He still regarded him
elf the candidate of the people at large SIRE.
rectiye OF party" without the liberty reserved
. himself Of Withdrawing from the canvass,
hough Mr. Clay or any one else should be no.
,inat by the Wing Convention, ard declared !
The Editor, of the Richmond Republican. III
as not been my (hisl intention to charee NY
os,ion, or 10 Withdraw my name rom .he
anvass whoever may DO the D, an ,vo o. 'ne
;alional Convention, either e.. E, '"e "h,s OF
Democratic party" On the H!n April ieao, !
!. me people, portion # rhom at least hayr, "
=. aee' my name before the country for thczod
% ~ question, and who aone are au: : :.e"
withdraw it from The canvass" e - s an j.,
equIsoeal avowal of bis cs6oIs na, p,o Dy Isl
,na,on OF porto" of true I b 'p ,
,eousy and unanmoud he vas se oo, re,
as far as he par!s the 10 party candidate h.
eady in ,h 10 and long before the Demo. sI,
mic o. vsssg Conventions had assembled = his his
lad -festaled both, was out, and did "no, est
IL. TO quit tho f>ld for either OF their no. son
ces. This position was entirely satisfactory per per
he independent organization which had ga. he
ed for his support, whilst bis revelations TO bis I.
ph Ingersoll and Capt Allison, strange to dee dee
sem 10 have recolciIed also such old vii
Toned Wigs as the Times and many OF tho mel