Vermont watchman and State journal. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1836-1883, 1849-07-05
Gen. Taylor's Pledges.

We hear much said of late, BY orr opponents,
respecting violation of pledges" on the part
of President Taylor. This cutlery is all the more
remarkable, as 1t proceeds from the very class of
men who 50 tlippantly asserted, and reit Grated,
through the Campaign, that Gen. Taylor "stood
committed To no one principle" he was
pledged 10 nothing" .N0tD, The great burden of
all their complaints-thc grand outlet for all the
"pent up" feelings Of wrath aud bitterness excl
ted by their defeats the cool and consistent
pretence that the President has broken his pledg
es
The " broken uedges," on which our LocofUco
friends insist with so much feeling, are two-yiz
not t" be party President, and not to make po-
iticdi principles simply the ground of bestowlng
Offices On the first OF these points we need only
say that Mr.. Polk, before his Inauguration,
promised TO be mot the President of a party,
bit of the whole country J" and such will be the
aim of every honest Executive. Tint the late
President (whose natural and official lie had a
close 50 nearly simultaneously fulfilled his pledge,
IN any other manner than by striving to build up
and perpet,iate the ascendancy OF the Locoioco
party, even his warmest friends will not maintain.
In our judgment, (and history, we are confident
Will, ~ lis strict inpa:tlIty, render similar YER
dict, his administration was more emlnently par
tizan than any that preceded 1t. The adherens
of the late President, therefore, should be eXcee-
DINGHY slow to urge this complaint, even 1T it had
the best possible ground. But i. is in fact base.
| less as a vision.
Gen Taylor was elected, as an avewed Wbig
by Wing votes. His principles were no secret.
That those principles were honestly held, there
could be no doubt--and M reasonable person
could tor moment expect but that, were lie O.
lected they would be steadlaStly maintained, as
the basis of his Administration. If any were de-
| ~ in, ~ hnir fa,,lt
that OF Gen. Taylor, or of his friends The
promise to be The President OF the whole coun-
try, and not OF "A party Or II section exclusively,
could not possibly be constructed into an inliuia-
ton that his Administration would be cunduc-
ted on no basis OF principle, or that would belle
his repeated avowul of devotion to Il doctrines
of the Wing party. 70 soften the asperi,les OF
party feeling-lo disranchse (pracllcalyl no
man Tor an honest difference OF oplnlon-to ma n
liest no Partially, contrary 10 justice, for one
citizen over another-were anus worthy 20 be a.
vowed by candidate Tor the ChleI Maglslracy
OF this nation, and aims to which, we DOUBT no,
President Taylor will ever scrupulously adhere.
But secondly, II has been, with a nlost surprl
sing coolness, pretended that Gen. Taylor
Pledged himself not to remove Locotucos iron
office "--We were about to say that the manifest
dishonesty OF this pretence precludes the possiDli
ny vi a candid answer. Yet we would be chart
liable. Possibly some Innocent people did ac-
lually think that when Gen, Taylor SAID he had
" 40 enemies 10 punlsh," he meant that no town
in the Unned States should have Wing Post
master. that the rentess prescription, which
has held sway IN our government tor twenty
years, should remain unrebuked aud triumphant.
But we do not hesitate to say that persons vi or
binary good SENSE would much sooner have CIV.
en- an opposite construction 10 these words-and
that no human being OF comlon discernment,
could be otherwise tnan voluntarily deceived II
deceived at all.
Gen. Taylor never pledged himself to make
no removals nor TO retain single Locoioco IN
Office. Ills great paramount pledge, Implied liz
accepting ,he Wing nomination, was to conduct
his Administration on the basis OF Wing pTin-
cipies, aud IN carrying out The will Of the people,
10 call about hun IN every branch OF the Execu-
i've department, men on whose services he could
rely, to give efficient and ready aid aud sup
port in The discharge Of all the duties OF the
government.
Our opponents make quite too much OF Office.
This, with them, is an exceedingly tender point