The daily national Whig. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1847-1849, 1849-04-30
DAILY NATIONAL WING,
EDITED by ~
wORTHINGTON @. sHETHEN,
WASHINGTON, y. G.,
MONDAY MORNING. APRIL 30, 1919.
THE coNsTITUTIoNAL AXE.

customed, Tor forty-eight years, to the sole
privilege Of welding it, he can think Of
nothing else, speak Of nothing else, now
that its possession has been tranferred TO
other hands. Every number Of his journal,
since Gen. TAYLOR took his seat, has been
devoted to this sharp theme. What be says
one day, is repeated the next with yaria-
tons, and SO deeply imbued is his mind with
the sentiments, suggested by his old habit
Of using the constitutional axe, that he Tugs
them in on all occasions, whether treating of
the presentation Of sword to the President,
by sovereign State, or whether indting
paragraph upon the blood Of those self
destroying martyrs, the Browns, the PEE-
BLEs and the Drums 1t is are, are, are,
from morning till night and from night I'LL
morning. SO stirred up is he, at the loss Of
his favorite Democratic weapon, that he
goes about, Orpheus-like, making the woods
resound with cries for his beloved Eurydice,
My axe, my axe, my favorite axe,
OH where Is il gomez
On recent occasion, our Democratic
axe-loving neighbor undertook to give
history Of its use by the two great parties
into which the country has been divided,
since the accession of the elder ADAMS to
power. Whatever other merit may be in
this hst0rietie--see the Union Of the Goth
Of April, ls4a, article, Proscription-there
is one obvious defect in it, and that is, the
writer did not institute a very sharp inquiry
aiterthe truth. Indeed, it is plain, that truth
was not the object sought. The whole en-
deavor is to show, that the Democratic party
never used the constitutional axe, for politi-
cal opinions sake, and that the Federalists
or Wings did One would suppose, that
such proposition, 50 much at~ariance with
the commonly received opinion ofthe country,
would have been supported by the most ire
fragible proof, but it is not SO. All the evil
dence adduced is the bald and bold assertion
Of the Union, that It is, as he says It is
We were prepared for almost any thing, no
matter how variant from the truth, which
could be said with an air Of plausibiGty, but
we confess, the article in question went
degree beyond what we supposed even our
truth-avoiding neighbor would be willing to
venture.
The printed history Of the politics of the
country give the denial direct to the propo-
sltion Of our contemporary, that the Demo-
cratic party was not the proscriptive party,
but that the Federal or Wing party was.
The very reverse is the truth. General
admitted men of all shades OF
constitutional political opinion, to partici-
patton in the Offices OF Government He
exercised decided preference for those,
who, he believed, were in favor Of establish
ng the Constitution upon firm basis, for,
I will be remembered, that, in those days,
here We're a number Of public men not
towards the, tlen, new Consti-
usien. Confidence in those, whom he Sc
ected as the depostares Of the public trusts,
vas the Primum mobile of all Gen WASH
ScToN's appointments, In one Of his let
ers to Mr.. STUART, Of Virginia, he
reats rather harshly, but justly, in our opin-
on, the conduct of a distinguished citizen
'f his native State, who went home from
New York and riliculed the first President
and ascribed TO him monarchical feelings.
That citizen was opposed to the new Gov
srIment, and though eiinently qualified for
'fhclal duties Of the highest grade, he never
ecelved an invitation to assist Gen. WASH
NcToN IN administering the Federal Exc
'utlve Office. And yet, nobody, in those
lays, or now, regards that act as proscrip-
i've one
We know, il is common to refer to Gen
NAsHrNcToN's administration as a no-party
administration, but we ARE not prepared to
ldmit the truth Of this distinction in the
present sense o. the term Ii was a decided
party administration, but his party was the
party Of The Constitution, and the opposing
party was lnimical to the successful estab--
ishment Of the new Government. Mr.. !
HAMILTON and Mr. JEFFERSON were Of the
WASHINGTON party, and their differences Of
opinion as to the construction Of the Consti-
ution, had nothing to do with giving char
acteristic to Gen WAsuINcTos's admins
ration They were. for the Constitution
md their opponents were against it. Eight
years successful administration, by the Fa-
herol his Country, Of the new Government,
Frustrated the party opposed to
il, and even before the close of that admin
stratlon, not voice was heard, in condem-
nation o. the Constitution, as not having
anrwered the purpose Of affecting a federal
union, such as was desired WAsHINcros
never called single citizen to public Office,
who was opposed to the new government
lie was so far party-man, though his party
was the marty al the ,ounfrv the Marty III