The daily national Whig. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1847-1849, 1849-02-20
THE EZRA OF MODERATION.

II the country shall gain nothing else by
its choice Of ZACHARY TAYLOR as the Presi-
dent, il will gain an era Of moderation The
days Of violence are numbered in the cabi-
net Justice is about to re-assume her pro-
per influence in the Government, after an
absence from the seat Of power Of twenty
long years
| The very first public act Of President
TArLoR-the appointment Of JOHN NJ.
CLAYTON to preside over the Department Of
Foreign Afairs-is deadly blow to ultra
ism in the administration Of the federal exc
cutive, And we venture to say in advance,
that, when the appointments Of the other
departmental officers shall come to be known,
the country viii agree with US, that the era
Of moderation has really begun.
II is an old and homely maxim, that a
ruler will always have about him people Of
the same kidney with himself. President
TAILOR is no exception to this maxim
He has already begun to verify its truth.
Eminently distinguished for justice and mod
Grafton himself, he has called to the depart
ment Of Foreign Affairs, man eminent for
the possession Of the same qualities, Nay,
the resemblance OF Mr. CLAYTON TO the
President is still more striking Both are
men Of frankness and simplicity Of manners
in their intercourse with their fellow citizens,
both possess the confidence Of their political
opponents for iniexible honesty, determined
ness Of purpose, and intolerance Of injustice
in any shape or way.
The most wonderful trait Of TAYLoR's
judgment is, the unerring certainty with
which he reads human character The pub
lie mind has long since made up its judgment
Of Mr. CLAYToN's character and Of Pfesi-
dent TAyLon's, too, and public opinion had
indicated, ever since the election, that Mr..
CLAYTON was the very man for the depart
ment Of Foreign Affairs. President TAy-
LoR's Judgment Of his character correspond
ed with that Of the public mind, and in the
despatch communicating to him the invita-
ton 10 take charge Of the department Of For.
eign Affairs, the President felicitously al
ludes to the harmony between his own, the
Presidents opinion and that Of the public
mind. There are very few individuals in
any age, who possess the power Of Judging
in harmony with the public judgment Of men
and things, but President TAYLOR is a
aan who pre-eminently enjoys the posses
sion Of this rare faculty.
And herein, IS the secret of his success |;
not that there is an accidental correspon
dence between his judgment and the public
Judgment, but because Of the soundness or
his judgment Of men and things The pub
lie Judgment is never wrong, whent is in
possession Of all the materials relating TO
gwen question, but the judgment of a single
/ individual is always liable to be wrong; and
the soundness Of private judgment Is always
to be estimated, by its consonance with the
public judgment, when the two can pass upon
the same thing President TAYLoR's
Judgment, when subjected to this test, has
been proved to be almost niallible.
There are those, even among Wings, en-
inent Wings, too, Wings who did not vote
for General TAYLOR, who thought and still
think, that his judgment, though almost in
fallible inmlitary matters, would not and will
not be safe incivilmatters. Prominent Dem
ocrats have shared and still share in this
distrust. The very first act Of his Pre,i-
Dental career goes far toinvalidate the opin-
lion, Of these gentlemen, and, we think, to