The daily national Whig. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1847-1849, 1849-01-01

4 We thought we felt the due Importance Of
fsuch partisan journal here, before we be-
came engaged in one, but our experience has
taught US, that il is almost impossible to esti-
mate its true power, Of such magnitude and
extent is it. When we began our paper~
there was no partisan journal in,the Union
that had entered upon the canvass, The
National Whig was the first partisan daily
paper in the country, that set out with the
ayowed and exclusive purpose OF securing
for General Taylor the nomination Of a
Wing National Convention. We plunged
N medias res, and never rested from our la
Dor until the 3lst OF December, lS47. In
founding the National Whig, the propric-
tor had no capital but his honesty and his in
dustry. We gave him our labor as his Edi-
tor, and took nothing for It. They, who know
nothing Of newspaper publishing, without
capital, can never be brought to understand
by any process short Of experience, the diff
culties and vexations incident to such an UNI
dertaking. Suffice it to say, that the pro-
prietor struggled on against cares and diff
culties for nine months, when he was forced
to succumb by the opposition to General
Taylor's nomination.
During our experience as Editor Of this
journal, we learned one fact, OF which we
were previously unaware, and that is, that
there is large body Of men in the country,
whose interests are directly opposite to those
Of the people at large, that this body is al
ways anita gonistical to the people who do
not seek public employment, and that the
,,o,,o, or Az. hndxy 70 ,l,,o.,. aforementioned a.,
the negligence Of the people at large in ex-
erting their own power. This body Of men
is united together by the strongest bonds,
those Of selt-interest, and their interest
consists invariably in placing man at the
head Of affairs who will do their bidding.
This body may be called By way Of antith-
esis to the body polite Tor the people the
polite body Had we supported the NOM
inees Of this polite body Or the politicians,
for they were not agreed among themselves,
the proprietor Of this-paper would have pros
pered and grown rich, but unfortunately for
his pecuniary interests, he was on the side
Of the people. Had we even been left alone
! by the politicians, we should have overcome
all obstacles, but they would not let us alone.
They made war upon the paper, and used
against it all their power and influence to
put it down, and they succeeded at last, but
not until it hpd sown, broadcast, the good
seed Of Taylorism in the Wing party.
The arguments Of. the National Hhig in
! favor Of the nomination Of General Taylor
/ by the Wing General Convention were scou-
ted at BY Gus partisan contemporaries and the
politicians, as unworthy Of consideration, and
even when they were answered by ourop-
ponents, personal abuse Of us for our temer-
| ity, was substituted for reasons why we
should not be heard. And when, in the
full conviction Of the truthfulness Of our
views and arguments, we would predict what
has since come to pass, we were laughed at
as false prophet and condemned as an adven-
turer in desperate cause. The chief weap-
on employed against US was silent contempt
Of our labors, but our doctrines were true
doctrines and they made their way to the
ears Of the people in spite Of our opponents.
They were copied by the Democratic parti-
san press IN erfenso, for the laudable purpose
in their eyes, Of sowing discussions in the
\ Wing party, and thus, though the object o.
the publishers was defeated in the end, we
obtained an audience Of the people, which
was denied by our political brethren.
\ But the opposition Of our partisan contem.
porarieswas not confined to denying our Tay-
: lor articles place in their columns. Itman-
Tested itself in various other ways, among
} which was studious. refusal to state the fact
that such paper as the National Wing ex-
isted at the seat Of Government. To obyi-
}, ate this difficulty, the proprietor requested
J his contemporaries to publish his prospectus
I and to send him their bill Of costs. The pre-
sumption was, that selfainterest would induce
many to do what had been refused himthrougf
the usual courtesy subsisting orsupposed to BE-
subsisting between journals. there were
some few Wing and Democratic journals SC
hostile to us, that they even refused to adj
vertise for us without the money 10 advance,
while in the case Of considerable number
Of Wing and Democratic-papers, it turned
out as presumed. They complied with the
proprietor's request, and punctually sent in
J theirbills. But there were honorable excep-
tons. They published our prospectus as re-
quested, and payment for the service was pla-
ced to the credit Of the courtesy Of Journal
ism! We allude to these things with no UNI
kind feelings. They are past, and the pro-
: prietor, if ever enabled to do so, assures his
contemporaries, that their bills shall be faith
fully paid, unless, indeed, now that wa are
all victors, they will send him receipts in
, full for their service.
, In this review Of past difficulties, we ten
n derour heartfelt thanks to those persons, here
and elsewhere, a small band though they be,
4 4 - e 4 =. A /. a., r. u 4
j helped us to maintain our post to the extent
Of their ability. The help they could afford
/ US, was not enoughto enable us to bear up
against the opposition Of wealth and class
, interests combined to put us down, but we
! kept our opponents at bay for nearly 6 year,
!, during which time, we preached Taylorism
without fear and without favor, In season and
out Of season, without compensation and
! without thanks, fiom morning to night and
from night till morning. The strife resulted