Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1849-06-05

LETTER FROM PETER sKEN Bolts 10 JOHN
NJ BOTTS.

back upon our principles of 1910. II is impos
sible lar any parry 10 succeed who nave no.
something fixed and stable 10 stand upon. foui
clap-lrap policy may take with The people Tor a
moment, but il will not last. And hence II Is
that we no sooner get into power than We are
licked gu, again. Now just look back al our
course, from the foundation OF The Government
10 The present time, with the exception oil 1870
when We had fixed principles, and rallied upon
them and tell M whether il was not calculated
10 ruin any party thai ever existed. We frs! ga.
lhered our forces around The Federal Government,
which was then in our hands, and enteavored
with the cOndcnsins pipe OF federalism, 10 drive
power into il, until il should become 50 inflated
as to lerriy the States into abjecl submission 10
il, And whal was the consequence 2 Why II
pop,-no it didn't pop. but it would have popI, il
Mr.. Jefferson had not tapped it; which done,
away we were clown by our own wind, and il
KEEP. discharsing upon US a such rate, that We
could not come near The seat OF power again Tor
forty years. During The interval, We Eled all
soits OF expedienls 10 recover our lost ground.
We dropped the condensins. pipe, the Alien and
Sedilion laws, &c &c, AM !ell 10 banging up
on The French Revolution, III The hope oil seltllnS
and hiyinS The Democrats tho were sWarming
abDu " and singing IT'S 10 DEAN. AM What
ha we 10 Go with IN. French Revolution, except
10 wish /, well il il did well seeing that Us pm
ctpLss were ieafnei 10 this country, fof resisting
British insult AM aggression. TINS plan dhn!
work wel SO We tuag il aside. and declared WI,
"a moral war; against Gfea, Britain. We resoy
ell TO drive her productions ont Of The county,
and with four or five good Tor nothing factories,
which could not sustain themselves, We proposed
To supply our people with ali the goods they
nigh, need pro0ids4 he government would ac-
commodale US 50 lar as 10 shut out British goods
until we could do il. Well, this plan took, aud we
went on swimminely Tor lime; but then We
pushed the figure SO TAR we pa,alesd las The En-
gsh gan.eser calls III 50 desperately, that we lis
gusleG our Southern allies, AMI they abandoned
Us. We now seized The condrnsing- pipe again,
and began 10 initiate our F,o!scior, ua'il shc
would have ,neyitab y pep! his time, mad not On
Hickory administered 10 her Il lew choic-dtopS,
Just in time 70 save her Here we we'c now, all
ahual again! rs usual, we drop our principles.
and with them our name. Wing" was name
dear 10 The country; 50 we took ina, in the place
Of Fsacralsi. II was pretty bold move in u,
considering our sayings and doinss, Tor Ihey
didn't fl Revolutionary Waiggery exactly. But
no matter; we have always believed The populace
were more easily led by names than things; and
al this time this is true, but il will no! last. We
now, under our new name, struck out new
creed which united all our scattered forces airac-
ed the admiration Of every body, and swept eve
~ thing before il. |. was Co0ny-a name dear
10 every American bosom Tor lis magic
power and halowed "reminiscences. now sup.
rosed that our party was fixed upon an I'M
movable basis Its principles were simple, IN.
eligible. attractive to all-offensve TO nome
We found beautiful exponent Of them in Old
Tip-a whisgio-jenocrali federal-repubican
Southern by birth, Northern by adoption, and
hero BY universal concession. Under this lead
er, and fighting for these heaven born principles,
We fought and conquered The Democratic
lest was nearly annhila.ed Even The old FLAG
Ship of Republcansm came grooming and dis
manted from the conflict Her flag still waved
at her masthead, to be sure, but il was dread
fully rent, and no shout OF victory came from
her crew. Our first and second in command
were taken FROM her decks, aud her spirit sunk
10 warning against heroes of her own training,
and another broadsdc from Cooncry would have
assuredly sunk her. But, alas! instead OF follow
ing up our advantages. We spiked our cannon
and with the greediness Of cormorants, fell 10
dividing the spoils. And here we errei again.
Surely, we should have thrown crumb or two
TO our recruits from the Democratic ranks, with
out whom we must have been defeated. But
no; the bigger the Wing the bigger The slice; and
il one of our allies had the least streak Of Demo-
cracy left in him, he was not allowed even a
marrowless bone Of the spoils This was bad
enough, but the browning error came next. We
actually discarded the principles, which were the
bond Of the party and the charm # the country;
and as If iorcioomcd 10 suicidal faulty, we
actually fell back upon The principles which had
already ruined US, and which thousands Of our
friends had publicly abiurcd, We flung away
the humble, peaceful, rural log cabin, and set 10
building up prIDceiy Bank We kicked over
the cider 6,rei, and went 10 doctoring dying
Tariff We turned loose our Coons aud rushed
to distribution, Internal Improvements, and all
the stormy measures which had divided Us for
forty years. What was the consequence Why,
our enemies took courage. They had whipl
these principles repeatedly, and they knew they
could do il again. Out came the Old Ship upon
us with all her old allies, her desertcrs returned
to her, and their very FIRST broad.side knocked
us into the very worst sort Of a cock'd hat
coctd hat, did say' II hardly left US piece
Of nat TO cock-it pokci Us into the little end Of
nothing WE'LL here we were once more upon
our old ground, oaking out for clap-traps. The
Mexican war came on, and in spite OF the les
sons Of experience, we bounced upon that And
now we went il with rush. Such clpers as
we cut, never we're cut by human beings in their
senses before. We acted just ike a balky horse
in traces; we jumped forward and pulled back.
ward we kicked up and snorej; we danced 10
the right and then 10 the left; we paved at Old
lack, and knickered TO tho Mexicans-and
finally, we laid down and let The Democrats kick
US as they pleased. Well, the war furnished Us
good candidate, at least. Another Tip case 10
hair. And now, could | have prevailed upon
the party 10 rail- upon the principles OF 40, &c
should have had something to stand on. But no,
our old sin beset US. We repudiated party and
party distinctions and became exceedingly ma
tor al in spirit What Old Zack was We did 7
know, and we didn't care. lie was "a Wing Of
the Jelfersonian School," and though The world
had never seen or heard Of such Wing before,
vet surely the Yankee world would vote fer a
Wdig, and the Southern world for J. fir
sonian. We succeeded, but with manifest
falling of from he glorious days OF "T'Ppecauoe
and 1Iisr TOO" And why2 COonry was for
saken. But Ohanks 10 the AboliIloLis,s ant
Free Soilers) We succeeded; and see, COUSIN John,
he first fruits Of our victory The Cabinet is
Wig, warp and illng-the Democratic cohorts
are pushed aside asain-ihe Wing papers pre-
nOunce this al right and the Iariffl'cs and
Banses are beginning ~ utop INNS mat ihcy
are going back 10 The ground from which 'hcy
have ever been driven with defeat and disgrace
Wha,', the consequence Down comes the Oh
Flag Sip upon Us again; and her first ii'e mows
down every big Wing in Virginia but one, anu
he was only saved b. sileak Of Democracy
As sure as you are born, her oil friends viii 90
back 10 her again; and away we all scampcr
again! Now il We are put down once more, ue
mill rever rise again Hero worship Is on
viously last wearing ou'i and, il il were no
who would we take upneI7 Sco;7 He's poi
,icaly dead and burled-buried in blaze Of
glory 10 be sure bu, buried beyond the power
Of a Wing resurrection. Now, if we were not
deaf 10 the voice OF reason and experience, we
would see clearly ina. We never can achieve
lasting triumph without certain clear, well de-
fined and fixed principles And what bcaer d.
We want than those win which We won the most
brilliant victory that ever was won in this favor
ed lana7 Principles which united all hearts,