The miners' express. (Dubuque, Iowa) 1849-1854, 1850-03-20
From the Washington Union.
The miniatrntiOn

the most favorable auspices. Its nominal head,
General Taylor, in consequence of the splendid
victories achieved by the army under his COM
| mand in Mexico, his disavowal of all partisan
prejudices, and his pledges against the proscrip-
ton of the democratic party, came into Office
with the friendly sympathies>of all parties in his
favor. His own political supporters were, of
course, stopped from all opposition to him, be-
cause they had endorsed all pledges, and had
everything to hope from his election. The dem
ocratic party were not personally hostile to him
ON the contrary, they entertained towards him
a feeling of kindness and regard, because he had
fought with them in patriotic cause against the
Mexicans on their own soil, while they had ia
ken care of the allies Of Mexico at home, and
because he had solemnly pledged himself not to
be partisan President, and not to procribe his
political opponents for mere difference of opinion
He thus had it in his power, if he had possessed
ordinary shrewdness and sagacty, to make him.
self personally the most popular President since
the day of Andrew Jackson, and his administra-
ton one of the most acceptable to the people
The federalists, upon the issues presented in the
election by themselves, had no claims upon him
to give them the Offices, to carry out their par
ty principles.
Yet; in the very face ofalI these promises and
pledges, he threw himself into the hands of the
most ultra of the federal leaders, and has shown
himself to be the most proscriptive and bitter
|
the first. He has not only recklessly repudiated
the promises and pledges which he made to the
American people, but he has sinned against the
virtues OF gratitude and patriotism. He has re-
morselessly prescribed the party to whose kind
ness and generosity he owes all his military sue
cess, and the presidency itself, and has allied
himself, with the party who gave said and COM
Tort to the public enemy against whom he and
the brave men under his command were contend
ing upon the field of battle. This public exhibi-
ton of his ngratitude, and this outrage upon pa
triotism, excited the distrust and strong aversion
of the entire democratic party of the Union, and
left him entirely without it's support, any further
than the supreme interests of the country
make it necessary and proper for them to give
| it.
Thus did Gen. Taylor sever himself and his
administration from all sympathy or support from
the democratic party. Nor has he been much
more successful with his own party. He COM
mtted, in the first place, a great error in the
construction of his cabinet It neither was the
choice, nor had the confidence of the leaders and
master minds of the federal party; and its whole
course and policy have only tended to confirm the
suspicious and distrust of its friends. 1t
has committed blunder upon blunder, thus dis
gracng itself and the country i'll both its fore
ign and domestic policy. 1t has, in its whole
course, exhibited most remarkable want of
common sense and ordinary sagacity. Instead
ofconsulting the leading of the federal party,
the cabinet attempted to rely upon its own un-
tried and feeble capacity to manage the affairs of
the nation; and, while it repealed the counsel of
it's ablest political friends, it took to its bosom
set of obscure satellites, who had distinguished
themselves only in the most vulgar and unprn-
cipled system Of clectlonecrng ever practised in
this country Such men as Truman Smith and
Fitz Henry Warren, never heard of before, be-
came prominent stars in the galaxy Of wing sta
tesmen; while such men Messrs. Webster,
Clay, Berrine, Mangum and others-mcn emil
ncnt for their intellectual abilities and their ex-
perience in public atfairs-were placed without
the pale of intimate confidence and consultation
by the cabinet.
And what has been the result? Before the
people, the administration was defeated and pros
trated in the first six months of its career-a
spectacle unexampled in the history of this coun-
try. In the conflict which it wagcd with the
democratic party in the elections of the last sum-
mcr autumn, it ovcrthrown and routed
In the encounter, it so trihed with the personal
popularity of Gen. Taylor, as to deprive his
; of all its prestige, and its supporters became
, ''demoralized," to military phrase, which
signifies the Discrimination and refusal of troops
| to submit to necessary and Wholesome discipline
l Such was the condition of the administration
when it called to confront Congress. And
, what spectacle does it present in that body
Who are it's leaders in the Senate? And who
stand up for it in the House Of Representatives,
Where the great lights Of the federal party
in the Senate? They not on the democratic
side. They still true to their party principles,
but they are not the advocates and defenders of
| the Taylor administration, any further than
fidelity to their party principles cempcls them to
| be. They do not rush to its support and defence
con amorc, when it is assailcd as they would if
they had any real repect for it. But, on the
| contrary, the defence Of the administration is
left to such gentlemen Mr.. Truman Smith
and MIR. Seward. Mr.. Smith is the Achilles of
the administration in the Senator, rather, all
the Achilles which it has in that body; and the
truly able men-Messrs. Webster, Berrien, and
others, look coolly on, and laugh to see how the
work is done; and certainly it is done in man.
ner irresistably ridiculous, and provocative of
laughter. five may Judge from what we have
already witnessed in the Senate, think we
may safely affirm that the administration has
but very few cordial supporters in that body;
and we are not aware that it has many more in
| the House.
The measures which the cabinet proposed in
the annual message to have fallen still
born from that document. We hear but little
response to them from any respectable number
of members in either House And as to the
plan of General Taylor, proposed in his Cali
fornia message, with regard to the Territories, it
seems to have been repudiated by every body,
dS pueTlle, HhpldctlCdple, anu dangerous
scheme Mr.. Clay has openly repud.ated it, and
we are not aware that it has single supporter
in either branch of Congress, although we will
not affirm that it has not any.
j Such is the condition of the present admins
traton. 1t has incurred the firm, fixed but hon
orable opposition of the democratic party, by the
ingrattude of lis head and its treachery to So
lemn pledges. 1t has been repudiated by the
people 1t has managed the affairs Of the
government as to ALLEVIATE the attachment Of a
good share gifts own political friends. AS to it's
capacity to do good, it has none; to it's power
to do evil, it has much, because it requires nci-
Their capacity nor good sense to do evil. Folly,
vicious inclination, or even insanity, may be
powerful prompter to evil deeds and mischief;
and, judging from the past, these are all we have
any reasonable ground to expect from the adj
ministration. 1t is floating like drift-wood down
the stream oftme. Like trees floating upon the
turbid bosom of the majestic Mississippi, it may
form snags, and thus impede the safe navigation
of the ship of State; but the best hope and the
utmost encouragement which the country has
from it are, that it will float silently and peace
fu1ly on it's destined until IL int