The republic. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1849-1853, 1850-05-17
7. In his letter to Captain J. $. Allison. dated at

| 7. In his letter to Captain j. S. Allison dated AT
Baton Rouge, on the 22d Of April lS4s, he says:
"One who cannot be trusted WITHOUT PLEDGES
cannot be confded in merely on account Of them"
| We have here, then, this extraordinary state of
the case The Senator from Maine insists that the
President did give pledges and the most positive
severating that he would do no such thing!-that,
if he to fill the Office of President, he would go
into it wholly unammeied, and would then take any
position that he might be pleased to take; that he
would place himself at the head of either of the great
parties, neither of them and remove from office
or not, as he might see fit. And yet the honorable
Senator contends that though the President found
(as can demonstrate) nine tenths Of the offices in
the hands OF his political opponents, and enjoyed
by party who had carried on the proscriptive sys-
TEN for twenty long years, he was under solemn
pledge not to remove from Office the President say
ing all the while that he would give no pledges I
have this to say in regard to the extracts presented
by the honorable member that he, or some one for
him, has steered entirely clear of every passage in
this correspondence in which this declaration Of the
President is contained vast ingenuity has been
displayed in this regard. There is in one Of
those extracts the word s'pledge" ''pledges" ex
cept in the last; and there it is used in
not to produce the slightest impression upon the
public mind. How comes 1t about that the honorable
Senator has omitted entirely all those repeated and
reiterated declarations of the President that he
would give no pledges, and that when Ire came into
the Presidents office he would do just rs he pleased;
that he would discharge the duties of that Office as
he felt bound in conscience to do, and according to
the Constitution? II my honorable friend ever pub
fishes another edition Of his speech, U understand
it has gone through several hope he will state in
a foot note that President Taylor said repeatedly
that he would make no pledges of any sort; and
then the conclusions of the public will be against
the whole tenor of the Senator's speech and in con-
formity to justice and truth.
In the next place, call the attention of the Sen
ate TO series of passages in the earlier letters of
General Taylor in which he declared that he would
not be the candidate of any mere party and would
a.atn ant N. ha nlA tad
except bya spontaneous expression of the public
will.
1. In a letter dated at Monterey, May Is, 1876,
he says:
date Of any party or yield myself to party schemes" "
q In letter dated at Monterey, July 6, lS47, he
says:
''I do not desire the presidency, and only Weld
thus far my assent to be considered candidate in
the same proportion in which it is desired by the
people, irrespective Of party
g. In letter dated at Monterey July l3, Is47,
he says;
81 am not willing to become the candidate of anu
party, 10 pledge myself to any political creed save
that winch proceeds directly from the Constitution
and the best and paramount interests of the coun-
try, and which they solemnly demand"
4. In letter dated at Baton Rouge January %
ls4S, he says
81 shall offer no active opposition to the use of
my name in connexion with this responsible office.
(the Presidency,) long they continue to use it
independent of party distinctions"
In extract No. /, the President saws he will not
"yield himself to party schemes" Now, can
name one scheme 70 which the President has not,
and will not, yield himself; and that is the great
predominating scheme OF the Democratic party to
hold on to all the Offices in the country and to de-
ter the Executive from making salutary reforms
by .clamor and abuse. The realization of tbia
scheme lies very the Democratic heart OF the
country. i dare say this was one of the schemes
which the President had in his mind when he made
this declaration And then it will be observed that
ina wfrar M. ho r
pledges, and il would seem impossible for him 10
write paragraph of four lines without eschewing
all such obligations.
Well, sir, the President undoubtedly at one time
said (vide extracts above) that he would not be
nero party candidate. What ia the inference
which the honorable Senator draws from that
That when he should reach the Presidency, he
would be no party President; that he would take
no ground; connect himself with party; call for
the support OF no class of the American people;
sympathize with no portion of our fellow-citizens
and would expect sone TO sympathize with him.
Now, desire TO ask, in all candor what an ex-
preston of the views Of the President in regard 10
the position in which he chose TO stand before the
public as a candidate, has TO do with his conduct
after he comes into Office,
Is II fair, is il ingenious TO seizc hold of ar
preston which related merely to his position as a
candidate, and undertake To infer from that an obi
CATION to administer the Presidential Office in a
particular way! After all, Mr.. President, this is
only another form Of asserting that he would not
give pledges. lie knew perfectly well that to con
sent 10 become the candidate for the Presidency Of
any party would involve pledge, and very high
pledge, too and never heard of but one man in
the history OF this country, q do not choose to
name him here,) who did not feel the binding obli-
CATION OF that pledge Sir, If any man accepts the
nomination OF any party, and goes in consequence
TO the head Of this Government, he 10 bound by the
very highest of all obligation to administer that
Government in general conformity with the views
OF those who elevate him TO the Presidential Office
and ] say this has been acknowledged by every
1apt txsyb, haa halI tl,t,f
10 the present day, with a single exception consti-
tuting very remarkable case Of perfdy in the
civil history ofthis country in my judgment not less
Infamous than the perfdy which marked our mill
tary annals at an early day. The President un-
derstood this very we'll. He knew that If he con-
sented to become the candidate of the Whig party
he would come under the obligation of pledges
and the language now referred to vas only another
form OF saying that he would give pledges 10 no
party or body of men whatever.
Ill In the next place, invite the attention of the
Senate 70 passages from this same class Of letters,
in which the President said that he would not II
elected, lend himself 10 party schemes, and would
be the President Of the people.
In letter dated Monterey, July 20, Is47, he
said:
"should I ever occupy the White House. il must
be by the spontaneous move Of the people, and by
no act OF mine; 40 that could enter on the duties
appertaning 10 the Chief Magistrate of the country
untranmeied and unpiedged, beyond what have
previously stated regards the Constitution; so
that could and toould be the President Of the nation
and nofof party"
2. In a letter dated at Baton Rouge, FEBRUARY
~, lS4s he says:
"Should be elected to that office, (tho Presi-
dency,) should deem Il to be my duty. and should
most certainly claim the right, 20 look TO the Con
shtution and TO the high interest of our common
country, and not to the principles Of party Cor my
rule of action"
D. In letter dated at Baton Rouge. May l, Is4s.
he says:
81 must be permitted TO add that as they have
with SO much confidence placed my name before
the country on their own responsibility, free from
party ae'on and the eraeton Of pledge, from mysef
shalt serve them humbly a constitutional and
party Prsssdsnf, Tin the event already alluded to)
and as my ability will permit"
md In "1hs Campaign" "a paper published IN
tins city TO promote the election OF General Cass)
of September "a. ls4s. the following view Of this
part of General Tsylor's correspondence
at is eminently ridiculous TO speak of a candi-
date being much of party man as TO prevent
him being the President of the whole country
Why, the Presidents oath OF Office settles that mat
| ter--party candidate no party candidate. The
fact Is this phrase, which has appeared 40 often In
General Taylor's letters, means Just nothing at