The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1851-03-14
WASHINGTON, March l2. 1851.
TIE CGupasgn Of 81 Pr.iaestiat Candidates
General Scoft

The GGmpasga Of '52-Presidestiat Candidates.
General Scott.
II The Presidential campaign has not commenced
ia due FORM sufficient indications already exists, to
enable any one 10 see who the asprants are The
last three or four days of the session, however,
damaged the calculations OF some of them, and 1t
is questionable whether they will be able to recover
themselves IN time. Notwithstanding the gyra-
lions of General Cass, upon the River aad Harbor
bill, he has unquestionably injured his chances;
and, moreover, he is in the unpleasant position
where any movement, no matter in which way
taken, is certain to plunge him still further in the
nire.
The prominent candidates on the whig side, are
General Scott, Willard Fillmore, Daniel Webster.
On the part of the democrats, General Houston,
General CASE, General VIM. .. Butler
propose al the present time, To speak Of but one
of these-General Scott. Although yet he is
the only man who has been publicly nominated for
the Presidency, and dlnary efforts seem to
have been made to take time BY the foreock, still
il is fact well known here, that his nomination
does not meet with the hearty approval Of the great
body OF wing representatives recently assembled at
the capital Although no one says much against
IT, still among the most clear headed wire puers,
there existed an ominous silence, far more ex-
pressive than mere words. Had General Scott
just concluded glorious war, and been suddedly
ushersd into notice az was Gen Taylor i is not
But the cases are widely dlssmar. General
Scott has been known for years to the country,
as purely military man, and high as is
is his name connected with the victories OF 1872
and lS47, it is conceded that his reputation as
statesman is just nothing AT all. Whenever he has
strayed from his legitimate field, ne has always
| failed. One President has been elected upon the
smoke of the Mexican war, and the experiment
was anything but happy one. To try second in
succession IL, to use homely expression, running
the thing into the ground Ii may be said that Gen.
Scotts want OF judg nent as statesman is no OBJ
stacle to his election, because the people will not
take time to reflect upon that deficiency, and if they
do, why, it can easily be obvated by his selecting
| truth in this. 1t was Just such arguments that
elected Harrison and Taylor. Itmay, however, be
| tried too often; and it must be remembered that
there is no excitement existing now, as, there was
| in both those instances In 1910, the wings made
grand rally; they had been of office for years.
| they got hold Of an old military man, dug hum up
| from the quietude of North Bend, and converted
| him into hero; and then, by dint OF hard cider,
log cabins, and humbug, succeeded in electing him.
| But il is beyond doubt true that without any of
these exertions they could have elected Henry Clay
| at the same time. In Gen, Taylor's case, nobody
knew anything about him, except that he was a
victorious general, who had been hardly treated by
| the administration. This very ignorance was ia
vorable, and he was elected, Wills. the victories
| were fresh in the minds of every one.
But even if it were possible to galv anze the
country into an excitement about Scott, there is
one great obstacle in the way of his success. HIS
affinlties with the native American party are well
knewn-he has never come forward ant confessed
his error in desiring to exclude the Irish and Ger
| man population from the right to become citizens
! within reasonable period and his treatment Of
| the priests in Mexico, so much relied upon to
countervail this false step, will amount to nothing.
| IL he is brought forward, who can doubt but that
his letter would be distributed every State OF
| the Union who does not feel that every stump
would resound with calls upoa Z" our adopted fell
low-citlzens," to repudlate man who had olemnly
| recorded his enmty to their exercising equal po-
ltical rights. And without the votes OF our adop-
ted citizens what candidate TO the Presidency can
| be elected
General Scott was nominated by clique of POI
litcal charlatans in Delaware last fall. The men
who nomin ated him, are identified with the abol,-
ton feeling of the North. They, of course, only
| seized upon Scott, because they knew if elected
| he would fall into their hands with the same ia
| cility that Gen. Taylor did and il they find his
native Americanlsm il likely 10 injure them, they
will desert hun with the same facility they did in
/ 1870 and in lS4S.
| IL is plain that for two reasons Gen Scott can
not be elected. In the first place. the country is
tired Of the experiment Of electing military men
purely military men, to the Presidency; and in the
| second place, even if this were not the case, his
communism with the native American party de-
| stroys his chances.
| l will speak Of the other candidates in future
letters, promising that merely give impressions
drawn from close observation OF the state OF
| feeling during the past Sc ssion.