Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1851-06-19
The Wing Party.

LIE wing any
Had an unbiased foreigner, anxious to ascer-
tain the true principles and rules of action of the
two great political parties of the United States,
soiourned among us II : ear 4 'nt the
nomination. Of Gen. Ia i i% ali grave all tue pro-
fessions made by the Wing party Of their sacred
and unalterable principles-of their deep con-
victions of the indispensable necessity of ga
high Protective Tariff,"-of a " sound National
Currency" which they thought not prudent to
call a National Bank,-of the application of the
Jefersonian Ordinance to all acquired territory,
together with their thousand times repeated
claim to be the true Freesoil party,-and espe'
cially had he he heard their fierce denunclatlons
of the Locofocos, as Jewelers., non-interventlon-
lists in the matter of slavery, and destructives
harboring principles fraught with absolute ruin
to all the great interests of the country had he
heard all this, then lett the county, and, without
beng appraised of what had subsequently trans
pired, returned among us in 1851, what would
naturally be his first enquiry?
"Where," would he not ask, where now
stand the Wings whose principles were held SO
immutable and so much the perfection of rea-
SOMEWHERE the despised Locotocos whose poll,
cy and principles were deemed so ruinous to the
country and so subversive to right and humani-
ty,-and lastly, where the small, third party of
Freesoilers who were admitted to be right as far
as they went, but did not come up to the Wing
party, even in the one idea principle which was
the chief item of their creed 2" And what
would he think of that Wing party when he be-
came fully a~pprised of their present position,
and the relation in which they now stand to the
other two parties,-one of which (the Locosl he
would still see demurely marching along with
their old notions unaltercd,-aud the other tine
Freesoilers,l increasing in numbers and fast
coming up to the Wing standard IN free prIncl-
ples? What would he think when he found
those Wings in power, and their great Official
head at Washington recommending a Tariff, if
the old, one was touched at all, quite as low as
the destructive Locos ever copiended Iqra--re.
linquishing all Wing claims to q National Cur
rsnay. slssaany naspsing tpat paaefs and Tuinous
Locofoco Sub-Treasury, and going even much
further than the Lccos in the way Of favoring
slavery,-what would he think when he found
the Wing President and his Cabinet all united
in doing this, and the party generally sustaining
their administration, and claiming it TO be good
and faithful Wing administration And again,
what would he thlnk when he found this same
Wing party acting in perfect harmony with that
of those Jacobinical Locos, and at the same time
waging a fierce war against those honest Free
s%ollers, whose only fault used to be their lack in
being as good Freesoilers as the Wings them
selves? What, we finally repeat, would he
think of the Wing party, after witnessing all
that occurred in 1915, and all that has occur
red and is occurring in l650-5l? Would not
the ~plainest common sense dictate the answer?
Would he not, if possessed Of that quality and
common candor, at once say, that, however hon
est might have been many among the masses Of
that party in their professions and denunciations,
all their leaders had either directly apostacised
from their protested principles, Or their former
platform was a piece of the sheerest hypocrisy
that was ever palmed upon the public, and that
they, and all who would now support them, had
forfeited every claim to be longer respected as a
party, having Invested themselves, by their con-
duct, of every distinctive principle of National
policy they ever protested, and shown them
selves utterly false to the principles of liberty
they pretended to hold in common with the Free
soil party?
Now, have we not stated the case fairly in
relation to the past and present position of the
Wing party? Have we not truly set forth what
that party did universally condemn and de.
nounce in the old Democratic party,-what
they protested themselves, what Prescriptions
they made, and what they pretended to admire,
adopt, snd even exceed III the Freesoil party2
And have we not represented with equal truth
f%ulness, the present attitude in which they stand
in relation to the other parties, both in practice
and principles? We appeal to the well-inform-
ed of all parties to gainsay this, if they cam
if not, to have the Candor 10 admit our position.
If this, then, be so, should honest, rejecting
men any longer adhere TO such a party,--a par
ty that has not now any one cementing. princi-
ple,-any one principle entertained by the difTe-
rent portions of their party, which is not more
clearly and distinctively entertained by the other
two parties? And why, indeed, should the party
itself be kept longer together What object can
there be in it, except the pihful one of securing
to its leaders the post and places that may be
gained, perchance, by party %triumphs d? Can
anybody tell? Those of them who agree with
the Polk and CNss doctrines of O n-interven-
ton, which their leaders, their President, and all
the pillars of his administration, have adopted.
would feel more at home, and have a better
guarantee against changes, in the old National
Democratic party, than they would where they
now are and those who were sincere in thei,
opposition to slavery extension and aggression.
would quite as certainly find more c|ongenial
comnanv and n better scone for the eyarcisa 81