Staunton spectator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1896, 1852-07-14
The Recusant Wings.

AS part OF the history OF the tunes, we Puohsh
in another column the card of several Southern
members of Congress, giving their reasons for de-
Ginning to support the nomination Of Gen. SCOTT
Some of these gentlemen have been we'll known
and highly respectable members ofthe Wing par
ty, but their present course depriyes them OF the
sympathy of those with when, they have hereto
fore acted Instead of carrying off with them any
large body of the Southern Wings, they will
90 out comparatively alone to seek some other par
ty association. Under the specious pretext of OPP
posing further agitation they have become, as far
as their influence extends, the most miscellaneous
agitatOrs and while protesting devotion to the u
Mon, they have assumed a, position hostile to its
best interests Having predetermined to oppose the
election of Gen. Scorr, they have searched for rea
sons to give to the public, and this imsy nantes
to is the result of their joint wisdom and labor.
Their first objection to Gen. ScoTr is, that up
to the time of his nomination he refused to give
any public opinion in favor. of the Compromise
1t is true that he refused to write electoneering
letters, but these men know, as every member of
Congress knows, that he was from the first warm
ly in favor of those measures, and contributed all
his influence to secure their adoption
But the terms of his letter Of acceptance do not
please these fastidious gentlemen, and they nsti-
tute criticism upon words which sperfectly pue-
rle and ridiculous. Perhaps if they will hunt up
the original manuscript Of the letter, they will find
that some of the rs were not crossed, some of
the is not dotted, or that some of the punctuation
marks were omitted An objection based upon
such grounds, would be quite as valid as that as
signed. No pnprejudiced individual can read the
letter. without seeing in it plain, unequivocal en-
dorsement of the Compromise. .ts.a
Gen. Scorr, however, has not given the right
sort of s'guaranty" For his "strict adherence" to
the principles of the Wing party, as expressed IN
the resolutions of COnrentior," he pledges,
nevertheless, the ''known incidents" of long pub
lie life, which have proved him to be man of
yerac;ty and honour If this is not sufficient, we
must believe that gentlemen are determined not to
be satisfied.
These gentlemen go on to say that in one of his
public letters, Gen. ScoTT has expressed senti-
ments inimcal to the institution of slavery. In
the letter alluded to there is not word which can
be tortured into declaration of hostility to the
rights of shareholders, but Gen. SCoTT stated in
it that if he had been member Of the Virginia
LIE gislature in 1882, he would have favoured the
scheme of emancipation then proposed. And this
iS nrged ar an objection to him by Mr.. CHARLEs
JAMES FAULKNER, a man who went as far as the
farthest in denouncing the institution and urging
its speedy abolition! Further comment on this
head is unnecessary.
The browning sin of Gen. Scorr, in the opinion
ofMessrs. faulkner s. Co., is, that he permitted
himself to be held up as candidate by the Free
soilers. The truth is that he permitted himselfto
be held up as candidate by no faction. More
than year ago, he stated in reply to letter ad-
dressed to him from Pennsylvania, that we would
probably "only have Wing candidate for the
Presidency through national conrention," and
declined further correspondence on the subject
He is now the candidate of''a national conven
tion," and is in position where all national men
may support him. If Free see fit to vote for
him, notwithstanding his reputation Of their prin-
cpes, we shall not reject him on that account, nor
Weld for moment to the belief that they will be
able to seduce him from the path of duty. Seduce
WINFIELD Scorr! How. preposterousr
1t is question ofsome little interest, as to what
course these gentlemen win pursue in the canvass,
Most of them will probably seek to get up sec
tional organization, which they will dub the gu
Mon party - while one or two will comeout boldly
in support of Mr.. PIERCE. Too staunch in their
advocacy of Southern rights to vote for any body
that SEWARD prefers, they will vindicate their
principles and their consistency by falling into the
opposite ranks along side of the VAN BuRENs, Ran
rouI, and other Free soilers. This will be the
course of Mr.. FAULKNER Nobody has expected
anything else of him.. Always rather fshy, he
has not been considered Wing for more than a
year past, and his sgnaturefto the paper seems
very much like an attempt at apractical joke
Indeed, accordingto the Washington Republic, all
the signers of the card, excepting Mr.. GENTRY
and MIR. WILLIAMS, had abandoned the Wing
party long before the Convention, and those two
were so committed by their antecedents that they
could with propriety adopt no other course than
that of indifference or SILENCE during the present
canvass. .-' y "'h'