Richmond daily times. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1853, 1852-04-07
COMMODORE STOCKTON.


Recent advces report that this distinguished
gentleman is decidedly convalescing from his late
serious attack at Trenton. The symptoms, so
mysterious and alarming to his friends, have much
abated. He is now said to be sitting up '.clothed
and in his right mind,' and scarcely recognises
the "caricature" of himself he presented the
other day. In the meantime, for fear of relapse,
had not the Enquirer better send him on stiff
grog of ..'9o and "'99!'' 1t is an admirable pro-
phylactic against Whiggery-gently sedative in
its effects upon the minds of statesmen-calming
any undue excitement of the intellect, and gent
ly putting the unders landing in allegiance.
But seriously-was there anything that the
Commodore said on the late occasion, whether be-
fore or after the refreshments were handed round
of which he ought to be ashamed, or which he
ought to wish to unsay? It a refreshing circum-
stance to witness any expression of sincere and
healthy sentiment unauthorized with humbug,
from any of the gentry of platforms'' and ..prin-
ciples;" and we dwell on this instance of it with
a natural satisfaction. Need he blush to have
said that it proud day when New Jersey re-
ceived with honour in her Halls, one of the first
men of the nineteenth century, whose endow
ments, whether jurist statesman, legislator,
have thrown a lustre its history? Did he pro-
nounce aughtthat was untrue-that is not avouch-
ed by history herself-when he represented the
doctrine of protection once the universal nation
al sentiment, the true Democratic sentiment, be-
fore that word was debased into the synonyme of
place hunting and self-seeking? When he said
of New Jersey, that cher mineral resources ap-
pear to be inexhaustbe, but they buried in her
mountains-her hills are filled with iron and cop
per-all useless, inactive, dead, in consequence of
aconstantly iuctu,ting revenue system''-when
he insists dragging the iron out of her noun
tains down to the sea coast"-that ''we want it
for our national defences'-and ''why should not
the operations of the Government contribute to
the development of our resources % Does he
utter any thing that's not true of Virginia likewise,
and of every other State that is now leglslated in
to poverty and dependence in foreign countries
And when he says, g with an annual expenditure
of fifty millions, any thing be more ridiculous
than to quarrel about the vagares of free trade
that this amount of expenditure will require an
average duty of thirty three per cent on all our
importations. We have noresource for revenue of
any consequence but the duties on imports; what
folly then to be constantly wrangling about the
doctrines of free-trade " who is not ready to write
O. E. d. under his demonstration. Who! but
those who have no test of any thing but party and
who solve the problems of public economy by the
probabilities of who shall getand give the offices of
the country! And when he tell us farther, that
.sthe party" was srent asunder on this question
one side took with them the huader-it was all
the thunder they had"-we thank him for the
wholesome truth he tells, but not without mar
vel that with such consciousness of self-stultif-
cation, or what is graver still, of deception prac
ticed on the crsduty of others. as the confession
betrays, such man does not come out at once from
his present associates, and pat breach between
him and them that shall widen in proportion as he
learns TO love truth and abominate falsehood and
grimaee.
But the Commodore would probably have been
'.federalist'' had he lived in the days of Hamil
ton, Just as another compeer of the party would
have been a tory in the Revolution. Both, how
ever belong to the progressive school of Democ
racy Is the connection natural, and is it true |
what seems to be growing into general aeknow
edgmentl that an old federalist makes your best
sort of modern Democrat Woful degeneracy |
or lot it be recorded of these old federaists in the
words of this .'honest man who viii not back out |
from what he really does aay," that ''purer band |
II patriots and honest men never ruled the desti-