Daily American telegraph. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1851-1852, 1852-05-14
Much Ado About Nothing.

an aged person in his condition is not very
strong Still let us hope.
Much Ado About Nothing.
The Union of this morning is eloquently pa
thetic on the subject of General scotts views-or
the non revelation of them, rather-on the sub
ject of the Compromise; and Mr.. Bolts is the
guilty person who has 80 excited its sentiment
tally.
The whole pith of what the Union commun-
Gates on this head, however, is embraced in the
following sentences.
''That there may be no mistake about the
1neanng of Mr.. Bolts when he commends General
Scott to the favor of Virginia, he tells US, in
anoiht>r part of his letter, that, under the cir
cnmotonca s mentioned, he General Scott has
come n the conclusion that the true CO lrse for
him 70 nprsue is to publish nothing, unless he shall
he the nominee This is to say, thatn order to get
the nomination, Mr. Seward and his party must
be permitted to represent General scout as op..
posed to the Compromise whilst Mr.. Bolts and
his allies in the South will he declaring all the
time that directly the reverse is the truth.
"This is to say no such thing, rs the editor of
the Union surely must know.
"To publish nothing unless he shall DC the NOM
inee," we are told by Mr.. Bolts, is the determi-
nation of General Scott. Now the nomination
of a candidate will be the act of q convention
comprising intelligent representatives fresh from
the body of the people in each Congressional dis
trict of the United States These representatives
are to assemble at Baltimore for the specific
purpose of naming the Wing candidates for the
offices of President and Vice President. All
questions legitimately Herewith connected are
familiar to these delegates Whether to declare
the views of the convention upon certain ques-
tons, or to make no declarations thereon, will be
determined in the first place by the convention
and if resolved afhrmatively, what declarations to
make is within the discretion of the conven-
ton Its free voliton is, therefore, important to
the healthfulness and harmony of the Wing
party: and its actions should not be anticipated
or embarrassed in any particular. A platform
is the fashionable name for such declarations as
the convention may choose to make.
What is required of General Scott by his Dem
ocratic and Wing enemies? Simply that he shall
not await the determination of the convention,
but that he shall lay down platform for IL; that
he shall anticipate its resolves, and make dec
laration Of his views upon either more or less of
the subjects claimed to belong legitimately to his
position than that convention may desire.
We think that n decent respect for the great
national party of which he is n member forbds
such course and that the only wise and just
policy for him to pursue is, to acknowledge the
right of no person or persons, other than that
body, to demand n public proclamation of his
opinions.
If there is a single subject Of public interest
his views upon which are not clearly known to
every intelligent citizen of the republic, a full
and frank avowal of those views may be de-
handed by the Convention; and if that body
regards it as conducive to the welfare of the
party to reafrm the articles of political creed,
Gen. Scotts concurrence in such declaration must
accompany his acceptance of the nomination.
Should internal improvements, retrenchment,
and protection to agriculture, commerce, and
manufactures, be deemed by the Convention mat
ters Of paramount importance, it will avail but
little for Gen. Scott TO respond that he has al
ready revealed himself upon the Compromise J;
and should the Compromise be raised by the
resurrectionists for his endorsement, it will
avail but little for him to point to his written
opinions on the tariff. ALL as we humbly con-
colaborers is, to approve or disapprove of those
things that they unitedly believe to be the legti-
mate issues between the two great parties of the
republic. To do less than this would be dis
courteous and uncandid while to do more would
be to transcend the prerogative of his position,
the chosen leader Of the Wings of the country
and to assume the attitude of dictator.
We speak of General Scott as the candidate o
our party, and of his acts in that position-of hi
public and formal acts. His life is an opeI
volume and his intercourse with his fellow-citi
zens is ever frank, ingenious, and withou
guile. No man has ever approached him ant
sought in vain to learn his views upon any public
subject. There is not in Washington this day,
awell-informed Wing or Democrat, land who is O
truthful and candid man, who does not know
and acknowledge that General SCOTS views on
the particular question the Union has in view
are as orthodox as those of any public man in
the republic The editor Of the Union himss,fhnou,,
this, and, If he would testify, would so declare
But it should matter little to him, if he thinks with
his late worthy associate, who, after six months
cajoling to provoke General Scott to make o
publication Of his opinions, finally declared thai
such publication, whenever made, could no
influence his mind in regard to the General
positionl These are lovers of light and knowl
edge, truly
sdr pleasant day this, though the sun i