Weekly national intelligencer. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1841-1869, 1852-07-17

given hostages to honor and patriotism, and ne could
not, if diadem we're the price, be recreant to all
his glorious antecedents and to the blood that
runs in his veins, as well the blood which he has
shed on the battlefield What pledges did the De-
mocrats exact of their candidate They required
none They went upon known character and known
opinions. Is the character of General SCOTT less
known or his sentiments more questionable! SO
far from this, indeed, there perhaps never was a
man in any country whose profession removed him
so entirely out of the sphere of politics, yet whose
opinions on all public questions were frankly ex-
pressed and SO well known as those of General
SCOTT From such man, of character for pa
triotism and honor SO unimpeachably sustained by
almost half century of faithful service and subor-
dination TO the Constitution and the Laws, no pledge
ought to have been required.
Still, though not required, Gen. SCOTT did not
hesitate when the opportunity was afforded him,
freely voluntarily, and frankly, to offer the pledge
which he was accused of having avoided OF this
charge of evasion indeed no other refutation ought
to be required by impartial minds, than is supplied
by his own direct and unequivocal language, in
his Reply to the Letter of the President of the
Convention
Not having written word to procure this distinc
ton lost not moment after it had been conferred, in
addressing letter of your members to signify
what would be- at the proper time the substance of
reply to the Convention and have the honor to
repeat in formal manner as the occasion justly
demands that accept the nomination. nth the resolutions
ANNEXED"
The political principles and measures laid down in
those resolutions broad that but is left for
| to add
"Finally for my strict adherence TO the principles Of the
H1g party oppressed the resolutions Of The Contention
and herein suggested with sincere and purpose
advance the greatness and happiness of the Republic
and thus to cherish and encourage the of constu
onal liberty throughout the woodworking every act
and thought that might involve country in unjust
unnecessary war; or impair the faith of treaties and
discountenancng all political agitation injurious to the
interests of society and dangerous to the UnonI
offer other pledge guarantee than the known Incl
dents of long public life, undergoing the Sc
verest examination
No one can more sincerely regret than we do that
the authors of the Protest should not only have de-
nounced the nomination of Gen. SCOTT, but have
made public proclamation of their incurabe hostility
to his elevation to the trust for which he was re-
commended by the finally unanimous vote of the
Wing Convention. This Manifesto of theirs may,
through the influence of the popular names of the
two leading Georgans to whom its paternity is gene
rally ascrbed cause the loss of the State of Georgia
and perhaps of Alabama, to the Wings. Of the
aid of those States, however, the Wings have not, at
any time had any certain assurance; and, should
they now be lost to them, and in company with them
one or two other States, it is consolation to
reflect that there will still remain to the Wings
without reckoning too closely, votes enough place
their candidate in the Presidential Chair
By the admission which we have made of the
possible effect of the AntiScott Manifesto upon the
votes of one or more States we have shown how
highly we rate the personal influence, in their re-
spective States, of the names by which it is sane
toned. In this admission, however, we have given
the utmost latitude to concessions. Wecan yield
no more We cannot with our contemporary of the
Courier and Endnirer, regard it q :..sf,ot
ant political manifesto" ga demonstration as i'm
portant in character as IN ertent;" and, with the
accession of other names, (Which the Courier "
anticipates as "an emphatic Uoice Of reputation
of the Baltimore Nominee" The number of names
signed to it is indeed larger than we could wish,
considering the high positions which some of them
at least have heretofore held in the Wing ranks
We have, however, in day, repeatedly witnessed
similar outbursts of pent-up discomfort, whch-Gke
fiery meteors, that, suddenly exploding in clear
sky, light up the armament for brief space with
blaze of light, and descend below the horizon as
suddenly they emerged from i-have been the nine
days wonder of the time and then fallen into obi
vion without having disturbed the order of Creation
or interrupted the calm course of human affairs We
say this without any intention to detract from the
actual Importance of the Protest, but with the de-
sign to bring to the notice of our Wing friends
every where, and amongst them the authors of
the publication we are speaking Of, how wholly
unavailing mere protests against the expressed will
of majority of the intelligence Of the Nation, of
whatever party, in favor Of their preferred candi
dates, have ever been.
| For examples of Protests Of this kind we need
not, indeed, to 90 very far back No longer than
four years ago such Protests were as plenty as
blackberries Need we recall to our readers the
vehement protestations, by different associations
and individuals, against the nomination Of General
TAYLOR by the Philadelphia Convention Need
we quote the Speeches of different Delegates to that
Convention, literally purning the nomination, and
declaring The Wing party to be Mencetorth dissoluca
If the reader will set himself to thinking about it,
/ he will need no reminder from us to satisfy him