Washington sentinel. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1853-1855, 1853-10-22
THE PRESIDENTS POLICY.

piled and prostituted as "the Presidents policy
has been misappied and prostituted Of late.
The american system was the name most i'm
properly given to that anti-American system OF
measures that embraced a national bank,
high tariff, internal Improvements by the fede-
raj government, and the distribution of the
proceeds of the sales of the public lands.
That misuse of the kings English was, how
ever, made by many honestly, and in good
faith. But the attempt to impart dignity and
Importance to the position assumed by the free
soil faction in New York, by coupling it with
the Presidents policy is one Of the most
bare-faced instances Of corrupt and corrupting
trickery and legerdemain to be found in our
political annals.
General Pierce was neither nominated nor
elected President on an issue involving dis
tribution of the spoils of office. He was nomi-
mated because his political career harmonized
with those great principles which were recog-
nized by the democratic party as the basis of
its organization. He was elected because he
could say, and say truly, that no act of his life
was in conflict with that noble platform which
was presented to the country by the democracy
assembled in convention at Baltimore. That
platform, accepted as it was acceptedby General
Pierce, and the inaugural address explaining
his purposes and intentions in those matters
which no platform can definitely embrace, must
be considered as forming the only basis Of
what can be rightly termed the Presidents
policy. But through mean and low motives
having no higher or more respectable origin
than an avaricious desire for personal aggran-
dizement an attempt has been deliberately
made, and has been Systematically pursued,
to degrade the great democratic association Of
the Union, and to make it contemplate and
offensive. That attempt carries with it, as
necessary appendage and concomitant, an eff
fort to drag down the chief magistracy, and
soil its respectability in the filthy mine Of per-
sonal controversy.
The infamous and iniquitous scheme, CON
cocted by unprincipled spoilsmen, looks for sue
cess to an obliteration of old party lines-to
quiet constructive, abnegation Of the great de-
mocratic principles that have given us union,
concert, and efficiency. 1t seeks to give such
prominence and importance to the New York
controversy as will impart to it Fictitious dig
nifty, by coupling it with the name of the Presi-
dent, and making it the chief and prominent
point in the policy Of the chief magistrate.
Had the wing party sought to perform that task
we would not have been surprised. We anti
cipated such an undertaking at the hands Of
those who supported Winfield Scott for the pre-
sidency. Indeed they had began the work, and
stopped only when they found that professed
democrats we're engaged in the same undertak.
ing with equal zeal and greater hopes of sue
cess.
1t win be an evil day for this republic and
for the public morality, when party fdelityis not
measured by devotion to party principles, but
by some outside measure involving a distribu-
ton of the spoils Of victory. When party
fidelity shall be brought within the reach Of
these ignoble and degrading tests, then party
organizations will become impure and lep-
rous combinations, no whit better than the
association between pirates and banditti. In
this point of view we regard the attempt
that has been made in many quarters to in
duce the belief that all who sympathize with
the national democracy in New York must
be opposed to /" the Presidents policy" a:
one of the most glazing instances of unblush
ing and insolent generalization that has eve
presumed to offend the good sense of tn,
American people. Yet, unblushing and inso
3 /. i.
lent as it is, we are panied to be forced to SAY
that it has not been entirely without success
While bold, manly, sentiment has not been in
fuenced, the weak, timid, and corrupt, have
become alarmed in the face of desperate adyen
turers, who are bold only because they are
desperate.
They who believe that the President has con-
scented to fasten the fate of his administration
TO the fortunes of local faction which is abb
horred by nineteentwentieths of the sound ster-
ling democracy Of the Union, have read the his
tory of Franklin Pierce in vain, and have
studied his character with but little profit. For
ourselves we say that while we look with ineff.
able scorn and contempt on that band Of har-
dened traitors that followed the fortunes and
rallied around the banner Of Van Buren, and
Adams, we expect to give hearty and earnest
support to "the Presidents policy"-and the
support we will give TO that policy will be
earnest and hearty-no matter what fate
may await us-while it is based on the great
principles of the Baltimore platform, and re
sponsive to the doctrines laid down in the in
augural address Of our new President.
We fear, however, that some of our friend
have gone too far. We fear that they hay,
given too much importance to the words 0
irresponsible men, and have permitted them
selves to become infamed and excited by cold
blooded party hacks who wished to inAame an,
excite them. The designing traitors who hav
striven, for their own aggrandizement, to coupl
the freesoilers of New York with "the President
policy" would feel that their miserable end
were accomplished if they could goad the na
tional democracy into impatient and unfriendl