The Belmont chronicle, and farmers, mechanics and manufacturers advocate. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1848-1855, 1853-12-16
EXTRACTS FROM THE SPEECH

4
"Understandihg, as trust you Dc, that IL
Is only in the character Of an unaspiriug citA
izen that speak, will proceed with the sew.
eral topics that have suggested. ll
"The FIRST inquiry Is, when did the Whig
party die! II Dead, 1t died on the second
day Of November, 1852, and on that day il
recorded one million three hundred and eighty
fiye thousand true, genuine, undismayed Wing
votes; such vote was never given before
for that or any other party since the founta-
ton Of the Government; and it only required
about thirty-five thousand votes, properly dis
tributed, to have secured success to its can
didate. Never was e party surrounded bv SO
many adverse circumstances as was ours on
that day. With patched-up peace and har-
mony between all the .isms and schisms' and
factions of the country in support of gen.
tieman that nobody knew, and that it seems
now but one of the factions (the Freesoilersl
understood; and with prejudice deep-rooted
and immoyeable in our ranks that lost US
thousands and tens Of thousands for the can
didste whom the Whig party had selected;
with the influence of many Of the most prom
inent men of our party, in position and ont Of
position, actively or secretly exerted against
US, still we cast that vote of one million three
hundred and eighty-6ve thousand for General
Winfield Scott, and wanted but the thirty
i've thousand, as have said properly dis
tributed, to have secured triumphant VIC
tory, which it was in the power OF fsv, oc-
cuPying prominent positions in the Govern
ment, to have given US, at such points as they
were most needed, but which they did not
think PROPER to do, but in point Of fact by their
influence withheld from US. And yet we are
told that this extraordinary strength, thus ex-
hbited, furnished the indication of our weak
ness and the necessity Of our dissolution. Yet
these were the circumstances under which
we went into that Struggle, and this was our
condition when We came out Of it; and now
we see the evidence OF decay in the ranks of
OF those by whom we were defeated, when
we see every where around US old hostlites
and dissensions breaking out afresh and with
ranccr in the Democratic ranks in
a general scramble for the spoils, we are
gravely told that the Wing party is no more,
and we are advised to set TO work 10 yet una
new organization. For one, say am sat-
istied to stay where am, adhering with truo
and strict fidelity to my principles, my coun-
try and my party under its present organiza.
ton"
"Mr. Chairman, have been member of
the Wing party from the day it was first or
ganEed. may claim to be one of the fathers
of the party. was one of that old National
Republican party which constituted the nu-
cleus upon which the present Wing party was
formed, and which was first christened the
'Whig party by John c. Calhoun, who then
belonged to it, because it had for its basis op-
position to Executive power, which came in
conflict with the power of the people as ex-
pressed through their Representa- tives in Con-
gress. This was the origin of the party; these
were the circumstances under which it was
unfortunately changed in name from that of
National Republican to Wing at the time
of the bank veto, the removal of the deposites,
the celebrated protest of Gen. jackson, ex-
punging resolutions, &c. 1t had nationality
and popular rights then as it's basis and foun-
dalton; it has maintained both in its SUPER
structure to this day, and the day that it drops
IT'S nationality or ceases to vindicate the rights
and the power of the people, that day drop
ii and dbandon it forever; until then, through
good and evil report, in adversely and success.
| shall always be found in my place; and in
the meantime nothing could be more ridicu-
lons than the attempt now made to identify
the great national Wing party with the local
politics of New York.
"Yes, sir, helped to rock the baby in it's
infancy and to nurse it into manhood.
have seen it grow up and assume colossal
stature, and while have rejoiced in its tri-
umphs have never been disheartened nor
discouraged BY its defeat, nor by a succession
of defeats.
"Thc great curse of the Wing party has
been its timidity, its willingness to lay down
its arms and surrender at discretion upon
every reverse OF fortune. There are too many
OF our leading men who cannot live in mi
nority, who cannot breath easiiy unless they
are sustained by power; and upon each sue
cessive defeat we are admonished by them of
the necessity of abandoning this measure
and that, because, they say, We can never
get into power until we do. Sir, with me it
is not question of power; it is question Of
right and OF proprieiy, ask myself the ques-
ton, is this proper measure for the Govern-
tHCut ~ duOpl: w III IL uuVuuCc AcHeTdIl"
prosperity! Will it benefit the people! Will |
i promote the arts of peace Will the great
agricultural, commercial, manufacturing, and
laborig interests of the country be sdvanc-
ed by its adoptionl And if these questions
are answered in the affirmative, why should l.,
or you, or any of US surrender them because
we happen to be beaten in a political con-
test Involving thousand other minor issues
as well as these!
awhile we owe our defeats in great meas.
ure to this practised timidiiy, our opponents
are largely indebted for their occasional sue.
cess to different system of tactics. have
always admired them for their boldness and
courage, if for nothing else; the more YOU
whip them to-day the reader they are for the
fight tomorrow; and that is just what want
to see the Wing party do. How else did they
succeed in fastening that contemplate hum
bug, the Sub-treasury, (Which never has and
never can be practically executed without
immense loss to the Government and iniurv