Washington sentinel. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1853-1855, 1854-08-08
THE NATIONAL INTELLIGENCER AND
THE WING PARTY.

THE NATIONAL INTELLIGENCER AND
THE WING PARTY.
In the Sentinel of Sunday morning we called
attention to the proceedings Of the wing meet
ing held in Boston, and we characterized
those proceedings as We thought they deserved
to be characterized. We said that all the
speakers at that meeting opposed a fusion with
the abolitionists and freesoilers. We gave ex-
tracts from one of the speeches made at that
meeting, to show the reason Of their opposition
to the much talked of fusion. Those reasons
were two. First that the wings had more to
lose than to gain by the fusion. That is, if
they should merge themselves in the fusion and
succeed, they will lose the monopoly of the
spoils. Secondly, the wing party of Massa-
chusetts are "more truly and unchangeably
tie friends of liberty" than any other party.
By the words "friends of liberty" are meant
foes to slavery, friends to freesoilers, and oppo
nents of the Nebraska bill. The Massachusetts
wings claim to out Herod Herod," and to
eclipse the freesoilers themselves. Seeing this,
we denounced the Massachusetts, wings, and
held them up to the reproof and Reproduction Of
the country.
We were panied to find that those wings who
so openly confessed their own unworthiness and
claimed precedence over the very freesoilers
themselves in all those elements and conyic
tons and sympathies that constitute freesoilism,
should be held up before the country as bright
and shining examplars of sound whiggery, by
the National Iatelligencer of yesterday.
The Latelligencer thus introduces some mot
ally of the proceedings Of the Boston meeting:
The italics are our own.)
"The whig meeting held at Boston on the
Sd instant, to appoint delegates to the wing
State convention to be held at Faneuil Hall on
the 10th, shows that the sound iohig sentiment
of Massachusetts is not extinct, and that it re-
pudiates everything like fusion soith the ultra
politicians of that State. The speakers all in
culcated "a firm adherence to those principles
,ohich had made the ,ohig party distinguished
and respectable in times past"
We understand, from these remarks Of the
Intelligencer, that it endorses the opinions and
the objects of the Boston wings, as prefgured
by the leading Massachusetts wing papers, to
wit, the repeal of the Nebraska bill, and the
repeal Of the Fugitive law. These are their
objects. They think that these objects can be
accomplished By the ,ohigs, ,oithotn a fusion;
hence they oppose fusion. If the fusion were
necessary, in their opinion, to enable them to
accomplish those objects, they would unhesi-
tatingly merge themselves in that fusion.
Bnt the National Latelligencer says this meet
ing shows "Mat the sound ,ohig sentiment Of
Massachusetts, is not extinct" "The sound
wing SENTIMENT Is freesoilism "sound whig
SENTIMENT" Is the repeal of the Fugitive
Slave law and of the Nebraska bill "sound
wing sentiment?" Ifthe Intelligencer does not
mean that they are, what does it mean?
Again, the Iatelligencer says that this "sound
wing sentiment Of Massachusetts," "repudates
every thing like fusion with the ultra po1iti-
clans of that State" Ultra politicians How
soft and gentle and delicate these two words.
How gingerly the Intelligencer speaks. Now,
who are these people that the Lntelligencer so
considerably calls "ultra politicians They
are the abolitionists and freesoilers. They are
those who openly and shamelessly call them.
selves so. But the Lateuigenccr is kinder to
them than they are to themselves. 1t won't
call them freesoilers. II afiectionately denomi-
mates them ultra politicians. "What does this
meant The Intslligencer is too discreet and
too sensible to use such words at such time,
without meaning something.
The Intelligenccr closes its brief notice Of
the Boston wing meeting with the following
words $50 it will be seen that the national
phig party is neither dead nor declining"
We would respectfully ask if the national
whig party" is freesoil party2 The southern
wings have hitherto formed part and parcel Of
the national whig party" and the national
wing party could not exist without them. II
would be sectional party without their aid
and cooperation. Does the Intelligencer mean
that the southern wings, like the Boston wings
and the Massachusetts, wings, and the New
York wings, and all the northern wings are tc
unite, or have united, to repeal the Fugitive
Slave law, and the Nebraska bill If so, il
reckons without its host. The wing patriots o
the south must be vigilant. or they will even
tually be betrayed.
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