The weekly Placer herald., 1854-08-05
From the Times & Transcript.
Wlliggery and its Principles

out the Union, final blow had been
given to its future organization. The
great Webster, on his dying bed, with
that sagacity and forecast which must al
ways distinguish such limitless compre-
hensiveness of mind as he possessed,
declared, in full view of the political field,
that from and after the then ensuing
second day of November, the whig party
would be known only in history. The
nomination Of Gen. Scott over the heads
of the tried and true champions of that
party, was in fact a deliberate surrender
of all that was dear to them in prncl-
pie, or cherished in policy. "fuss and
feathers" was made their rally cry, and
humbuggery and sk ow their bond of union.
Like the bogusites in the recent conven-
ton in Sacramento, they sckened and
gave way on "things DID," and grasped at
the giIded trappings of circumstances and
place to carry them into office. They
were of course disastrously defeated.
Not withStanding that, we find that they
are still endeavoring to rally. Without
any distinctive identity except in name
and prejudice, and inspired by the divi
slons which selfish ambition had generated
in our ranks, they have suddenly awaken
ed from their slumbers, and buckled on
their armor for new fight. Their cham
pions have been brought forward with all
the circumstance of their palmy days
their platform has been promu gated with
formal speech and high sounding profess
sion, while the same punctiliousness for
political orthodoxy in their candidates has
been manifested as when in the glory of
their power and their m ght One Of their
aspirants, in their recent convention, was
unceremoniously slaughtered because on
a former occasion he had INDUCED the
freedom of dissenting from some of the
acts of President Fillmore.
Again, then, the whig party are in the
field. The first inquiry is what are their
claims for popular favor? What are we
to understand at this day by the term
whiggery? The Sacramento Union some
time since defined it as, opposition to the
Immediately connected with American
politics, a decided advocacy of the Re-
volutionary war. In this view we shall
Of course decline taking issue with them,
from the fact that the Democratic party
have not only been in favor of all past,
but at the same time of the next and all
subsequent wars. A reference to the
history of the country will readily satisfy
any one who may he disposed to question
this proposition In this particular our
old enemies can boast Of no advantage
over us, and it might even be that plain,
unvarnished tale, drawn from the records
of the past, would possibly tell against
them. This lay out, then, cannot avail
before the great tribunal of the masses.
Let us therefore look at this party politi-
caly, and see how they can bear the test
of scrutiny. We judge of men and par
ties by their works. By such are they to
he approved or condemned. In examin-
ing the platform of their national conven-
tions, we find that they have been the ad
vocates of great, overshadowing, monied
monopoly, known as National Bank
Of high and Onerous tariffs, which, under
the plausible preteXt Of protection to home
industry, crippled the wings of commerce,
and and under contribution to capital the
unassociated enterprise of the MASSES
OF wild and extravagant schemes of in
ternal improvements, which if carried out
in their full extent, would convert our
government into a great central agent of
un imlted power, and render State inde-
EttlUtitP II Iltlt ISilItDl VI luC vi am
OF taking from the national control for
the benefit Of the States the public lands,
and thereby create not only the necessity
for increased taxation, but at the same
time bar the door to the establishment of
the general homestead, donation principle,
which soon must prevail as great demo-
cratic measure. OF resisting the acqusi-
ton of foreign territory, and of conse-
quence the spread of democratic prlncl-
pies; thereby showing want of conf
dence in republican institutions inconsist-
ent with the theory of our social system.
OF favoring the creation of a large public
debt as public blessing, tending in its
train of consequences, to generate reck-
less expenditure of the public moneys and
general extravaganza in the admlnstra-
ton of affairs OF an act of general ma
tional bankruptcy, which, like a great
sponge, wiped out at once hundreds of
millions of the honest Indebtedness of the
State. OF opposition to liberal system
of pre-emption laws, which they would
only swallow as necessary adjunct to
their favorite distribution scheme. These
are some of the leading features by which
whiggery has been known, and by such
standards are we now to judge of their
claims. In each one of these issues they
have been most ingloriously defeated.
The great masses of the people have been
appealed to and in every instance, ver-
dict has been rendered adversely to them.