Washington sentinel. [volume] (City of Washington [D.C.]) 1853-1856, 1855-08-14

a1Sss-s
ieHigei.c1 Of Friday last commended TO the pub
lie as mo tyre dealing in high sounding tropes
iowery phrases, but i sensible statesman, using
tho plain language il which simple truth is most
eloquent"
The principle Of opposition 10 phdierer Is objec-
iiondbie, with strong tendency towards consoli-
dation on favorable occasions, make up the sum
and substance of effective Wing politics. When
ever the Federal or Wing party have ventured
on anything poSitire, disastrous failure has been
the invariable result. The more prominent mea-
sures' they have advocated are the alien and
sodtion law, the United States Bank, the tariff
for protection, and the so called Bankrupt law.
The alien and sedition law was at disap
proved Of by an indignant people, and dis
appeared from the statute book. The Bank Of
the United States, a monster corporation, nearly
equal in power to the Federal Government, with
General Jackson at its head, was dangerous to
the liberties of the people. This too, has passed
from the statute book and now so poor as
TO do it reverence. The Wing party once so We
henent in its defence speak Of it as ian OBJ
solete idea The tariff for protection was aban-
me tariff with incidental protection was protec-
tive enough. The so-called bankrupt law was
clearly unconstitutional, and was not in fact
| what il professed TO be, bankrupt law, but was
law which impaired the obligation of contracts,
and no such power is granted to Congress by the
| Constitution.
| Such was the indignation created by this Wing
law, that it was repealed the following session,
| the InielHgeneer declaring, if we are not mis-
taken, that ''the law having accomplished the
greater part of the good intended, need not Ion
ger remain on the statute book"
Such are some of the disastrous results which
have befallen the Wings whenever they under
took diverge from their old and substantial basis
Of opposition to everything Objectionable and ven
ture on anything positive. Verify, he whom the
| Inteltigeaccr has commended as ''no tyro dealing,
&c., but sensible statesman, using the plain
language in which simple truth is most eloquent, =
the Massachusetts Whig has admitted what has
| been over and over again denied by the Wings
when hope had not departed from amongst them
The Massachusetts writer, chastened and hui
inflated by the degradation of his State, has in
| his dependency permitted to escape, what in
days Of hope he might not have admitted How
often have Democrats charged and Wings de-
MED that The Uhig party had no principle but OPP
position 10 the Democracy The Wings have uni
forinly contended that their party did have prin-
ciples, but that the issues were old and worn out
| that the Bank was g an obsolete idea - &C. Sc,
and that the necessity for the Wing and Demo-
cratic parties no longer existed, there being no
issues between them This idea was put forward
prominently just preceding the last Federal Wing
mutation to Know-nothingism, and was not
without its effect in catching weak Democratic
brethren. The fact is, as the Inteiligencer's Mas
sachusetts friend admits, the party is essentially
an opposition party, all of whose positive egis-
laton has been repudiated by the people. While
Wing legislation has been repudiated by the
people, and in most instances is looked upon by
the party itself as robsolete," Democratic laws
make up statute books, and the issues be-
tween Democracy and the Opposition are as fresh
as ever
| The Opposition, once Federal, then Wing, and
now know-nothing, again proposes TO venture on
positive legislation, which like all that has pre-
coded it, coming from that quarter, is doomed 10
certain defeat.
What are the measures they now propose
Repeal of the naturalization laws and the ex
clusion of Catholics from office -!
We do not propose at this time to discuss these
measures, but simply to say that were an Anne
rican travelling abroad to engage in conversation
with foreigner concerning our beautiful system
Of Government, there is no one of its beauties Il
which the American would point with more patr
otto pride than to the opened arms Of America
outstretched to receive the oppressed and weariec
OF desPotsm, pilgrims to a land consecrated BY
our forefathers' blood to constitutional and re
ligious liberty.