Washington sentinel. [volume] (City of Washington [D.C.]) 1853-1856, 1856-08-19

hazards, is opposed by two other party organi-
zations: the American, headed by Messrs.
Fillmore and Donelson, and the Democratic,
led on by Messrs. Buchanan and Breckenridge.
You will recoect that Mr.. Fillmore, prior to
his recent visit to Europe, abandoned the
Whig party and became member OF the
former of these organizations which boasted
that it had risen upon the downfall of the
Whg party, and which proclaimed that the
corruptons Of the Whig and Democratic par
ties constituted the necessity of its existence.
You know that be and Andrew Jackson Dom
elson have been nominated by this party mot
by the Whig party for the Presidency and
Vice Presidency and you will admit that the
principles of prescription because OF religious
opinions, and other reputed tenets OF this new
party, are in direct antagonism with the prin
ciples of that good old Wing party to which aoe
are still attached, and which has been abandon
cd by Mr. Fillmore. II is not my object in re-
ferTing to these facts 10 deny TO the American
party, since the secession of its abolition adhe-
rents, a far claim to nationality; nor to deny
the patriotism and virtue Of Mr.. Fillmore, nor
his eminent qualification for the office of Chief
Magistrate. But do deduce from them the
necessary conclusion that, as Wings we owe no
party allegiance 10 Messrs. Fillmore and Donel.
son, members and nominees of the American
party. ! deduce the conclusion that, as Wings,
we are are not only at liberty, but that as pa
triots we are bound, by every obligation to our
country and posterity, to throw aside, on the
one hand, the feelings Of hostility which Mr..
Fillmore's desertion of our party would be cal
culated to engender, and, on the other hand,
to forget for the time oar former battles with
the Democratic party, and to ask ourselves but
one question-lcAich Of the tico national organ
izations offers the best guarantee of success in
crushing out Of existence this new and mon
strous sectional party, which threatens the life
of your country? do not propose to examine
the relative claims of the two national parties
or their nominees to our support. 1t is not in
my Judgment, permissible in the present crisis
to interpose our individual differences of opin-
ion upon minor questions. 1t Is sufficient tor
US to know that The election Of either national
nominee would secure the Union; and the only
question permitted by patriotism is, whether
our support OF the one or the other would more
certainly prove successful?
But before | proceed to this inquiry, having
shown that no political allegiance to Messrs.
Fillmore and Donelson will interpose to pre-
vent the fair exercise of our judgment on that
side, propose briefly TO inquire whether there
is anything TO preyeat our support of the De-
mocratc nominees, If after investigation we
shall believe that our vote in their favor would
more certainly secure the safety Of our country.
1t cannot have escaped your observation that
the political principles upon which the Whg
and Democratic parties have battled for thirty
years, with varied success, have been for the
most part settled by the fiat of the people, and
that such as have not been so definitely dis
posed Of have been either abandoned by the
one or adopted by the ether Of those parties;
so that now the representatives of the people
In the halls Of State and Federal legislation
are found indiscriminately advocating and OPP
posing the same principles and measures. Not
only IS there no principle of political antago
nism which should prevent Wings and Demo
Gratis acting together for the benefit of their
common country, but it is confidently submit
ted that upon the ouly vital question, that
which now agitates and endangers the country,
the two parties fully accord. The Wing and
Democratic platforms upon the slavery ques.
ton in eighteen hundred and ffty.two were
identical and, there being no Whig nominees
before the people, it might be suggested that
consistency would rather require than oppose
the support Of the Democratic nominees by
Wings. The controlling inquiry to the patriot
now recurs, lohich Of the tloo national orgaai-
cations can by his cote be made most certainly
successful?
Every Maryland Whg will be bound BY every
tie Of duty to vote as his judgment shall de-
eide this question.
II may not be mmaterial to observe that
neither Of the national nominees will obtain
throughout this broad land any votes which
will not be cast by national conservative citi-
zens, and it is to be regretted that in this crisis
that vote should be divided between tco ma
tiondl candidates, whilst the entire anti-na-
tional vote will be concentrated upon the sec
tional nominee. To judge Of the relative
strength of the two national organizations it is
unnecessary to trace minutely the origin of the
American party. 1t is sufficient to bring to
your recollection that it was originally COM
posed, North and South, Of the dissatisfied
members of the two old parties and that in tne
North its original members were chiefly those
who opposed the conservative principle upon
the slavery question avowed in the platforms of
the two old parties. 1t must not escape your
recollection that upon the nomination of Messrs.
Fillmore and Doneson a large ma jority OF the
Northern delegates seeded from the conven-
tion, declared their intention not TO support
those nominees, and subsequently united in the
nomination of Mr.. Fremont This separation
of the sectional from the national portion OF
the American party has occurred In every
Northern State in the Confederacy. | deduce
from these facts the nationality OF the supper
ters Of Messrs Fillmore and Doneson, and /
submit the inquiry for the honest decision of
those to whom this paper is addressed, ,chdt
nor-Slareholding State can this national branch
Of the American party, thus shorn of the larger
portion of its original strength. promise its
nomineeSP Let the Wings OF Maryland pom
der upon the view of this subject / have en-
deavored to present to their consideration, and
no one Of them will say that single nom
slaveholdiug State is certain for Fillmore and
Donelson. Time, Think, will develop the fact
that Messrs. Fillmore and Donelson will be left
without an electoral ticket in most OF the free
States, and it is at any rate the deliberate con-
viction Of my judgment that they will not carry
a single nonslaveholding Stale in the Union.
If am right, or even approximate the truth
in the view have taken, it will necessarily fol-
low that any conservative vote for the Ameri-
can nominees North will be equivalent to
vote for Mr.. Fremont, as it will be vote taken
from Mr.. Buchanan, his only real competitor.
1t is clear. then, that to The South alone can the
friends of Messrs. Fillmore and Donelson look
for the probable chance of an electoral vote |;