Staunton spectator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1896, 1856-06-04
Princiules and Policy Of the American Par.
<~-KO. 10.

Wise favored the public some weeks ago, ne
stated that there Npuld be three parties to the
next Presidential q t4test, viz:
/. The white mti,s party-the Democratic
9. The black man s,party-the Republican.
3. The mongrel b, or,mulatto-the American.
Mr.. Wise also ex;r4ses the opinion that there
will be new and important issues involved in
that election.
| think il probable that Mr.. Wise is right in
supposing there will Be three parties in the field
unless the democracysucceed in the effort, said
now to be on foot. to buy up the Republicans, by
nominating n candidate of "free-soilish" procli-
vities.
He is also right in supposing there will be inn
portant issues in the contest. The most moment
ous of these will be, whether Americans shall
rule America" The old questions connected
with slavery, which were so happily adjusted
| under the administration of Mr.. Fillmore,-and
which the country had hoped were finally and
conclusirely settled--will doubtless be revived
in new form. 1t is with reference to these
latter questions that Mr.. Wise favors us with his
views of the divisions and appropriate designa-
tions of parties. p
Inverting the order suggested by Mr.. Wise,
propose now, briefly, to inquire why he denom-
mates the American party-or rather the ticket
which they have nominated as mongrel or
mulatto ticket--a cross between the Caucasian
and Cuffey, as he is pleased to term it ~.
| 1t certainly cannot be because a gentleman
from one of the grand divisions of the country is
nominated for President, and gentleman from
the other grand division for Vice President.
say it cannot be for this reason for if that cir
cumstance justified him in stigmatizing it as o
mongrel or mulatto ticket then the ticket which
was headed by George Washington would be
mongrel ticket, and SO would every other ticket
be, that has been nominated from the foundation
of the government. The rule has been uniform
at all times, and with all parties, when they took
q candidate for the highest Office from the North,
to take the candidate for the second office from
the South, and eice rersa. Jackson and Van
Buren,, Van Buren and Johnson, Polk and Dal-
las, Cass and Butler, and Pierce and King, are
illustrations of the usage of the democratic party.
Why, ,then,is the ticket of Fillmore and Donel-
son mongrel2 The subject has given me great
pain and uneasiness, for, in common with all A
mericans, | was mortified that the ticket did not
meet with the appreciation of Mr.. Wise.
After much reflection on the matter, | have
been forced to the conclusion that it is because
Mr. Fillmore was a Vhig, and Mr.. Donelson a
| Democrat, that this heavy sentence has been pro
being premonished, will not fall into the error
into which we have been betrayed, and nominate
James Buchanan-an old Federalist-on the
same ticket with Southern Democrat If they
do, they may certainly expect to hear it anath-
en tized by Mr.. WISE as mongrel or mulatto
ticket-a cross of the Caucasian and Cuffey!-
Consistency requires it, and no one will question
! Mr. Wse's consistency.
AS we have committed the bunder, (unadvis
edly and unwisely, of course,) it is now too late
to repair it, and we are constrained to make the
best of it, and to offer such excuse as we can.
| presume that, according to Mr.. Wise's idea,
the candidates, and the party which supports
them, ought 10 be entirely homogenious-they
ought not only to think alike at the time of their
nomination and election, but their past opinions
should have been idcntical-and their antece-
dents should in ell respects be the same!
What blundering set the Americans were,
not to remember ths. The Democracy never
lose sight of it!
1t is true Mr.. Fillmore and Mr.. Donelson think
alike now on all the vital issues that divide the
country-it is true that they no,o stand OH the
same platform and are prepared to cooperate in
future on all the great measures Of policy which
are likely to affect the interests, the honor, the
peace, and the safety of the country, in the next
four years. But then, IN times that hare passed,
they differed with each other on the same questions
of the Bank, Tariff, Internal Improvements, and
distributing of the public lands The union of
such incongruous elements on the same ticket
ought, surely, to expose them to the imputation
of being "mongrel" or 'mulatto" ticket
But have the Democracy never sinned in this
particulars Have they never violated the uni
ties of political action, by nominating even
electing to office-men whose antecedents have
not been purely Democratic9 Are the garments
even of the mother of Democracy good old
Commonwealth of Virginia-free from this
stan2
Let history answer the question.
| Who is the present Democratic Governor Of
Virgnia7
Henry A. Wise--an old Whigi
| Who is the Democratic Lieut.. Governors
Elisha McComas-an old Wing!
| Who is the Democratic Attorney General?
Willis P. Bocock-an old Whig!
| Who is the Democratic Speaker of the House
of Delegates
Oscar NJ. Chutchfeld-an old Whig!
Who is the Democratic Superintendent of the
Penitentiary9
Charles S. Morgan-an old Whg!
Who is the senior Democratic Senator of the
| Unlteu SGlteS lTolu virginia {
r. NJ. L. Huntor-a gentleman and states
man, and an old Whig-at least, if he was not
of the Wings, he was pith them.
Who is the other Virginia Democratic SEN
ator2
| James M. Mason--an ornament OF his party
never quite Whig-but for time a soiourner
in Mr.. Clay's halfway house" of concersatism ;
and once oversloughed by Democratic conven-
| -. of his nistriot hy
| thereof!
Who is the member of Congress elected by the
! Democrats from the Accomac DistrictY
| Thomas H. Bailey an old Whig!
Who is the Democratic Representative from
the Berkeley Dstrict3
Charles J. Faulkner-an old Whig!
Who is the Democratic Representative from
the Buckingham district?
Thomas s. Bocock-an oM Wig!
Who is the Democratic Representative from
the Petersburg district
Wm. 0. Goole-an oM Wdig! st
Who is the Democratic Representative from
the Richmond district!
John S. Caskie--! believe-though am not
certain--an oil Wig!
Who was Mr.. Goodies Democratic predeces-
sor?
K. K. Meade--an oil Whg!
Who was recently the Democratic Represen.
tot;ve from the Fredericksburg district?
willoughby Newtoll-an old wig! :.
! Tn 6no who are the ornaments of the party in
al narts of the State-looked up to--courted
and consulted, and honored by the highest places
As general rule, old Whigs!
When the Convention, which nominated Gov
ernor Wise, assembled to make their selection:
Of candidates. such large proportion of it,
members were old Wings that it was remarked
with witt equal wit and truth that the contest seem
od to he between the NATIVE and NATURALIzEI
DEMOCRATS and that the NATURALIzED had the
nnper hand Mr.. Leake was the candidate o