Nashville daily patriot. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1855-1857, 1856-09-06
SATURDAY, SEPT. 6, 1866.
A Mistake in the stuff that wings arc
made of.


tions in the Wing ranks, who have aposta-
tized from their political faith, and embraced
the cause Of the party which they opposed
SO long, and with such seeming sincerity
and earnestness, are involved in a great
error The disbanding of the Wing party
which for nearly twenty years preserved an
organization, was the result of policy
inaugurated by some Of its scheming and
ambitious leaders, for the promotion Of
their personal ends. The destruction of
the Wing organization did not take place
from causes within itself-those who CON-
posed the mass Of it did not discover that
their principles were wrong and abandon
them-nOr was it through the hopelessness
of another struggle after the defeat Of
I852-nor was it from selfish motives that
the crew allowed the ship to founder-for
the masses, and especially the masses who
composed an organization founded upon
principles as correct and enlightened as
those of the Wing party are not controlled
bv such considerations. The disaSt which
wrecked the fortunes Of that party in 1852,
and which was the first step in the diSmem-
berment which followed, owned another
cause 1t was an attempt on the part of
certain of its leaders, (who succeeded by
gross duplicity and unblushing treachery,)
in making use of the question of slavery,
as an instrument of party man9uvre-an
attempt to do with the Wing masses, what
Democratic politicians had been for years,
and are now doing with the Democratic
masses.
The canvass of 1852 was a suggestive
one. Its result was the overwhelming de-
feat of the Wing party. What were the
causes of that defeat? It's nominee was a
veteran soldier-the pride Of our army,
and acknowledged to be the finest military
chieftan in the world-his brow was deco
rated with laures, won in forty years.
service, the first which he gathered were
then and are still perennial, and his bril-
liant conquest of Mexico had twined them
with greener ones:-it is true that it was
said of him that he little knew "more than
pertains to featS of broil and BATTLE" but
this was equally true Of others who had
triumphantly ridden into the Presidency
upon the tide Of popular esteem. The
reigning administration was Wing. 1t was
an able one and popular. 1t had not out
ragged the public sense by any grossly
wrong and unwise step, and although as
matter of course, it was bitterly opposed
by many partizans, yet the great measures
of pacifcation with which it had blessed
the country had won verdict of popular
approval, in which vast numbers of its pO-
litical opponents conceded Every crcum-
stance seemed propitious for the success Of
the Wing nominee, but one--its managers
lost the confidence of the people by tam
pering with the slavery question. The
people saw that Gen. Scott and his chief
supporters in the Baltimore Convention,
were coquetting with men who had opposed
and were known TO be dissatisfied with the
Compromise measures of lS50-the chief
issue between him and Mr. Fillmore in the
contest for the nomination, was the queS-
ton of soundness on the compromse-the
least sound received it, and the people re-
jected him.
This was the first and only attempt which
the leaders of the Wing party ever made
to use the slavery question. They thought
TO lead the masses of their political asso-
GATES, but unlike the Democracy, they
were not to be led. Their independent and
conservative spirit taught them to resist
scheme for the leaders, whose success would
have been injurious TO the country. Vast
numbers of them refused TO support Scott
and he was defeated. Unexpectedly TO
them, and unfortunately for the peace OF
the nation, a much direr calamity was the
result-the election of Pierce. But in
withholding their support from Scott and
permitting this result, the intentions of the
Wing people of the country were correct
their mistake was a. hopes' one. To all
appearances Pierce was a truer Compro-
mise man than Scott. Democracy was
indeed playing the same game with the
slavery question which the Wing leaders
were attempting, but they played it deeper
and more skillfully. Long practice had
given them the advantage. They won the
stake. The Wing leaders gambled away
the success Of their party aud the peace of
the country.
Who played the cards for the party in
this desperate and disastrous game, and
where are they now! We take the two
most prominent for examples, William II.
Seward and James c. Jones. Both are in
the arms of sectional parties, and openly and
VIGOROUSLY engaged in agitating the slavery
question for political purposes. True TO
their Instincts, these pestiferOus demagognes
have laid aside the masks which partially
concealed their operations four years ago,
and strike boldly for sectionalism. But II
athe conservative Wing masses could see
rough their sophistry and duplicity then,