Montgomery County sentinel. [volume] (Rockville, Md.) 1855-1974, 1856-07-26

committee to inform him of their selec-
ton. This committee in the discharge
of their duty, together with their letter,
transmitted a copy of the platform adopt
ed short time after the nomination for
his acceptance and approval His an
swer had, we suppose, been read by
every member of the Convention, recent
ly assembled in Baltimore, before its
meeting, and in it may be found the fol-
lowing emphatic endorsement of the prin-
ciplcs therein announced "as rules Of
political action:''
g So estimating this party, both in its
present position and future destiny,
freely adopt its great leading principles
as announced in the recent declaration Of
the National Council at Philadelphia, q
copy of which you were so kind as tc
enclose me, holding them to be just and
liberal to every true interest of the coun-
try, and wisely adapted to the establish
ment and support of an enlightened, safe
and effective American policy, in full
accord with the ideas and hopes of the
fathers of our Republic"
But this written, and, we presume,
well-deliberated approval of their princi-
pies, seems not to have been sufficient tc
satisfy the anxiety Of his newly-found
friends, nor, possibly, did it suffice to
uproot entirely the shaken confidence Of
many of those who had delighted to adj
mire and honor him as the Model Presi-
dent of the Republic. They must sec
him face to face and hear him affirm be-
fore the American people what he had
written in a foreign land. For this, an
opportunity occurred very soon after his
arrival in this country, and before he
left the city of New York. At one Of
the public meetings there, Alderman
Warner asked the question of Mr.. Fill
more, whether report in circulation
that, under certain circumstances, he
would cease to be candidate, was cor
rect? He replied in the following I'M
equiyocal language:
" have already written letter ac-
cepting the nomination rendered to me +:
but to make assurance doubly sure, now
tell you that it is my determination to
stand by the party that has nominated
me; and till that party sees fit to with
draw my name it will not be withdrawn /"
Now, if in this letter and speech the
writer and speaker does not completely
ignore the wing party, without even the
compliment of decent obsequies for its
demise, then We confess to an utter in
ability to understand the force and ef-
feet of language whether written or spo-
ken. And, if the Enforcement of Mr..
Fillmore, under these circumstances, by
the wing Convention, has not tendency
to "dismember your long tried and dear
ly cherished brotherhood" by throwing
its members into antagonistic organize
tons, we are incapable of coming to a
rational conclusion from clearly estab-
lished facts
But it is said that, in the modified
platform which Fillmore accepted with
his nomination, a material change had
been made in some of its most important
features. The 9Th article for example.
which declares resistance to the apres-
sive policy and corrupting tendency Of the
Roman Catholic church in our country. y
by excluding from office those who owe
any civil allegiance to any foreign power,
had been superseded by the 9TH, which
declares that "no person should be Sc
lectcd for political station, whether of
native or foreign birth, who recognizes
any allegiance or obligation of any de-
scription to any foreign prince, potcntate
or power" VIII any rational man be
caught by such device? On the con-
trary, is not the latter more obnoxious
than the former? Any Roman Catholic
might with truth say were he permitted
that he owes no ciod allegiance as
stated, and thereby exclude himself from
the operation Of the former; but with
out dastardly denial Of The faith that is
in him, he could not aver that he owes
no allegiance or obligation Of any dcscrip-
ton TO the recognized chief bishop of
his Church. His situation is surely
more terrible than that of the mariner
on the Sicilan coast, for he must founder
on this political Scylla though safely
past the threatening vortex Of Charybdis
A change, too, it is said, had been made
by abolishing the oath of secresy, the
grips and passwords of the order. This
we are willing to admit. But there is
in Mr. Fillmore's letter an important ad-
mission which, in our opinion, holds
him coyenanted to the principles and
practices both Of the old and the new
law. He therein states that
AS the proceedings Of this Conven-
ton have marked new era in the his
tory Of the country, by bringing new
political organization into the approach
ing Presidential election, / take the oc-
casion TO re-afiIm my full confidence in
the patriotic purposes of that organiza-
ton"
Now, when Mr.. Fillmore used the
word "re-o66p,," he used it understand
ing; and he could not then have reaffirmed
his confidence in the patriotic purposes
Of the party, unless at some former pc
riod he had affirmed it, We wish not
TO do him injustice, and therefore we do
not rely on the statement made by a
gentleman in the Philadelphia Conven-
ton, that he initiated Mr.. Fillmore into
the order previous to his departure for
Europe, this statement having been de-
MED by many Of his friends; but we
take his own admissions and statements,
clearly and deliberately made, and by
these he certainly must he held bound