The Cecil Whig. [volume] (Elkton, Md.) 1841-current, 1857-07-11
For the Cecsl Whig.
The Old Fire.


from the new fire which alone warns him.
The old fire is gone out only because
the fuel was consumed, and they who
would light it would kiadIa fire out Of
dead Goals. Yet the men who were the
Wing party ale no! dead: their fire
has not burnt out thv have still the
same great and patriotic objects in view,
but they pursue them By means and
with associates suited to the end and
alone competent to its attainment n0W.
Formerly they swclled the wing ranks
to guard, the Currcncy-.o provide for
Rivers and lIarbors-to defend the Tar
if; but now most of those things are re-
gulated by laws which are acquiesccd in
by the great mass Of the country-Whigs
and democrats Or, the people have so
distinctly adopted whig views, as for III
stance, on the subject of rivers and har-
lots, that they are in no danger and
that being so, there is no reason for
party organized on those issues.
.Noo the great practical evils are the
agitation of the Slavery Cues tion-thc
intrusion OF Foreign Influence, and the
prevalence Of disorganizing Fillibustcr-
ing tendencies.
The Wing party was, unfortunately,
unable to agree in applying a remedy for
these evils. Many, of its chief leaders
favored instead Of opposing their authors
united in bringing the Slavery agita-
ton on the country and, therefore, could
not be expected to unite in imposing 81
lence on the subject. Many Of the lea
ding wings we're anxious to obtain hold
on the foreign population and therefore
could not be expected to aid in REFRESHING
and rebuking foreign influence. But the
great mass Of the honest Wings held to
the spirit Of their great conservative
leaders, and applied that spirit to the
existing practical evils, and hence a di
vision and dissolution of the Old Wing
Party. The formcr portion who approved
of those things ceaSei to be ,rllg$ !; they
retained their name till after they failed
to carry the mass the Wings with them
into the same excuses, and they then
joined the Locofoco Party. Such men
have been named before :-Ecad, Ben
iamin, Pratt, Pearcc, Groomc, and the
like.
The other portion of the Wings were
not so devoid Of prudence as still to
adhere to their wing organization for
if when united it could not conquer,
surely this division did not strengthen
it.
They therefore, sought and found in
the ranks of the Democratic party of
that day, hundreds of thousands Of hon
est men, who on these new issues con-
Cured with them; who conid noi yccomc
Wigs, but who rere .4mericuns, and
| thus ready to unite with any body to
purify the American body polite from
the pressing evils of this day.
These two bodies OF men united and
they are now the American party.
A few, and only Il few Of the wings
held off and refused to join the American
party. These few gentlemen are men Of
responsibility, but they lead no party
and command no body OF considerable
influence. The men they once led are
now heart and soul, in the American
ranks, and there they will remain though
these gentlemen should shout the whig
war-cry till they are hoarse. They can
control their own votcs-they can con-
troll few beside their own votes.
They can cannot effect the result of any
election in this State. They can dimlu
ish majority against the locofocos but
they cannot change that majority citler
into one favorable to themselves, or IA
vorablc to the locofocos. Our Baltimore
contemporary, however correct in his APP
probation Of the ability, the patriotism,
the purity of these wings who are not of
the American party, greatly oyerratcs
their numbers. They form no political
party-they hold no balance of power
still less can they elect a single candi-
date Of their own. Why, therefore, seek
to cripple victory, which they cannot
change DO they wish to give aid an d
eountcnance to the locofocos-to support
their reeling steps--to cover them from
the castigation which the people Of Mary
land have bestowed and mean to repeat
Perhaps the best illustration Of the
contemplated resurrection of the whig
party, with that name, is to be found in
the papers quoted by our contemporary
Virginia, that never cast wing vote, is
to be the leader in the forlorn hope OF
the old defenders.
There are, doubtless, here and thel g,
papers favorable to a resurrection Of the
wing party, but those papers do not
show any signs Of adequate power for
that resurrection. Can they call Pratt
of Maryland, Jones of Tennessee OF
Groome of Maryland away from their
present locofoco embraces, or afinities
Can they attract the hundreds of thou
sands Of democrats who now form great
element Of strength in the American par
ty to submit to the broken fragments OF
the party over which they triumph ed in