The Washington union., 1857-09-16
THE PLUMBER PARTY AND NATIONAL IETEIII
GENCER


In our recent reference to this party certainly
meant personal disrespect to the veteran conduct
of the National hteigeacer, for whom, in all our
party differences with them, we have entertain
ed high personal respect We are not ignorant of
the ability with which they manage that Journal nor
unmindful of the influence which it exercises. Our
differences with it purely political and not per-
Sofa They entertain positive and distinct political
views, which distinguish them and their party, which
they hesitate not to avow and defend. We differ
with them, having the clearest and strongest con-
victions that we afg upon true and safe democratic
ground We yield them all respect for the sincerity
of their views, while we entitled to demand the
same charitable construction of our own motives and
acts The Intelligeccr the openand ardent advo-
cate in favor of distribution and most strongly urged
it upon Virginia at the late election and displayed
figures indicating facts to prove how many dollars
and cents she and her people could make out OF it,
Virginia was urged in vain to abandon the democra-
CIV, and by her vote to sanction distribution. Not
withstanding the failure in Virginia, the views put
forward by the Entelligencer have met with favor
among the enemies of the democracy, and their
adoption widely pressed upon the country.
The principles of this party, under the guild
ance of the enemies OF the democracy must exercise
malign influence upon our institutions should they
acquire ascendency. As public journalists, we deem
ed it our duty to sound the ALARM and point to the
source of these dangerous principles. Although this
measure was urged upon the friends of the admins
traton democratic, we deemed it purely anti-dem-
ocratc, or whig, and from undisputed and promi-
nent whig source. We have, for long years, con-
sidercd the I,tclgenccr the most able, influential,
and frank of the whg journals and the real parent of
numerous projects which the democracy have met
and overthrown. Opposition journals in various
quarters have signifed their willingness to make
distribution an issue upon which to rally hoping to
overthrow the administration and PROSTATE the dem
ocrac party. They seemed to have looked upon the
figures presented by the hteigencer last spring with
great favor We then denounced the scheme as we
thought it deserved; and now, in the absence of
name for this party Of its own choosing we fol-
low the French precedents, and confer one in
dicave, think of its principles and their effects
Weare most happy tolearn from the Integencer itself
that although it does not repudae the principles it
has advocated, it has abandoned all present hope Of
inducing the people to support distribution. We are
gratifed to see it yield so carly and gracefully We
consider their course as furnishing strong evidence
that the effort to distribute any portion of the money
collected in the national treasury will prove fail
ure, whether urged whig, know-nothing, or
black-republican measure, as one common to them
all. We hail the sign as auspicious, and indicating
that this movement is to die early and natural
death.