Burlington free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1827-1865, 1858-12-10
Gb& &g1ee p1eas
BURLINGTON:
SENATOR CRITTENDEN AND THE
OLD WINGS.
FRIDAY MORNING, DEC. 10, 1858.

Senator Crttenden of Kentucky had occa-
sion to visit New York City on his way to
Washington. Thereupon, last Wednesday,
" The Wing General Committee and men,
bers Of :" the Ashlanders Association" took
the opportunity to make him formal call,
and to ask if he would put himself at tho
head Of the great partv which they said was
going to revive itself as soon as tho NewYork
City Charter election was over.
A complimentary call on gentleman Of
so much eminence and character as Senator
Crittenden, by few who for long period
had held him in great respect, would have
been pleasant and beftting to all concerned.
But ceremonious invitation in this way
from II few dozen men, for him to sanction
them in announcing him as candidate for
the Presidency was ridiculous affair, which
Mr. Crttenden bowed out of the way as
briefly and politely as he knew how to do.
They had " watched" they said with
great interest, tho moving of the waters of
political strife as manifested by what now
may be termed the democratic party South,
and the republican party North-the one
spreading its vulture wings over our whole
country, facing every suit dealt in the politi-
cal shuttle, and grasping at everything,
North and South, that shall give them the
least prestige of power on the one hand, and
the so-callcd republican party, protesting to
keep step to the /" music Of the Union, at
at the same time with their frebrands of
sectionalism provoking one portion of our
confederacy against the other, y and they had
become satisfied it was time to throw of
their supineness to "awake to mastery
activity" and to save the nation " Are you
ready" say they" ,"to take our vanguard fight
our battles in infancy, and bear our laurels
in age. A host is behind. Our object is to
centralize our power and concentrate our
action, that we may in the end perpetuate
our cause
Mr.. Crttenden said he acknowledged the
compliment, he was an old Harry Clay whig
in the time of it, and had nothing to be
ashamed of about it either but as to being
candidate for the Presidency they must e1-
cuse him-he meant to be nothing Of the
sort if he could help it. He wished his coun-
try WELL and would do all he could TO help
her on to honor and glory-would be glad
to lend hand to help put some good man
into the Presidents chair, and all that sort
of thing,-but it was no seat for an old man
like him. Touching the troubled state of
the political sea, and what was to come of
it, he had nothing particular to say, for he
came to New York on business and not to
talk politics. lie 81 was sick of this Niger
question in all the forms in which it had
been presented. - He thought too that the
the organization Of political parties " to
make great machine whereby great null
titude of the people are to be controlled
and two or three are TO manage the machi-
nery," was bad way of doing things, and
he did not think the old wings could be do
ing better thing than TO circulate that
sentiment. Finally, to sum the whole up,
he would repeat that he was no candidate
and he wished the reporters, if any were
present, to make "a note OF it and the
sooner tine country got back TO a government
as it was in Washingtons time-(a govern
ment so unlike the present one, that no body
could detect even "A family Resemblance be
tween them'') the better we all should be off
Thereupon they all made their bows, ant
shook hands and separated.
We soc that the New York CIinmercia
Advertiser, which believed in the renovation
of the Whig party ne long as any paper tina
we know of, thinks the committee mel
aforesaid went on rather a silly "rrand-tha
Mr.. C. intimated asplainly as drccney woul'
allow under the circumstances, that all thi
talk about dead and gone parties as if the
We're alive, or ever would be alive again
was of no service, and hardly savory.