Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, Va. [W. Va.]) 1852-1859, 1859-02-23
NUMBER I55

there Is TAR 100 much OF u IN politicians Of all
parties, and none are too good to bear watching:
but it Is the nature and character Of their or
ganizaticn, which is the most perfect, compact,
and formidable that ever controlled party, that
leads To all these miSchiefs-it is the system and
policy they pursue, and to which few ofthem do
not subscribe; and when they do not, they are
excluded from the heshpots-Which is the Sc
verest punishment known 10 their cOde;-tbat
policy is TO make all things bend to success; TO
sacrifice all things human and holy to the As
tendency Of party, and the perpetuaiion Of pow
er; neither the lights OF experiences, the peace Of
the country, the harmony Of sections the preSsr-
yation Of the Constitution, the safety of the
Union, the prosperity Of the nation, the purity
Of the bench, the sanctity of the church, neither
one nor all these combined, are allowed to break
through the SeTTied ranks of their political or.
ganizauOn, which has no principle for its basis,
and no manly incentive for its conduct
At the behest and by the example Of demoe-
racy-party politics have entered into our
courts, Of high and low degree, its influence is
TO be felt in the jury box and to be seen in the
witness stand; il is as much L part Of the poliry
Ut that party 10 make democracy n portion cf
the education Ofthe youth OF the country, by
the appointment Of democratic teachers and
professors, as il is part Of the policy of the
Roman Catholic Church TO make all cathOlic.
by the exclusion Of the Bible from our common
schools
Never, never was more thorough knowledge
Oi a party displayed than when one Of its chiefs
who assisted its birth, said, "It was held
together by the cohesive power OF public plum
der. Suppose Air. Clay, whose relations to
the Wing party were more constant, but not
more close, had said this Of us as n warning 10
ais cOuutrymcn; who can measure or calculate
the effect IT would have produced on the honest
and well meaning patriots Of our own paIty2
yet in what respect has 1t disturbed the detBOc-
racy, except to make them the more gTaspihg,
the more rapaciOuS and the more active Ia car
ryIng out this one, aud Ouly pTincipleg
Slill saw, do not attribute vice TO all the
leaders OF that party, many of whom are sound
hearted, and, on general subjects, sound headed
men; for there are among them, men who, IN
all private aud social relations of lile are as
honorable and esiimable men as live-but
would not trust them as politicians, in cOnnec-
tiOn with the organization to which they belong,
and to which an implicit obedience is demanded.
How many Of them, who. 10 my knowledge,
voted against their Judgements aud their con-
sciences, for the repeal of the Missouri COmpTO-
pse, which has brought much mischief on
the couniry-purely and simply because it was
required of them as party measure. Men like
the lamented RuSk Of Texas with as honest and
gallant spirit Us the Senate could boast, who
told me on the day Of the night on which that
vote was taken, that in all his life he had never
done anything mneh against his jodso-
ment as he was about to do in voting to repeal
that compromise.
Let Gen. Cass, who is an honest man and a
patriot, with nothing more to expect at the
hands of his party, be asked at this day, if be
did not then think ''the man who would defeat
the passage of that bill would be entitled to rank
as the greatest benelactOT of the age"
Look, again. at Mr.. Hammond, who is per-
sOnaliy unknown TO me, but who has publicly
confessed, that he voted against his own eonvic-
tions of duty for the LecOmptOn Constitution,
which he thought, I think ought to have
heen kick ed Out Of the Senate "
l select these gentlemen rs he most honora-
bic, tho most distinguished, and among the
most favored Of their party, holding seats in
that body, which, from Childhood VIC have been
taught TO look up to as the great conservative
branch Of the government; removed by the pc
riOd for which they elected from those in
fuences that would naturally operate elsewhere;
and when such men these in such pO-
siIinns as they occupied, thus tied down by par
" discipline, / ask what have to expect from
inferior men in inferior places, many Of whom
have no other wish and no other hope than to
live on popular favor at home, and on the pub
lie crib abroad?
What other than the Democratic party, bloat-
ed with arrogance, and glutted with cOniidence
in their own strength, would have dared to dis
turb that healing measure Of cOtuprOmise which
had given peace to distracted country for thiT-
ty-four years, only for the purpose Of making
n new issue by which they might, as they
thought, more certainly retain their Ill gotten
power.
What mighty ills have not grown out Of that
The legislation Of our wisest and best men, OF
our most expei fenced statesmen, long nnbrO-
ken current Ofjudicial decisions for kixty-four
years. as expOunded by Marshall and Story and
Baldwin and Washington, all swept by the
board at one fell swOOP, and the ship Of state
turned loose upon the waves Of factiOn-tOssed
and strained aud worn. drifting no one knows
whether, aud encOuntering one knows what;
striking upon the rock Of popular sovereignty
here, the shoal Of squatter sovereignty there,
npOn which she Is thrown. GTst upon her beam
ends and then upon her bows, struggling and
stTaining for relief-and with 10 pilot AZ hand,
and no helm, compass, nor sail, mast,
nor spar to run or guide her into port. Yet,
all this she will neither strand,
nor founder, nor wreck; but, in defiance Of the.
Of al ON board, she will ride
tFiumphanily upon the wateTs-hnd her way
into poII-be brought into dock, OveThauled
and repaired, and again launched with officers
and creW,that will put her on her old track and
weather every storm; but thanks for this TO
her present officers and crew, but TO her OWn
stout frame and superior sailing qualities
But y hat shall be done with those who have
peTPetrated this grave offence? Shall they 60
unWhiPped of justice; or shall they pay the PEN
atty of their guilt