The Ouachita telegraph. [volume] (Monroe, La.) 1865-1889, 1877-05-25
LESSON FOR THE PRESENT DAY.
The History OF Tylcrism and the Des.
tructioM Ofthe WhiE Party.
Cincinnati 'rimes.l

securing ga electoral votes for Harrison
and Tyler to 60 for Van Buren,. They
had a majority In both branches OF
Congress, and had complete control of
| the legislature and government of New
York. A month after his Inauguration
Harrison died. Tyler's first message
to the extra session, assembled on the
ad of May, was full of promise for the
| Wings. He recognized the special
measures on which they had come in,
and invoked legislation in their behalf.
There WAS no portent for the coming
storm, but it came soon enough in his
veto Of the bank bill. The effect was
Immediate; it was tho arrayment of
the head OF the Wing party against
their cherished principies-thc princi.
pies upon which the campaign had
been conducted and won. or course
/ the Democrats were warm i'll admira-
I ton of the President and his bipartisan
course. They praised him in their
papers they had meetings in his
! honor Even Van Buren,, the defeated
| Democratic candidate for the Presi-
tlency, announced his admiration for
the new policy. Several OF the Wing
members, Mr.. Wise among them, i'm
bltd with sudden love of unpartisan.
shin, broke loose from the ranks and
formed n third party. The Wings were
very slow to accept the gage OF war.
Their most judicious leaders deprecated
"a conflict they deplored the difference
on this question, but hoped for agree
ment on others. They framed another
currency bill, following closely the
Presidents own suggestions. This,
too, was vetoed, but accompanying the
veto was y plea against party conflict.
Almost piteo"sly the President
pleaded
at has been my good fortune and
pleasure to concur with them i'll all
| measures except this and why should
| difference on this alone III, pushed to
extrenlities: 1t is my anxious desire
! that il should not be-
But the breach could he no longer
| averted. The confidence of the party
was gonc-anger had taken its place.
| The Cabinet broke up, all ressisning ex-
cept Mr.. Webster. We do not pass
Judgment upon Webster's action but
it Is incontestably true that it contribu-
ted UNNECESSARILY to the Wing destruc-
ton. He was then engaged M Secre-
tary of State, in what has proved one
of the greatest laurela of his fame, the
Ashburton treaty. He may have re-
NAMED only with the view of complet-
ing that he may have been c"ntroll-
ed by his Presidential aspirations and
his hostility to his rival, Clay; but
whether one or both, none the less was
his course fatal to the Whigs. United
against Tyler, they would have retain
cd their hopes, their discipline, and
| their strength hut, with IL part follow
ing 'sthe greatest intellect of the cOun-
try" (Wel)ster) and a part cIingins to
.the most popular leader Of the time"
| (Clay) they were broken, ruined. Gov.
Seward, writing to Weed on Sept. ii,
gagged the future with nnerring pre-
science:
"Mr. Webster goes into the new
Cabinet with Tyler, and against Clay
and his friends, now the mass of the
Wing party. There will he loud de-
nunciations of both, and open teud.'
The fend came. aThe Wing members
of Congress, returning to New York,
united in formal protect against the
President. The party staggered, COM
pletelv unstr,lng. The loss of Maine
was the first echo. a few weeks later
came the New York election. The
Democrats carried both branches Of the
lcgislature-a Wing majority had
been dissipated in - year. Gradually
alienation of his party Increased nor
did he gather strength from tho other
side. The Democrats praised his indie
DCnttcnCc, anu tettHtteN HIS itStS Ill
their speeches and newspapers; but
they chung with undi;ninishe'l tenacy
TO their own organization and candi-
dates. Then sprang up, with tropic
luxuriance, the talk of new party. 1t
was to be an bipartisan party, Il patri-
otto party Of reform and pacification.
Old and corrupt parties were to he bro
ken up--all things were to come new.
TYLER meetings were held everywhere.
A Tyler General Committee was Or
sanized in the city of New York. The
pntriotic reform citizens of our State
Convention at Columbus endorsed the
TYLER policy, and resolved that the
President should divide the Democratic
party and gather in its conservative
better clement. Would you see how
:rlorio,,sly their hopes was realized:
Depressed, t.isintegratel, the Wings
waited the shock with idle hands, part
clingly despairingly to the intellect OF
Webster, part standing up manfully
with the spirit of Henry Clay. In Dc
tobcr Ohio threw Off the Wing control,
and went for the Democrats. In New
York the party was overwhelmed by
an avalanche. They saved only thirty
members of the Assembly, and but one
Senator. The Congressional ticket
was buried out of sight. The Demo-