Newspapers / The Raleigh Register (Raleigh, … / Sept. 23, 1848, edition 1 / Page 2
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Prtm the National Intelligence UAPirTPR Of UUft Mnuiinr . PB.N.C.yV... r 1 Via .nr It is not to be denied wax, -t... w. military acmeveroenia 10 mc ac -Vr hifW would probably never enht forward in contemn with the dace or rrc'u mlt merit Wnt h."OTfioed'"" daring hi. prior n SSrtoiiretreer of public .errice. laewlu. hoM who bare been ocu wth bim Xi the ordinary routine of military duty -The public attention u, it must be admitted .for A-firf imfl. ena-oZv attracted to him, by the .T "'.k- -.t k.ttie. fouirhl under his com- Sod near the Rio Grande. He may be said in. . haw then almost literally 'first discover- ed himself to his countrymen in a blaze of glory ; of soch as the multitude has the most lively ap preciation of. but upon which humane and intel Wnt men, aloof from the multitude, also know how to place a proper Talue. when it is accom panied, aa in the case of those battles, by service the moat important to the country, and by per onaJ characteristics solidly good, sober, high. The news of the first successes on the Rio Grande, all brilliant as those successes were, made the deeper and more universal impression on the public mind, from their succeeding a painful ap prehension, which had for some days hung over it, of the Army's being hemmed in by a superior Mexican force, cut off from its supplies, and per haps compelled to retreat, if not to capitulate. The echo to that news resounding from the mountains and valleys of the West, gave back to the Gulf of Mexico the narne of Zachary Taylor, accompanied by a spontaneous outburst in his favor as a candidate for the Presidency. The popular passion for Military glory bad, therefore, much to do with the bringing of Gen- Taylor into the presence of the People, as it were, and direct ing their attention towards hira as one worthy of being clothed with the highest honor in their gift. Ia a word, had he not fought those great battles, we are ready io allow that he would not have been, as he now is, the candidate of the Whigs, as well as of some not belonging to that party, for the office of President of the United States.' His military exploits brought him prominently into public notice. The fame of them will doubtless have secured to him no small proportion of the votes which he will receive ai the approaching election. But it is to other considerations, ap preciated by civilians even more than by men of war ; to a knowledge of the personal qualities, ' the soundness of judgment and rectitude of pur pose, adaptations to the highest civil employment, which his lately conspicuous position has enabled the people of every part of the country to recognise in him, that be will be indebted for his elevation to the highest seat of human ambition, the Pre sidency of the United Slates. It is with a desire to communicate to our readers the information which we have possessed ourselves of as to the character and qualities of Gen. Taylor, and the general impression which it has made upon our mind that we have sat down to the task now before us. We have no design to undertake a Biography of Gen. Taylor: that duty has been already ex ecuted by abler hands. Nor yet shall we pre sume to analyze his military merit : that is a point upon which the public judgment is already satis, fed. Ours be the more grateful occupation of grouping in one picture those traits of his per sonal character and qualities which attract to wards him the respectful and even affectionate regards of those who, like us, desire to find, in their candidate for such an office as the Pre sidency, some other recommendation than the most brilliant and well-earned military fame. Not that we shall, or can, overlook either the military history or the military merit of the Gener al. He cannot I e separated from them. Nor need any friend of his desire that he shou Id"; for they become him worthily. The garrison, the march, the camp, the battle-field, have been scenes in which he has exhibited, all his life long, quali ties which; command respect. He has not, per ... .baps, ur the midst of his arduous public service, sacrificed to the Graces as successfully as some have done who take exception to the plainness of his dress and simplicity of his manners. He is in truth no " carpet knight." But be is what ought to make him a hundred times more acceptable to the People ; he is, beyond all doubt or question, a good and honest man. Though we have never. thaJLwe know of, met Gen. Taylor face to face, he Is yet a very old ac quaintance of ours. It is just six and thirty years ago, at the moment when the heart of the country was depressed by Hull's surrender of his army at Detroit, that news was received in this city of the successful defence of Fort Harrison by General (then "Captain) Zachary Taylor, against a vastly superior force of Indians, under circumstances which rendered resistance almost hopeless, but which the then young but indomitable courage and energy of our Captain enabled him to overcome. The effect of this news was such as can hardly be realized at the present day, when the imagination has become familiar with war on a grander scale ; but it turned the whole current of public feeling at once, and inspired new confidence in the ability of our arms to maintain the defence of the then feeble and sparsely populated frontier. For this gallant exploit, Mr. Madison conferred on younar Taylor the Brevet of Major, the first brevet con, f erred in the war of 1812, and now the oldest in the army. From that day, the name of Taylor has ever held a secure place in our memory, though it had not, until the time of his taking charge of the Army of Observation," often met our view. We knew, However, that during the whole time he was al most always upon hard dutv. and ner formed it well ; especially in the harassing Black Hawk war. ana in tne t lorida war ; in which last he distingui shed himself no less by his gallantry and by his success in battle, than by a personal deportment which acquired for him the attachment of all who served with him. Passing over the intermediate part of his mili tary career, we must hasten to the period when his orders from the War Department-placed him in command in a wider field, and charged him with duties, the execution of which brought him at once in full view before us. We refer, of course, to the time of his assuming the command of the forces gathered together ostensibly to pro tect the frontier of Texas, but destined afterwards t0 m000 acti?e ana dangerous service. Much as has been said of the battles won by Oeneral Taylor ia Mexico, the peculiar objects ! 5Hareqae.D? of lhose batlle. the judgment Sf fres'gt which dictated, and the decis- J?r J.t ,neXUled, lhens have scarcely no SSSl'LiirTi8 0ry f,lhe achivementsof the army under the General's command is all that "if ? ,K baVC, much cared ; though when the actual achievements come to be com ParlW,lihe;0ub8UC-,e8 ov d the evds warded 4ff by them, it will be seen that the? oh jects accomplished by these victories were a. nut stantul as the battles themselves were brilliant In reference to ths position in which Gen Tav lor is-now placed, almost against bis will, as a ( . o . ui. Will, Candldatflr hafor lh Prr fnm U rL- tracy, the ,oundne of judgment which he dis Played, on all occasions, during his campaigns in Mexico, is of -even more interest to the coomrv B. S'10'' yrom Fort in the opening offh"tamerM Pont Isabel. war! w?a to procure provis- him farces. His determination to march ion for yy vi m r TtuM S AMAmMi hhIa Ariflfl hftf back 10 r On uruwu 4 wjc cuciut uuua i7Z ; tween tne two pans oi our army w- - -7 rarrison of that fort. With this resolution, he wrote to the War Department, under aaw ui iuo 7th of May, that hewa about to sei i oi. 1... return to Fort Brown, and that, if the Mexicans opposed his march, in whatever force, he should fight them. On that march, the following day, he did meet them at Palo Alto, and beat them. AU knew that the contest would not end there, and that another conflict must take place before the object of the march was effected. Doubts were entertained by many of the officers in Gen. Taylor's army about the ability of so small a force to advance safely against so large a one of the enemy. The object of the march, the salvation of the garrison of Fort Brown, outweighed in the General's mind every consideration of danger The advance was determined upon, the battle of Resaca fought and won, the garrison of Fort Brown rescued, snd the Administration saved from disgrace. For it is much to be doubted whether, had Gen. Taylor failed on th Rio Grande had his army been destroyed or com pelled to capitulate whether an army of suffi cient force could bave been as easily raised in the United States to face the Mexicans, flushed with victory, with Santa Anna (a General of never-failing resources and energy) at their head, as it could be, after Taylor's glorious victories, when the whole country was inspirited by them, and all that our volunteers had to do was to go to Mex ico and take a share in them. But for these early successe, the result of Taylor's right judgment and resolute will, the Mexican War might have been a series of disasters, instead of the unbroken succession of victories that it was. After these battles, and re-establishing his camp opposite Matamoras, Gen. Taylor, with a small escort, returned to Point Isabel to meet Com. Conner and that portion of his squadron that bad on land co-operated with the detachment left for the defence of Point Isabel ; and it was on this occasion that was manifested the first ev idence of that enthusiastic feeling towards the General which afterwards filled so many breasts. A point of etiquette arose as to the propriety for he would not arrive until after tattoo of re ceiving the General with any demonstration of joy. But this was no time for etiquette. His approach had been heralded, and already the par apets . were lined with Jack-tars, eager for the first glimpse of the old Hero; and, as he "hove in sight," or rather became tangible, for it was loo dark to see, the spontaneous and heartfelt cheer9 of the "combined forces," as one voice Droclaimed that he was M first in the hearts" of those who greeted him. The General wa9 really overcome by this un exDected demonstration: and. as he satin the rude Mexican hut to which be had been conduc ted. surrounded bv all who could squeeze their way to bis presence, never was seen a more truth ful personification of modesty. He seemed brood ing over some sad event, rather than elated at his own great deeds. The sailors surrounded his quarters, and it is doubtful whether there was one of those five bundrd brave fellows who did not shake bun by the band- His stay on this visit was short ; but he improved the occasion to visit and cheer up the wounded, and to direct all that could be done to make them comfortable 1 be General returned to JVIatamoros as quiet ly and as unostentatiously as he came. It was there that he received the deputation from Lou isiana to congratulate him upon the battles he had won. Bui nu gratulations seemed in the slight est degree to excite his vanity. He was, from first to last, the same Zachary Taylor. With the details of the battle of Buena Vista every reader is too familiar to leave us any ex cuse for here reciting them. No one is ignorant under what odds and disadvantages it was fought. and how a host of twenty thousand men were beaten in fair fight by an army of less than five thousand, four-fifths of that number being volun teers. 1 he result of the unequal engagement, which electrified tne whole Nation, surprised our own Government, and astonished even Eu rope, her statesmen and her generals of a hun dred battle-fields, was due ye: more to the confi dence which the army had in its commander, founded upon a knowledge of his character, than to the skill of bis dispositions and the native val or of the comparatively raw troops of which his army was composed. Instead of narrating the incidents of that memorable conflict, let us, in order to form some idea of its transcendent importance, recur for a moment to the circum stances in which Gen. Taylor was placed, and under which the battle was fought. When, under the advice of the General-in chief of the Army, the plans of the Administration were changed, the attempt to reach the city of Mexico by the inland route abandoned, the route by Vera Cruz determined upon, and the regular troops, whom Gen. Taylor had accustomed to conquest, were necessarily almost all withdrawn from his command to strengthen Gen. Scott, the whole country saw at once the peril in which the former was placed. No one saw it more clearly than himself. " While almost every man of my regular force and half the volunteers (now in respectable discipline) are withdrawn for distant service," said he in an official letter of January i.j, xokt, 10 me vommanuer-in-Lnier, it seems that I am expected, with less than a thousand Regulars, a Volunteer force, partly of new levies, to hold a defensive line, while a large army of more than twenty thousand men is in my front." feel that I have lost the confidence of the Gov ernment, or it would not have suffered me to re main, up to this time, ignorant of Us intentions, with so vitally affected interests committed to my charge. But, (he added,) htnoever much I feel mtmijiea ana omragea oy ine course pursued, un precedented, at least in our own history, I will carry out in good faith, while I remain in Alexico. the views of the Government, though I may be sacrificed in the effort." A brighter example of Fidelity to trust reposed in man, is not to be found in the records of our race than in this dec laration, followed up, as it was, with such stern ness of decision and vigor of action as proved its writer's sincerity The responsibilities, difficulties, and dangers by which Gen. Taylor was now-beset may be well conceived, when we bear in mind that at the moment when the General found himself with a body of troops, nearly all raw, scarcely sufficient to keep up his communication with his depot of supplies atCamargo, he knew that large" supplies, then on the Rio Grande and at the Brasoa, must be drawn out by Gen. Scott, and that on these supplies depended the success of his (Gen. S.'e) command, and his advance from Vera Cruz. In the midst of all the anxiety naturally attending his position, he found that Santa Auna was ad vancing upon bis line of communication with Ca margo and Brasos, and that, if be availed himself of the discretion left to him by instructions from his Government to confine himself to Monterey, he would be cut off from his supplies at those points; that they would fall into the hands of the enemy, depriving General Scott of the portion of them that he required ; and that then, if he could do such a thing he himself would be forced, for want of supplies, at last to surrender ! He then had to choose between two alternatives, either of which would havo been sufficiently appalling to most men: he must adcance with a body of troops, of which four-fifths were volunteers who had not long been embodied, to oppose five time their number of the best Mexican troops under Santa Anna ; or be must retreat to Monterey. He knew that, if the first course was taken and be proved successful, he would preserve his line of communication with the Rio Grade snd save his army from Inevitable disaster; and that, if de feated, the oiy difference between his position then, and that in which he would have found him self after s retreat to Monterey, would be, that in the one case be was defeated in battle, whilst in the other he was Starved into a surrender. That General Taylor perfectly understood and ap preciated the peril of his position, and tbevsst ness of the results dependant on the choice which he might make between these alternatives, there exists documentary proof. But he made his choice. He advanced to meet the coming blow. He fought and woo the Battle of Buena Vista. With what solemnity of feeling, mingling with his high sense of imperative duty, he engaged in thai conflict, evidence is afforded by letters written by himself to relatives and friends on the evening before the battle came off. In those letters, the sab stance of which has transpired, he stated the reasons that had determined him to give battle to the enemy. These were, that, the Mexican army having just crossed a great desert, their forces both in men and horses must be in a condition so exhausted as much to impair their capacity for physical exertion : that, on the other hand, he himself held a strong position, well adapted to enable him to repel a superior force, in which alone he could hope successfully to contend with the immense odds against him : that, should he quit his position and fall bock upon Monterey, as he had been advised to do, Santa Auna might, with so superior a force, hem him up in Monterey, while he swept every post from thence to the mouth of the Rio Grande Thus would be wrested from us all the advantages we had gained, our country iujured, and ber honor tarnished. Such, he believed, would be the disastrous and humiliating consequences of a retreat He therefore resolved to maintain his position at all hazards, with a determination to die rather tfian to suffer the flag of his country to be disgraced while under his care. In order to make a successful defence with a force such as his, it would be necessary that he should be exposed throughout the engagement to the most imminent peril. The chances (he said) rvere as ten to one that he should not be a living man at the setting of the sun on thej 'ollorcing day ! In another Letter, on the eve of that battle, he ex pressed himself in even more remarkable terms: " This may," said he, " be the last communication you will receive from mo. I have been stripped by the Goverument of regular troops, and reduced in volunteers, and thus stripped, and at the mercy of ' tne foe, nave been expected by my country to re treat or resign. But 1 shall do neither. care not for myself, but feel deeply for the noble soldiers who are about to be sacrificed by their country. We shall stand still and give them battle, relying on a just provi dence for a rig lit result." And a just Providence did take care of him and those noble soldiers, and saved them from the snare which, designedly or not, their own Government had set for them ! After the battle of Buena Vista, Gen. Taylor pas sed through Monterey, but only stopped in the town long enough to dine ; for he cared not for the honors which all were ready to pay to him. Though abso lutely worn out by fatigue, he after dinner re-mounted his old charger and proceeded most quietly to the repose of his old camp. 1 he interval between the battles of Monterey and Buena Vista, and his ultimate departure from Mex ico, was spent by Gen. Taylor chiefly at his camp near Monterey. And here it was, after all the ex citing events on that line had ended, and those on the line from Vera Cruz to Mexico were successful ly advancing and when, too, every mail from the States came freighted with adulation from almost eve ry source,and presages of political elevation sufficient to tarn the head of an ambitious man that, unmov ed by these things, he retained his unaffected sim plicity of manner and of action, sincerely express ing his unwillingness to encage in party strife, or to be separated from his cherished hope of returning to ma D09om or nis family, there to end his days in peace and quiet. To all applications to him to al low nis name to be used as a candidate for the Pres idency, whilst the war continued, he replied in terms corresponding with those of the first letter ever writ ten by htm in reference to this subject, viz . That, though feeling very grateful to his fellow-citizens who had expressed a desire to place him in nomina tion for the Presidency, it became him frankly to acknowledge that he had no aspiration for that of fice ; but that, even if an aspirant for the Presidency, (which he was not,) he could not, whilst the coun try was involved in war, and whilst his duty called upon him to take part against the enemv. acknowl edge any ambition beyond that of bestowing all his best exertions towards obtaining an adjustment of our difficulties with Mexico. And when, at last, his consent to serve as President, if elected, was extort ed from him, it was given in language entirely con sistent with what we have already seen of his char acter. 14 If I have been named by others, and con sidered a candidate for the Presidency," said he, " it has been by no agency of mine in the matter ; and, if the good people think my services important in that station, and elect me, I will feel bound to serve them ; and all the pledges and explanations 1 can enter in to and make, as regards this or that Dolicv. is. that I will dp so honestly and faithfully, to the best of my abilities, strictly in compliance with the consti tution." Having thus been led to speak of Gen. Tavlor's consent to his name being used in reference to the office of President, this is the fit place in which to say all that we propose to say of his politics. In the very first letter written by him in reply to the ap plications to allow his name to be used, he himself avowed his political sentiments. 14 Although no pol itician, having always held myself aloof from the clamor of party politics," said he. "lama Whiz, and shall ever be devoted in individual ovinion to the principles of that party P As far back as the year 134U, we know. that, though at the time m active service, and therefore not voting, he felt a deep in terest in the election of Gen. Harrison, and rejoiced, in his quiet way, in the event of that election, as sin cerely as any man in the natiou. At the more re cent election of President (in 1844)hehas declared, under his own hand, that " he was decidedly in fa vor of Mr. Clay's election, and that he would pre fer now seeing him in that office to any individual in the Union' And, being released trom active ser vice in the field, the war being virtually over, he made an exposition of his principles, in his Allison letter, which proved him to be every inch a Whig, and, as far as politics were concerned, fully justified the nomination whioh he subsequently received in that character from the Whig National Convention. Judged by all we know of him, there is no sounder Whig in the country than he. Our limits allow us but little room to speak with any fulness of those individual features of Gen. Tay- 1 : 1 1 a 1 . m . iors cnarucier, Known 10 us from unquestionable au thority, which go to show his rare personal worth. A few brief allusions to them must suffice. Gen. Taylor is a man of business habits. We have it upon the authority of Gen. Marshall that dur ing his service in Mexico he was never known to give up a day to pleasure. No one ever visited his quarters without seeing evidence of the industry with which he toiled. If his talented Adjutant was surrounded by papers, so was the General. And, though he would salute a visiter kindly, and bid him with familiar grace to amuse himself until he was at leisure, he never would interrupt the duties which his station called him to perform. In his association with officers, the General was at all times frank and unreserved. No unnecessary mystery shrouded the proceedings at Headquarters. All of his movements were straightforward, prompt, and efficient; and, when once his mind wan made up no ordinary circumstance could effect a change. No vaccilUUon or want of determination ever exhibited itself What he said, he meant; always sincere, and, above all things, truth fol At the battle of Buena Vista says CoL Davis) when the day seemed, if not lost, to be going against our arms, General Taylor, amidst the thickest of the l roae,uPn the plateau and calmly survey ed the scene. Vast as were the consequences of that hoar, he appeared to fear no danger, expect no harm. ,k f exc,Iiemnt of the carnage over, the same soal that could remain unmoved when his friends were mng uke leaves around him, which could look un Wanched opon the front of the thundering artillery, became the poor soldier's moat sympathiiing'friend ; and the eye, so stern in battle, was as mild as the tender-hearted matron's. No act of oppression has ever been charged upon General Taylor. No man paid the penalty of death by martial law from the time he fought p controlled and guided the army without bloodshed, maintained its honor and discipline, and retired without having done any act to sully the charac ter he had ever sustained as a humane, as well as able man. When the Government chided him for not storming Monterey and its twelve thousand men, with his five thousand, what was his reply 1 " Yes," he said, M I could have taken it in that way, but I did not want to sacrifice the women and children." When he was feted in New Orleans, a friend, alluding to the splendid pageant which wound through the streets of the city, said to him that " it must have been very gratifying to him." No," said he, it was not. I was afraid 6 me of the women and children might be hurt!" Though bred to war. inured to its toils and hardships, and owing his present conspicuous position to his ability and success in that vocation, he is a devoted friend of Peace. At a dinner ffiven to him on his return from Mexico, he de clared, in response to a complimentary toast, that "The joy and exultation of the greatest victories were always, after the heat and excitement of the battle, succeeded by feelings of poignant sorrow and pa.n : and that war, after all, was a great cal amity, and Ms the greatest glory who could termia ate 1. Again : In a letter to the Hon. Truman Smith, of the House of Representatives, dated Baton Rouge, March 4th, 1848, he said: "1 need hardly reply to your concluding inquiry, that I am a feace man, and that I deem a state of ' jKace to be absolutely necessary to the proper and liedlth ful action of our republican institutions On this inr . portant question I freely confess myself to be the unqualified advocate of tht principles so often laid . . . t 1 ri . .1 .1 Uowu oy tne r amer 01 nis voumry, unu bo urgency recommended by him in his t arewell Address to tne American people. Indeed, I think I may safely say 1 that wo man can put a more implicit faith than I do in 1 the rcisdom of his advice, tvten he urgea upon us the I nrnnriftil of film Hilt ttUMlviff UOOH OUT 4 OWn SOU.' u 3 J 3 o r And a pa in. in his letter to Cant. Allison, he said : " My life luis been devoted to arms, yet I look upon war, at an times ana unaer an circumstances, as a national calamity, to be avoided if compatible with national honor. The pruiciples oj our Lrovernment, as well as Wi-true policy, ere opposed to the subjugation Or OTHER NATIONS. AND THE DISMEMBERMENT OF OTHER COUNTRIES by COnqUeStP What pledges, then, of a man sure, in a situa tion however difficult, to be faithful, firm, and single-hearted in his utmost duties, has Zachary Taylor not given, from Fort Harrison to Buena Vista, from the tent to the farm, through his long life of efficiency in action, of moderation in com mand, of jnodesty in the midst of victories ; VVnat a usuries are there, in his entire career, which must not make his arrival at the Presidency an event full of hope to all good men, of confusion and dismay to all that organized corruption and incapacity which have ruled us so long, not gov erning but despoiling us, not upholding but af flicting the general weal, not executing but only partitionimr-out public truste ! Who that regards the country at all, or hid own well-being as a part of that of the land at large, can hesitate how to choose between men so opposite 7 In the one, there is clearly every thing to give the world assurance of a man ;" a heart perfectly brave. sincere, untouched by any of the corruptions of civil life, unharcened by the habits of military ; full of kindliness and humanity to all men ; a true model, almost to homeliness, of republican aim plicity ; a man loved and trusted by all that have ever approached him, but especially command ing, in proportion as there was danger ordifficul (y. an unbounded confidence. In the other, what is there to begot, even at this latter end of in dividual eminence among the Locofoco party, any favor but that of faction, any admiration but of followers who in his success see the hope of their own 1 In General Taylor there must be singu larly strong native qualities tor wisely and right ly commanding men, else how should he have been a leader so daring yet prudent, so well obeyed and yet so idolized, so careless of all re serve and outward state, yet so thoroughly res pected ? Does any body suppose that all these indisputable effects tjie unsought affection which he attracts from all, the boundless reliance with which all look to him in the extreme of peril can be brought about, except by the possession of a true superiority ? Stranger as he is to all the arts which awe men, to all the tricks which set off greatness, the thing is impossible. Good as he is brave, mild as he is resolute, admirably compounded of prudence to decide and of valor to act, of ardor in the fight with the most unmov ed self-possession ; gentle without any known trait of weakness, as straight forward as he is discreet, familiar without ever lessening the respect which he inspires, inflexible without austerity, the man evidently commands, through the native ascen dency of his character alone, and guides others by an instinctive wisdom equal to every emer gency a natural sagacity which, exhibiting itself not in words but action, all about him feel rather than they can define. If as yet without direct civil experience, we at least know that he has looked wisely enough up on the general course of public affairs to have chosen, between parties, the most Conservative; between theories, that which the maturer mind only confirms ; between men, him above all whom true service and not personal success has crown ed the general knowledge of public questions he therefore clearly posseses. As to particular measures, we should leel sate in the rare integ rity of his heart, the intuitive faculty of going exactly right, which distinguishes him so much; and especially we should rely on him as one who wiil not act till he understands, has ever known how to take counsel, and has never yet, in any instance that we can recall, taken any coun set but the best. But, besides, it is as little Gen. Taylor's theory as our own, that every thing should rest on the Presidential opinions, right or wrong, informed or uninformed : be will have modesty enough not to consider the nation's whole intelligence centred in his single person : he is republican enough not to set up his indi vidual will as entitled to over-ride every thing else, and call that domineering, that more than kingly arrogance. Democracy, the Progress, the Largest Liberty. As, in short, between him and his more prac tised adversary, Gen. Cass, who can hesitate! VVho will take a mm because he has been tried, when, as we have had occasion to show, he is on ly the less to be trusted in proportion as he has been tried. If the having borne a long part in public affairs is only to teach men that ho has learnt how to be more a demagogue, and a de structive the older he grows give us, at least, a man unpractised, unsophisticated, whose heart re tains its original warmth, its primitive integrity, us unoissipated visions of public duty and honor ; give us one whose uuderstanding is yet uncor rupt plain, manly, guided only by a powerful com mon sense.: God defend us from the shallow speculatist, the statesman of untried experiments, l he propagators of Freedom by the sword, the small philosophize in government, and, above all, from pohticans of the Mexico Yucatan, and Fifty -four-forty sort, who would have us now Conquerors, now Crusaders, a Nation of fire eaters ! We know no industry, no branch of irade except annexation" and office-bun ting that may not expect to flourish under General Taylor ; we know of no honest and peaceful do mestic pursuit, no useful art, no important public interest, which the e lection of Gen. Cass will not deeply injure. We know no man more pledged than he to upset for us whatever of policy, or law or constitution, or quiet or character Air. Polk has spared, t Palo Alto to the time he left Buena Vista. He COMMUNICATION FOB, THE REGISTER. Mr. Editor : I came to Louisburg jnst in time to hear Mr. Miller address the people, and I now avail myself of a leisure' moment to furnish you with some account of the affair. The meeting took place in the Court Honse, which was den.ely crowded by an audience which gave the speaker profound attention. Mr. Bnsbee was not present he was detained, I suppose, by indisposition. The speech of Mr. Mil ler lasted for three hours, and throughout, comman ded a degree of attention which I have rarely wit nessed on such occasions. The array of facts and illustrations presented in the clear and forcible style peculiar to the speaker, appeared to sink deep into the minds of the people. The position of the Democratic candidate for the Presidency, Mr. M. thought anomalous. His party had made for him a platform, or declaration of prin ciples, entirely at war with the whole tenor of his political life. In fact, the platform being made be fore the candidate, it became a Procrustean bed. If the royal sleeper should happen to be too short, his diminutive proportions must be stretched to the re quisite length ; if too long, lopped off. The plat form leaves no discretion to the President standing on it. It is made to supercede the Constitution, and does effectually debar the President from consulting that instrument, or obeying its mandates, whenever they shall conflict with those of the platform. Mr; Miller exposed with great force and clearness, the inconsistency of the preceding acts and opinions of Gen. Cass with the doctrines of the platform. The platform broadly lays down the position that Congress has " no power to commence and carry on a general system of internal improvements ? yet, in the face of this declaration made by the Baltimore Convention, and crammed down the throat of Gen. Cass, he has repeatedly voted for appropriating the lands and money of the Federal uovernmeni 10 sucn purposes. Mr. Miller read from the Journals of the Senate, printed by order of that body, and under its supervision, repeated votes of Gen. Cass for build ing Rail Roads and improving Rivers. He has with in the Inst three or fonr years, voted for giving the Public Lands to the State of Mississippi, tne estate of Michigan, and I believe, Arkansas ffor the pur Dose of buildine Rail Roads ; and in the same peri od, he has as often voted to appropriate the public moneva to im Drove the Western Rivers and Lake Harbors. At the Session of Congress before the last, a Bill of this kind was passed, with the aid ef Gen. C&asf vote. An amendment was offered by a Dem ocratic Sens tor, to the effect that if there was no mo- ney in the Treasury, the appropriation was to lay over until the termination of the war. or that the money must be borrowed to carry on the improve ment. Gen. Cass voted azainst this amendment that is to say, he voted to borrow money to " begin and carry on' his system of internal improvements Yet he stands erect on the Baltimore Platform ! I do not undertake to do more than present the bare facts stated by Mr. Miller. It would be utter ly impossible, from memory, to report him in all the strength and force of his illustrations and arguments. .The inconsistency and absurdity of Geh. Cass and his party, were shown up in every imaginable light, so that the plainest men could understand and laugh at them. Mr. Miller also exposed Gen. Cass' incon sistency with the platform, on the subject of slavery. By adopting that instrument, he declares that Con gress has no right to take any incipient steps towards the abolition of slavery. But what has been his practice 1 Ha has repeatedly offered Abolition pe titions to the Senate. If offering a petition is not an " incipient step,'7 it is difficult to understand what that term means. Besides, Gen. Cass avowed him self in favor of the Wilmot Proviso, when that mea sure was first offered as an amendment to the two million bill, in 1846, and only voted against it in 1847, because he thought it would defeat the pend ing bill the three million bill. I have neither time nor space to notice the various other topics of the Speech : and, indeed, a bare re ference to them, without reporting their substance, would furnish little interest to your readers. Mr. Miller has a strong clear voice, which, combined with his thorough information, renders him a most able and effective speaker. A WHIG. SHOCKS OF EARTHQUAKES AT THE NORTH. The New York papers, of Saturday evening, give accounts of two shocks of earthquakes felt at Brook lyn Heights, at 42 minutes past 10 o'clock on Fri day evening the atmosphere was serene and tran quil at the time. The wires fell 5 deg., having pre viously riseu 1 deg. The South thermometer was equilibriated for four consecutive hours. The Commercial says the sound was peculiar a loud, heavy rumbling lasting probably fifty seconds, and adds : " It was very sensibly felt at Hackensack. New Jersey, and at other places in that neighborhood. Its course throughout appears to have been from southwest to north east " The first shock is described as having lasted a iuii minuie ; tne second ten seconds. 1 he majori ty of the accounts fix the time of its occurrence at twenty minutes before 11 o'clock. We have heard also from as far up the river as Yonkers, and learn that the shock was felt there and in some parts of Con necticut. "Theshocks was felt also on Staten Island, se verely ; and at White Plains, at the camp-meeting ana in me upper part ot this city." A telegraphic dispatch from Philadelphia savs that this earthquake was also felt there. We hear nothing of its having been felt hereabout. A Good Wife A friend of our's who has been spending a few weeks in the country." and who visited some of the private dwellings of me rustic mnabitants, tells of a singular old roan who lives near Brookfield. He is somewhat no ted for bis odd expressions. He was one day vis ited by a email party of ladies and gentlemen, who went to hear his "talk." "Now young gentlemen, said he, " I will give you directions how to tell a good wife- A good wife will be like three things, and she. will not be like them. She will be like the snail who stays at home, and she will not be like the snail who carries all he has on bis back. She will be like the echo, that speaks when spoken to, and she will not be like the echo, always to have the last word. She wiil be like the town-clock, that speaks at the right time, and she will not be like the town clock, heard all over the. town. Bark-Note Poetry. The Olive Branch says that the following was found by one of its subscrii bers, written on the back of a bank-note-Bank-notes, it is said, once gold guineas defied, To swim in the torrent of trade's swelling tide, But ere they arrived at the opposite brink. ' The notes loudly cried, " Help, Cashus, we sink!" That paper should sink, and that guineas should swim, May appear to some folks a ridiculous whim ; But ere they condemn, let them hear this suggest tion In pun-making, gravity's out of the question. HENRY CLAY IN REGARD TO THE PRES IDENCY HIS FINAL DECISION. Henry Clay, in a letter dated, April 10, 1848 made public at the time, and only a few weeks before the meeting of the Philadelphia Conven tion, uses the following emphatic language : M I have," says he, finally decided to leave to the National Convention, which ia to atsemble next June, the consideration of my name in con nection with such others as may be presented to it, to make selection of a suitable candidate for the Presidency of the United States : and whatever may be the issue of it, its fair and full deliberation will meet my prompt and cheerful acquiescence." Does any sane man, after reading the above, believe that Mr. Clay will withhold Ms aupport from Gen. Taylor ! A. Y. Express, t'A -A. K. Sonthall, General Agent and Commission Merehant Halifax, N. C. m ESPECTFULLY announces that K k. ! lX, meaced the General Commission Bu8i " the Urge and commodious Store House, form0'?' cupied by J as. Haliday, where1 he will'b h receive Consignments of Goods, of all descri 10 and he hopes, by energy anJ faithfulnesr100'' satisfaction to those who entrust him with th i sal of their Goods His extensive acquainu this and the adjoining Coonties, will enabled 09 dispose of a large quantity of Goods. 01 'I Merchants and Manufacturers are respectful! quested to favor him with their patronage a d be assured that all consignments entrusted Hi ?J shall receive prompt and faithful attention He will also attend to the receiving and forw of any thing. rJ'll REFERENCES. Halifax N. C Geo. W. Barnes, Col tl Ousby. N. O. Webb, Dr. H Joy ner, B P t B F. Simmon. ' Moore, Weldon, JV. C. John Campbell, Jamp ; N.M Long. me88mtnoDl) Raleigh, JV. C-Wm. A. Stiih. Norfolk, Va. A. Harris. A. A. B. SOUTH Ur Raleigh, 8ept. 12, 1848. 743, Ro cfey Mount, Sept7th77s7 -uiiuig M'tMviury ana JrliUg, rr ww ' intu uuaersignea, successors to Batti p BROTHER, in the above property, have themselves together, under ih tiii. c''i nava co. O 9 l.WIQ Ul Battle & Co, They have been at great expense ia enlarein,!, operations of this Establishment, and in the purch of New Machinery, and feel warranted in sav that they can now make as good an article of as can be manufactured any where ia the Unit j Slates, and are determined to sell at as LOW PRICES. All they desire, in order to secure the trade of Merchants and Dealers in this part of the Count is that they examine the quality of their YARNs' and their liberal Terms, before purchasing elsewhere We do only a quarterly business, but u-in ' the liberal discount of 2 per cent, for Cash D. BATTLE, J AS. M. BATTLE, WM. S. BATTLE. J. L. HORNE. Sept. 12. 74 3t PAUL & MelLLWAINE, FALL 1848. DIRECT IMPORTATION, PER SHIP HENRY. BY the Ship HENRY, the Subscribers haw . ceived a most commanding and well-selected sup. pajf vi .-Ul&JJlfjrfV fxOODS, which they will sell on such terms as will enahl. them to compete with any of the NORTHERN CITIES. In addition to the above, their Stock of American Mannfartnred Goods will be found cheaper and more extensive, than anv other heretofore offered in this Market. PAUL 5- MelLLWAINE, Importers and Jobbers, East side Sycamore St Petersburg, Va. Sept. 12. 1848. . 74 3t SEPTEMBER 12, 1848. E, and F, James & Co, CENTRAL DRY GOODS ROOMS, Petersburg. Ya., ARE now receiving their usual supply of Fall and Winter Staple and Fancy ury uooas, A portion of which has been purchased for Cash, and a still larger portion at the Northern Auctions, and many below the cost of Importation. They are pre. pared to offer great inducements to their t friends, customers, and the pnblic generally, on their usual terms. Feisons visiting this place for the purpose of purchasing Dry Goods, will do themselves injustice should they fail to give us a call. We shall at all times strive to have on hand an assortment large and general, by receiving additional supplies throughout the season. Anchor Boiling Cloths No. 1 to 10 ; English Seine Thread and Twine also Cotton Seine Twine and Red Turkey Cotton. Sept 12. 74 w2ff George B. Jones, & Co. Wholesale and Retail Dealers ia Drugs, Medicines, Paints, Oils, Window Glass, Dye Stuffs, Perfumery, Brushes, &c. RESPECTFULLY announce to their friends, Mer chants and Physicians of North Carolina, that they are well prepared to furnish them with all articles ia their department. of-Stisfness at the lowest prices. Their stock is in part of their own importation, and the balaucehas been recently selected in tne norm- ern Cities, with great care, as they are determined to sell none but pure and genuine Medicines. Those who favor them with their orders, may rest confident of receiving articles free from adulteration. Petersburg. Sept. 5. 4 wow D. Paine & Co,, MANAGERS OF LOTTERIES, RICHMOND, VA. STRAWS hanr hnw th wind hlows. and Pur cell & Co. have given the most incontestable proof, that D. Paine & Co.'s Lotteries are of the true stamp, and that their Lotteries, take the lead of all others. Adventurers examine the following brilliant schemes, and if a prize is wanted buy Paine s Tickets. PAINE? S LOTTERIES ALWAYS AHEAD I TTn ixTHfaAortlaA infr at Pllrrfill & Co S. THE BRILLIANT PRIZE OF $36,000 SOLD AT OUR COUNTER. The following is a lint of prizes sent to Richmond in Lotteries under the popular management of D. Paine & Co. in less than sixty days. Whole Ticket 31 41 49, $36,(MW- Whole 3 46 57, 25,000 ; Half 8 31 44, 12." Quarter 2 26 65, 15,000; Quarter 46 5664, 15.M Quarter 19 41 60, 2 500 ; Whole 22 50 57, . The following prizes sent in Paine's Lotteries since 1st of August: . ,, Whole, 5,000, whole 4,000, whole 4,000, WJ 12,000, whole 2,756, whole 1,000, whole 2.280'(JJ" gether with innumerable small ones of l,Wt ou 300, 4, all of which can be seen at our counter. A FEW MORE OF THE SAME SOBT LEFT . And for grand prizes, examine the following lianl schemes, and forward your orders 10 u, or C. W. PURCELL, tW- Richmond, SCO,000! o to be drawn on Saturday, the 30tb September. 18". Baltimore. Lowest 3 number prize 500. Grand Capitals. . f 1 prize of 60.000, 1 of 25,000, 1 ofJfl00'4J! 10,000 2 of 4, 1 25, 40 of 2,500, A0t 2,000, 4oi 1,500, 160 of 600, Ac. Tickets $0, halves 10, quarters 5 00. 03 In putehasing by the package, dedncl price of three Tickets. yat tr Orders meet our usual prompt attention r Tickets in the above, or any other Lottery, daily, (price of Tickets from 1 Uf 20) under our management, addrewos, or C. W. ltELh. Agent for D.PAJ5 ot W
The Raleigh Register (Raleigh, N.C.)
Standardized title groups preceding, succeeding, and alternate titles together.
Sept. 23, 1848, edition 1
2
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