Three, four, or half a dozen questions are prominent at a given
time; the party selects its candidate, and he takes his position on each
of these questions. On all but one his positions have already been
indorsed at former elections, and his party fully committed to them; but
that one is new, and a large portion of them are against it. But what are
they to do? The whole was strung together; and they must take all, or
reject all. They cannot take what they like, and leave the rest. What
they are already committed to being the majority, they shut their eyes,
and gulp the whole. Next election, still another is introduced in the
same way. If we run our eyes along the line of the past, we shall see
that almost if not quite all the articles of the present Democratic creed
have been at first forced upon the party in this very way. And just now,
and just so, opposition to internal improvements is to be established if
General Cass shall be elected. Almost half the Democrats here are for
improvements; but they will vote for Cass, and if he succeeds, their vote
will have aided in closing the doors against improvements. Now this is a
process which we think is wrong. We prefer a candidate who, like General
Taylor, will allow the people to have their own way, regardless of his
private opinions; and I should think the internal-improvement Democrats,
at least, ought to prefer such a candidate.
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