you say.  Ah!  In what?  Tell us, ye men of principle, what principle we violated.  We say you did violate principle in discarding Van Buren, and we can tell you how.  You violated the primary, the cardinal, the one great living principle of all democratic representative government—­the principle that the representative is bound to carry out the known will of his constituents.  A large majority of the Baltimore convention of 1844 were, by their constituents, instructed to procure Van Buren ’s nomination if they could.  In violation—­in utter glaring contempt of this, you rejected him; rejected him, as the gentleman from New York [Mr. Birdsall] the other day expressly admitted, for availability—­that same “general availability” which you charge upon us, and daily chew over here, as something exceedingly odious and unprincipled.  But the gentleman from Georgia [Mr. Iverson] gave us a second speech yesterday, all well considered and put down in writing, in which Van Buren was scathed and withered a “few” for his present position and movements.  I cannot remember the gentleman’s precise language; but I do remember he put Van Buren down, down, till he got him where he was finally to “stink” and “rot.”

Mr. Speaker, it is no business or inclination of mine to defend Martin Van Buren in the war of extermination now waging between him and his old admirers.  I say, “Devil take the hindmost”—­and the foremost.  But there is no mistaking the origin of the breach; and if the curse of “stinking” and “rotting” is to fall on the first and greatest violators of principle in the matter, I disinterestedly suggest that the gentleman from Georgia and his present co-workers are bound to take it upon themselves.  But the gentleman from Georgia further says we have deserted all our principles, and taken shelter under General Taylor’s military coat-tail, and he seems to think this is exceedingly degrading.  Well, as his faith is, so be it unto him.  But can he remember no other military coat-tail under which a certain other party have been sheltering for near a quarter of a century?  Has he no acquaintance with the ample military coat tail of General Jackson?  Does he not know that his own party have run the five last Presidential races under that coat-tail, and that they are now running the sixth under the same cover?  Yes, sir, that coat-tail was used not only for General Jackson himself, but has been clung to, with the grip of death, by every Democratic candidate since.  You have never ventured, and dare not now venture, from under it.  Your campaign papers have constantly been “Old Hickories,” with rude likenesses of the old general upon them; hickory poles and hickory brooms your never-ending emblems; Mr. Polk himself was “Young Hickory,” or something so; and even now your campaign paper here is proclaiming that Cass and Butler are of the true “Hickory stripe.”  Now, sir, you dare not give it up.  Like a horde of hungry ticks you have stuck to the tail of the Hermitage