Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1824-08-06
RICHMOND, AUGUST 6. i8a4.

-s ~, e. 8 SssS\>N
RICHMOND, AUGUST 6, 1894.
FOR THe ENQUIRER.
fsttos0- Citizens: Open your eyes and see
Tor yourselves. Exercise your own minds
anu iorm your own Opinons-for, most
daring and deceitiul elfor, is ia operation to
darxen the vision Of the former, and to mis-
lead, and bewilder the latter.
The magical influence Of names, of mere
sound, is the engine by which the cunning in
triguer and the hypocritical seeker-after Don
u'arrty aud power, attempt so to regulate and
manage the movements of the people as to
elect their sinister purposes. II is thus that
tue enemies Of MIR. era " ford are. endssvoriuy
to prevent his election 10 the presidency. -
Instead Of addressing your understandings
with enlightened arguments in opposition to
him, they are welding against him the mighty
energies Of the word Caucus! They bave
rolled this sound in your ears so orten-and
connected It at all times, with other sounds Of
hideous and hateful import, that they ina
CINE they have rendered it so potent, 50 dis
graceful, that they have nothing else TO do
now, to crush MIR. Crawford's prospee,s' bn,
10 continue To thunder in your ear, Caucus
Candidate! Caucus Candidate! Caucus Can
didate What then, fellow-citizens, is this
awful monster whose huge misshapen form is
thus carrying terror through the nation, and
desolatlon among the ranks of Mr. Crawfurd's
supporters. Summon up courage and indie.
pendence sufficient to approach and examine
it for yourselves.
Look at it with your own eyes, and refI.c
upon u with your own minds, and / venture
to predict that all the horrors with which j,
mas been enveiOped by the descriptions of it;
enemies, will vanish-and that il will appear
u you not only perfectly harmless and free
from deformity, but useful, and as symmetri.
cal.
The opponents Of Mr.. Crawford are treat.
ing you as if you were children or fooIs-and
u behooves you, as you regard your own
rights, dignity and good sense, to manifest TO-
wards them the contempt and indignation
winch their conduct merits. You are too ia,
advanced in the path of maturity-too en-.
lishtened and incredulous- to be imposed upor
by the political "bugaboo," the raw head
and bloody bones," with which it is attempt.
cd TO brighten you. Who that reads the Ad-
dress of the Jackson Junto, recently issue,
from Fredericksburg-an similar productions
IN the National Journal, &c. &c. is not re.
minded OF the pranks which they have seen
played to Brighten children by dressing up an
individual in hideous attire, and by the aid n,
twilight gloom, or an obscure chamber, ush-
er'ng the disguised object upon their view az
some embodied appartion-the terrific reality
OF nursery tale? But, as in this case, when
the figure Is Invested of its deceptive habit.
ments-its rags, horns, and dough face-i,
may turn out to be brother or a beloved
frlend-so when the Congressional Caucus !,
stripped OF the phaptoms which are throw
around It by the artifice Of political jugglers-
II VIII be found to be not only inoffensiSe bu,
OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES it in its naked simplicity
A meeting of distinguished individuals resi-.
dent IN different sections OF the Union, Ito ex
press their opinion as to the persons best quail
med to fill the stations of President and Vic.
President of the U. S. But they happen r.
be members of Congress. And what If the :
are Are they, therefore, disfranchised
Certainly not But it is alleged that the Con.
s'ituilon prohibits members Of Congress from
being members of the 60 electoral CO lleees.
They do not ask to be members of the riectora
coileges--they do not meet as members n,
the electoral coIIeges-they do not vote a.
such.
They merely say to the nation, GIVE be.
eve that A b. and C. b. are the most snta-
bic persons 10 fill the high Offices for which the
people are about to make a selection; e, there
fore, recommend to the people To vote for them
TO MI those oihces-and we pledge ourselves ia
use all fair and constitutional means TO aid in
their election" Does the spirit or the letter nj
The Constitution deny to members of Congress
this privilege II does not. The superstition
would be solecism.--The people are left per-
fectiy free to ACT upon the subject. They will
vote Tor whom they please. Wherefore then,
II Is asked, the necessity or the utility of the
nomination? Why, it is intended as guide
to correct choice-nOt to coerce but to in.
struct and illuminate. The representatives of
the people IN Congress are generally men Of
superior Information and viTtue-hence the
great body Of the people look to them for
light on subjects of political moment. This
light they peculiarly require at time like this.
wnen 80 many individuals are before them M
candidates for the elevated stations referred
to. 1t is impossible that the mass of the ma
ton, who. besides their want of personal
knowledge Of the candidates, are engaged ia
agriculture and other pursuits, can enjoy fuI.
opportunity of investigating Satisfactorily The
comparative merits Of those distinguished in
dividuaIs. To whom. therefore, can tilev
look with better prospect of obtaining the
desired Information, than TO the repre- seuta.
lives of the nation In Congress? And how
can this Information be ascertaiued and com
municated without some consultation among
these-and public annuncation os the re-.
suit?
But, it is replied, that the members OF Con-
gress take advantage Of the imposing dignity
OF their Official eli araessr to operate upon the
people in thus Recommending persons for their
suffrages, and 10 doing so transcend the limits
OF their legitimate authority. In making ouch
recommendation, they do not, they cannot
act in their legislative capacity; VI they did,
their acts would become Jaws. They act,
therefore, as private Northumberland any in
cIdentsl or adve5titious influence yhirb their
private acts nay derive from their public cha
racter, is asofbable to those high qualifications,
moral andfntellectual, which elevated them