Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1838-05-15
RICH. w. BARTON.
FOR TIE ENQUIRER.
THE PAST-THE FUTURE

"The divided household Of Democracy must then come together,
md mite asa whole on IL, kindred principles, or it will fall into
factions, to be broken easily, like she separate sticks Of u bundle
power. - Washington Globe, -3prH3O.
1.-THE tale is told-the scene is ended-and The curtain
falls" The die seems for the present 10 be cast, and the
Republicans have lost the House of Delegates. Let US
not, however, by giving way 10 n groundfess desponden.
cv, be led falsely to ascribe this ~consummation 10 any
but the true and bona .fac causes. Such n result, how.
ever, it did not require any extraordinary degree OF WIS.,
dom, or the inspiration of prophecy TO loresee. And let
him feel surprise who chooses; but as for myself, do not
hesitate to declare, that all circumstances considered, my
only establishment is, not that we have been defeated,
but tina, we should have come out so well. The causes
that have produced it-long existing and deeply rooted
causes-weTe but top apparent long before the contest
began. What! without The least Effort at organization,
but. on the contrary, literally divided among ourselves,
with all The banking interest Of the nation against us
with twelve. months Of base calumny and nisrepresenta.
ton directed necessarily against the Admipistration-
as the alleged author Of The present embarrassments-
with a strange apathy pervading some counties, and with
several Republican candidates running in others, thus
splitting our ranks and virtually elecung our opponents
with such tremendous odds against US, what more "a.
vorable result, ask, could we have reasonably expect.
ed /? Common sense, it is true, had long since pointed
out these causes. But such is the strange constitution
of human nature, and such it has ever been, that long
continued success in any thing-in public as in private
concerns-invariably begeis apathy, Indifference, list.
lessness. Indeed, it is this very attribute OF our nature,
that induced a great philosopherio declare, 'thatthe sleep
of the spirit is as fatal to Republics, as it is suspicious
TO MO0QrCnleS. lie NtpuOlCdU party nus UeeU lUueu
into false security BY the numberless victories that have
followed in its wake for many years past. These in their
turn, generated over confidence, the common harbinser OF
defeat. Add TO these the jsrring opinions and differ
ences lately prevalent among its leaders, as 10 q question
of mere expediency and finance, about which more noise
has been made, and e1aggeration employed, than its IN
trinsic merits deserved, or the public good warranted
Can there be a greater folly than for a rational being 10
place in jeopardy a thousand important principles as 10
Government and morals, all, all, for The sake of wrang.
ling about a subordinate question OF pounds and pence:
Can our civil and political rights be placed on the oPpo'
site scale with this dross? And what are gold and silver,
or rags and lamp. black, when compared with these pre-
cjous fruits of the struggles Of our forefathers? Away,
then. and forever, with these childish ndiscretIons-thIs
incessant quarrclling about n mere nothing-this sense
less sacrifice Of worlds to atoms! Our opponents, loo'
have lost no opportunity Of wisely fomenting these prin-
ciplcs of discord in our ranks. We should not, however,
blame them for this. II is natural. 1t is the part OF the
weak 10 do by manGuyring, what cannot be done by
force. There are two antagonistlcal principles IN the
world, coeval with its very existence: Physical power IS
one-cunning is the other. And, it often happens in the
affairs Of men, that the latter principle triumphs and gets
the better Of the other, though naturally It's Inferior
"Divide and conquer was one of the favorile max
inns Of the willy Machiavel and it is the maxim and the
chief prop Of support of Whiggery. OF this fact we
have had but too many evidences. Cast a RETROSPECT.
tive glance but a year or two back, and what did we then
behold: We beheld this rery consistent Party, come IN
10 the Republican ranks, seduce one OF It's then mem,
hers 10 run as their candidate for the Presidency, and
thus endeavor to divide and conquer Us. Yes! that ever
memorable seduction of Judge White, which made then
so deep an impression on the public mind, ought never
to be forgotten, as 1t IS one o, me pest proofs eAaht o
the consistency, sincerity as to the objects, and reckless
ness and unscrupulousness as 10 the means, invariably
resorted 10 by Whiggery. :,
So much for the past, now q word as TO The tuture'
Let the sol disant Wings boast and rant as much as
| ,bey please. but Virginia is not with them--lhat IS GER
tain. A majority Of her people sides not with them;
| Her Democracy is still sound 10 the core. Partial and
e.,raneous causes have contributed to place her In a
wrong position for a time. But let the real issue come
when it will, and let it be fairly made up, between
ReoubIicanism and Federalism-be,ween Republican
Van Buren, and Federal Clay--between Van bu-
rem, the slaunch friend Of the South, and Clay, the
bitterest enemy Of her prosperity, and principles, ann
there is not the shadow of a doubt, but that Virginia VIII
then prove true 10 herself. She never will cooperate
with The friends and creatures of Biddle's Bank. she
never will contribute by her vote TO give sanction 70 Inc
gross immoralities and enormlties which nave oeeh eo"i.
milted, and are even at this moment perPetrateo oy tnal
odious Institution. If there be any one axiom 10 morals,
il is this: That that which would be considered oishon-
est in private life, and when committed by a single III
diyidual, cannot by any term Of sophistry be mace a
pure and virluous action, provided II be PerPetfsleo oy d
set of men or by q corporation. mat banA a c e
guilty of such dishonesty il has acted the part OF the
eeountorf, Tier on an immense scale. Where is The oil.
ference between the two: None, literally none. What
;e The crime, and in what consists the guilt Of the coun.
,e,G,i,ers Ii consists in making and emitting notes
which he is unable to pay, and which consequently are
IRRESPONSIBLE. And this IS the precise immortality prac'
Used by MIR. Biddle's Bank. 1t is literally defrauding
the community Of their substance-iti is downright rob.
bery. The notes of The old Bank are 10 circulation;
but! who is responsible for their payment? Echo an.
swers. Who' The people, then, may lose the properly
lieu gaze in exchange for them? .A.
Such. however, is the character and such the misdeeos,
of this inseparable ally of the great Wing party, 10
on, then, gentlemen, and enjoy your short lived III,
umph, for Short Iced i! will prove marx ' sb sI hs, no no
svmos2hy Either with Clay the Tarifite, OF with this
s9rrp = and e%orupiing u. s. Bank: and these afe the
w.. .Io,iore b,nucrs YOU fight under. One year OF