Lynchburg Virginian. [volume] (Lynchburg [Va.]) 1829-185?, 1839-02-28
EDITORS CcRREsPoNDENcE.
RICHMOND, Feb. %. 1889.

beng anticipated by the publications. in the Dall
papers, OF the incidents connected with the pro.
r"c'ed, but, all things considered. not very OK.
e'"hg senatorial canvass. Ia the position which |
occupy, too, IN relation TO those incidents, and 1.
the prominent actors in the scene, | riefer to let 9th.
es tell tie story, lest might be accused Of etnsur.
ing The course Of some individuals, with the view Of
J~us'lisIne my own. | deem it, however, proper to
say, tand the accuracy Of my opinion may be easily
tested by an examination OF the different ballots
that there Rerer has been a time, since The balloiinp
commenced ,uhen a Wig could hare been elected.
say this, because efforts have been made here 10
create a different impression by three or four of the
members, who were opposed to, and who were deter
mined to vote against, Mr.. Ri,es, at all hazads-and
who. from that circumstance have been called - I'm.
pfacticables.' No one pretcnds dat there are more
than 80 Wings in both Houses, including ore who
has formally withdrawn, since the election. as il MAS
pretty well known that he would do betor. il took
place, and three or four olhels, who, although =. Of
Israel. are not lsiael'-and who, in the contest 70,
the next Presidency, will be agail st US, unless The
s'gns OF The tines are more 'quisocal than be
ieve they are. Tile circumstances connected with
The Senatorial election may haSttn that event, but
we may rest assured that they will nol produce II, OK
cePt where there was already a - loregoue eouclu-
slon.' how 1t was possible for these so members,
even had they been united, to DO what s2 aud gene
rally So, were al any time competent 10 perform, |
cannot perceive, unless il is to he assumed, tlat had
tho Wings held on to one of then own faith long p
no"8h, a snd cient nuaber Of Loco Focos would
have voted for iheir candidate TO defeat the re-clec-
tion Of Mr.. Rives. Tins is assumed-but | have
z never seen n nIayp1-po, irdo.l l,,. ..,.....l
any event calculated to inspire confidence in lis ruth.
| know that the Wings were irequonily amused
with rumors Of this character, which were generally
located, with what %propriety | know not, upon an in
duentlal gentleman in the Loco Foco ranks but
whether then lures were held out or not, certain il
is that nothing ever occurred TO Justify Il belief that
those who threw them out were sincere in then
contingent offers oil support; or, If they were SIM
cere, they must have deemed the Wings more pa
tent than Job, and the pit bile time and money. which
we've consumed for SIX long days, very legitimate
and proper llings to be trineG with and wasted. In-
Vulnerable opportunities were presented to them, to
choose between a Wing and MI. Ryes but not one
Of them would they embrace, though we changed
our Candidate three times, and were willing to change
him still oltener, If there had been any need, for the
purpose OF removing either personal or political OBJ
Jeclons. But whether we run Tyler, Robertson.
johnson or Rives. the Loco Foco cohoIt remained
firm and indi,isible, 49 in the House and 10 IN the
Senate, never rising more than 3 OF falling more than
, below this number!
1t being tlen certain that a Wing could not be G.
lected, the question arose, whether the Wings should
defeat an election altogether, by peftinaciously add
hering TO "A man Of their own tencts on By harrow
mn tho iCsrtp luyn IetUapp - r,a L'o,o ~ =.
Wing, whether we should incur the hazald OF the
formers success by forcing the Conservatives TO
support him-lor, whatever may be their individual
preferences, ye, representing Administration ooun-
ties, obey feel bound to give votes in accordance with
the will of thrlr constituents or whether being
defeated in lheir chuice,' the Wings shou Id moi
fall back upon Mr.. Riyes as an :" alternative" !. fer
one. believed that the latter was the true policy OF
the Wing party, independent OF all other considc-
ratins ; and when before was it said to be an abandon.
donment OF principle to select, between evils, that
which is by acknowledgment the least Butt was
Influenced by higher considerations. saw the ca
gerness manifested by the Administration party to
defeat Mr.. Rives-the drorca willingness of many
Of its leaders TO choose, in preference, even an open
and decided Whig-and askedInyself, what is The
cause Of this rancorous hltred-ths vindlctiye hos
rility-this violent persecution! Why are they so
anxious to trample in the dust the man whom but
Yesterday, as II were, they delighted TO honor Has
he abandoned any principl which lie avowed at the
period Of his election in 1893 Has he tecanted
any opinion? Has lie falsifed any pledge! Has
he tarnlshed his public character, or inflicted a stain
upon his private honor! Has he committed treason
TO the Union, or Is he ~disloyal to the Statei And
| was compelled 10 answer all these interrogatofies
negatively. What, then, | erquired, as the cause of
this burning hatc-lhs lnsaliate thirst for revenge
Which will be satisfied with nothing 81 OFT t OF his inn
notation !! And TO This enquiry but one answer
could be overland that is, thai he has dared to diff
fe, in opinion from the President, and to adhere to
the convictions Of bis own judgment, with tenaci-
~ which nothing could inspire but the honesty with
which they have been embraced, and a deep sense
of the importance Of the subject TO which they re-
fer. He has not avowed his Willingness TO - sink or
SWIM with mrn, whose measures he believes de-
structiye to the interests and perllous to the Liberties
of the country-he does not say 10 Mr.. Van Buren,,
. sir, your Sub-Tfeasury scheme will make you eve
nv inch a King in all but the name, and lnficta NOR
tai stab upon the prosperity Of the country. but new
ertheless, being elected Senator by the same pcrty
which elected your President, you shallhave my sup
port, the obligations of patty allegiance being para
mount 10 all others"-he will not, in one word,
consent, that, in his hands, the dignifed Office OF a
Virginia Senator shall be merged in the plant tool