Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1840-06-19
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II. RHODES,
IncEDII ArL 81
Richmond, June 18th, l-i0.
FOR N ~Ly.oryRfR.

To JMES LYONS, ESQ.
Dear Sir Since YOUR return to the po!It!ca! faith oil
YOUR fathers, YOU have received the distinguishing no
no:s Of the prodira son. Your zeal 10 make amends
,o- past alterations might he commemorate, wera5i tenn
pered with a little more discretion. The letter By which
YOU announce 10 the Editors OF the Richmond Wing,
your receipt OF one from Gen. Harrison, furnishes some
tokens of 4 light.hcatedness which augurs a fearful
fall from that elevation to which YOU have been raised.
The poeticai .etiusion with which it concludes Is not the
least alarming symptom of ]gicdiness. Your prose,
though destitute of the melody, wants none OF the fc-
ton OF poetry. Leaving the middle Of your 5eauli;u!
~couplet, one line whereof ends with Peter Bell, The
other with "Achitophel, 10 be solved By adopts in CO.
numdrum, and the poetry TO be scanned by the metre
mongers, | proceed 10 matters involving too deeply the
interests Of THIS nation, 10 be made the ies; OF mountc-
bank politicians, and the song Of their senselesS topers
Of hard cider.
Having no other than the most friendly feelings to-
wards you, personally, | venture, before | proceed, on
the hazardous experiment Of giving YOU i friends ad-
vice-RemeInber the story of Phe;on, and pro:t bv
the fate OF one who meddled with matters above his
strength.
1t would seem, thai you lawyer Electors consider
yourselves bound, IN your new capacity, to exert, I"
the utmost, those convenient talents at pervers'on and
distortion which are ever ready for action on either SIDE
of a cause you undertake for a fee: or, It may be, your
habits Of one sidedness unfit you for a far and candid
discussion OF any queStsNHwhatevcr; and therefore ),
is, YOU are unable 10 treat political questions with that
candor and fairness which belong only 10 the dlsintcr-
es,ed lover of truth and Justice 1t Is your profession
al business to defend and prosecute with equa! zeal,
and the cause you espouse Is Arrays just Common
men, like me, have reason 10 fear the prejudices, and TO
distrust the candor, Of such politicians. None who read
rour letter viii give you credit either Tor justice, can
dor or liberallty; and few intelligent men vii! be found
TO award you the poor praise OF a lawyer-like ingenuity.
II IS difficult for one evidently anxious TO profit by the
avalls of stolen goods TO persuade honest men, that he
hates the thief: and he could not satisfy them that he
did, BY endeavoring TO show that i. he did not receive
I than, he nairhbCr rbuld Vet. suctI is the SDuhI Stry by
which YOU would make all the pratt by your Abolition
allies, and divide all the 0dium OF Their friendship and
support between Van Buren, and Harrison; when
none of it belongs 10 the former Your logic Will
neither confound nor deceive, even the ''drummers
Of Van Buren,. His '~captains' hold il in der!slon :
When the people ask for bread, and some official Wing
scribe writes for, and obtains for them a stone, they
will not be satisfied with his declaration that tins Is
what they asked for. 1t is not 10 be wondered a., that
.humbug' and .bubble" were uppernost IN your mind,
when racking your ingenuity 10 work up, out OF no.
thing, phantasma 10 cheat the dupes Of your sophls-
try and prevent them FROM discovering the conflict be-
tween your professed attachment 20 Southern pTInci-
pies and Southern institutions, and your iancIeG duty
10 your Wing Cheats. as one Of their chosen Lawyer
Electors. Bubbles, ch,-Harrison's WINDY letter Is
indeed a bubble of your own blowing, and you took
verg good care not 10 blow too hard. You cautiously,
studi0uslv evaded the true questions, on winch you
must have known the public desired explicit deciara-
tons Of neutrality-suspicious. which Harrison might have
I answered luiF OH u SlHElt par " E'N'N' pup 1850
Of Answering. we have a long rIgmarole gossip, and are
told that he would not have answered ",he political part
Of your letter At all, but in consequence OF the long and
intimate friendship and conncx,on subststng between
our families" So that the people are indebted, solely, 10
the treat personal influence of Elector Lyons, for tins
revelation from North Bend. Il twas not given, because
the people had 4 right TO demand ms political Opinions
bnt as a favor to the family Of james Lyons, ESD
And this is The great news from North Bend hSra!tse
forth 10 an lnsulted commonwealth OF ircerlcn, by tae
ibrazrn trumpet OF the chief bugleman OF Virgins
Whirperv.w with an accompaniment, on the clder-gpnrd
by the Wing Elector of the metropolitan district
Has VIRGINIA, indeed, so dcgenerated, as to be imposed
uoon by such mummcry Who believes Il: Who, ou'
,-n,itors bel;eye that her sons VIII fall before the trick:
and noise Of Federal Whiggery: You say, "thc gooc
and the great are always most rrviled. Then, accord
inc TO your own showing, Mr.. Van Buren, IS now tht
best and the greatest man IN America. You say os
fro IDS and supporters are "rogueS and roya!istS, and
ION wonld have vonr dupes believe that he, too, IS
rorpe and a royalist. s'Tlie good and the great art
always most reviled. Then 'Benton, Blair, Kendall
and Duncan, and hundreds OF other Democratic re
p1blicans. are much better and greater men tHah iia'
! rison There is not a conspicuous Glln IN tHc De
mocra,ic ranks. who has not been more reviled thar
Gen. Harrison. Harrison is greatly revived. forsoo,h
because he is called 4 Federailst! and those VINO 81. nc
sa Federalist are charged with "imPudent ta!SeHo?a
How lonr. my GOOD Mr.. Elector, since y0u thougot !
o.;no - be , rader,list: Was il considered deiama
tin, IN call Hamilton, and Adams, and Marshall, re
deralists: They honestly owned the name, ana a'o"e'
the principles of Federalists. Is i defamation now
since YOU have covered your principles unusr .e d
tered cloak Of English Whiggery, to call Webster
Iobn o Adams. Harrison, Clay and Sergeant, anc
others oIati of your Sn-' friends, Federa1ists: Perhaps it j j
through the love and affection you bear TO Vim. {
Rives, and his New School Republicans mat yo'
sickle SO tenaciously for Harrison's Repuoi'can'sin
It'll r me your company, and | will tell you who .yo'
are All know the company Harrison has kept from
his entrance into political life up to tins Gay ! hS''
no, half done. but must stop for the present.
Your political %antipode, n~r,,ocp, IT
- FOR THE ENQUIRER.
Harrison, init Federal, -.7totthon'- "'" "0"
for that.