Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1840-03-24

We pass no structures on the conduct OF the kich-
mond Wing, in first rashly attacking MIR. Taylor--and
them denying him the opportunity of defending him
self The Wing says il has 'no sea.room for the let
Ter. We hope, hereafter when come TO the
argument in relation 10 lis friends, that will not
be the first to abuse us-Ths indignant casgation, Tor
which the Editor finds room, may teach the
Wing little caution hereafter. 1t may teach him to
beware how he first takes for granted that an
author, and then rushy attacks him for it:
WHG OrrIca, March 81
" Ia! nrs letter hand 10 The Editor Of the Enquirer,
as directed by Mr.. Taylor
Cire!ine County, March ], Isio
should have sa I" your ATTACK soo" , i at
had broken family, and in that Of niece
SW" IL r" aonr In@n ,w" on, ." the
three children of niece Ny tire wholly taken in NJ
wrote answer the greater part Of which was DESTROYED by
III" negligence ." servant and Soe time elapsed b"toE" could
resolution secoad time the unsarlul task
These circumstances v III excuse my delay.
WM. p. TAYLOR
10 the Editors Of The Whig.
March 4, 1880.
Gfnt'cmra In the Wig Of the 18th, YOU have
made harsh and unjust attack on me- upon the coa-
lecture, that was the writer o! anonymous letter,
published in the Enquirer If the conjecture had turn
cd out TO be true, you were, perhaps the last who
possessed the moral hit TO assail me You have been
much accustomed of late, 10 call in question: not
only the political conduct, but the character and mo-
tves of those opposed to you that single offence Of
the same kind, from another quarter might have been
chattably overlooked.
You have called me an aposat", traitor, corrupt
and trading politician; and ] must patcn,lv submit 10
be branded with nfamy IN the eyes Of my countrymen,
far the influence of your paper tasen the stain
upon me, to crafty your ntolcranti spirit, possibly in
Difference to what you may be pleased TO call the free
dom OF the press, do what unailcctedy you
is very shocking to my rctirng modcsty, defend my
self publicly against your public accusations 1t true
that you subsequently acknowledged your mistake in at
ribng to the authorship of the letter: but you took
especial neither To etrac the charges, nor TO
press the slightest regret for having made them. When
say, that "nothing short OF what deemed
elusive evidence could have persuaded that he
the author, you abandon the ground of conjecture
insufficient TO Justify your abuse of an obscure and
offending man; and as il impossible, from the
ofhc case, to have had any other kind Of evidence
YOU utter awkward apology Ito give It no iarshcr
name) by Identifying with that term, either your
suspicion or that OF another.
No is better acquainted with the origin and his
tory Of the Wing party, than you are You know full
WE'LL il not formed for the purpose of elevatng Mr.
Clay Gen. Harrison 10 the Presidency; and that, IT
such an object had been avowcd the Southern States
Rights men would have refused to enlist in the Wing
ranks While they were perfectly willing to co-oPe
rate with all any, in the honest hope of rescung line
Constitution and the country from the danger threaten
ed BY President Jackson violent and arbitrary course
backed by his great popularity they could have
| forgotten their old political warfare, commencing with
the adoption Of the Government continued to the pre-
sent time and waycd, first, with the Federal party and
afterwards with the Nationals Nothing could have in
duced them to have made absolute surrender of
themselves their principles and their country, to men,
who, however talented, honest and patriotic, land
willingly accord it al) had given, as they had repeat
eddy declared, construction OF the Constitution, cal
culated to destroy its fedcrae character; and had in
troduced and sustained system Of internal policy,
which was throwing into the public Treasury dan
gcrous amount of revenue seducing all our Govern
ments into improvident expenditure and debt, enrich
ing parts of the country, at the expense of Others
and creating and discontens, rapidly tending
| towards disunlon
| Without meaning to retract one particle Of my OPP
position to President Jacksons last term of service,
will be frank enough to say, that now think the State
Rights portion Of the Wings, committed grea. in
Joining the party. Retaining their former principles,
they should also have held to their old By
adopting one, which had peculiar reference to
! those principles, they were themselves accessory
10 the colourabic charge of inconsistency, first made
by their old friends and now reiterated by their
/ old enemies They should have forcscen what has
since happened, that party interest, and party ma
levolencc would claim this temporary alliance, as n
bond of permanent union and that they would be COM
PEELED eventually to separate with loss of strength,
or be absorbed into the party with entire loss of
principles. If they take sides with the federal
lists and nationals who constitute the great body of the
Wings, by giving their votes TO Wing candidate for
the Presidency, they publicly retract their former poll
tics and pledge themselves TO the support of their
ponents If they do not mean TO go Thus far, if they
have determined TO abandon the cause they have
maintained from the origin of the government, it is
better to stop and part company at once, than to in
crease their difficulties and embarrassments by new
engagements The people of this country always have
been and are still divided into two great parties, the
one aiming TO enlarge the powers Of government and
the other TO diminish them. speak not of the corps
of interested partisans, the ms and outs, who
fight for spoil instead Of principle and who will occa-
sionally mite with either party the chances of VIC
tory may uctuate-but of the large, honest and think
ing mass of the community who conscientously in
the discharge of their public duties, to whichever OF
these parties they may belong. Without presuming
to question the purity of the amagamated cderallsts
and nationals, to claim infalliby for their adverse
res have always believed that the political course OF
the first party calculated to give irresistible in
iuencc TO the legislative department of the govern
ment This is the great one side and the
support given by the Democratic party to the late
| extravaganza claims Of President Jackson, which 20
far in making the executive department the centre and
source of power, was, in my estimation, equally
| dangerous the other. | look upon both of
them injurious to the wholesome action of 60
vernmcnt, with the marked difference, however, that
the first deliberate, des gned and systenatic-the
second, accidental, temporary and the natural
quence of General Jacksons unbounded influence
over the public mind. opposed the at the proper
tme and oppose the other now, because see in it the
imminent danger somewhat disguised and strengthen
ed by an infusion of orthodoxy.
Now, Gentlemen, with these opinions thus candidly
expressed, do you really think, that because united
with the Wings for object, have violated any
pledge broken any faith by refusing to accede TO the
atitudnous construction you and others have given to
the compact, in order to accomplish another? &C
knowledge the engagement, far 1t embraces oppo
ston to arbitrary power claimed exercised by any
President You contend in substance that hound my
self support the nominee of the harrisburg Conven
ton, whomsoever he might have been positively
deny any such Obligation and affirm that it neither
be proved nor fairly inferred
acted with yourselves in the unavaling resistance
to Mr. Van Buren's election Judging Of the future
from what had Immediately preceded, | felt myself
justified in anticipating continuation of errors but
never being violent in my political feelings, have
sometimes been able TO discover and to relnqush old
prejudices When | voted for Judge White, | voted
for man who had been considered up to the time,
long tried and faithful member Of the Democratic Par