Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1840-12-11


6cill and extraordinary Party sp aS,acs the
ny unfnunded aIony aud false a!a'in kinilcs the ami
influence aud corruption, winch md facilitated access 70 ne
Government Itself 'onsh the a'nels .; party Thu,
policy aud Will Of country subjected To the policy and
viii CT r."-Ha.hia, toH.
TO THE PEOPLE OF THE L. :
We earnestly bespcak your attention To the o5serva-
tons have to offer the elections OF the current
wear We have fnrhorne do this until the smoke o.
the battle should have passed away and the angry pas
sons which il engendrred should in some degree sub
saa and the public mind acquire tha. camness winch
is consistent with, and disturbed by deep and pro-
found interest.
Our object is not so mach To unfold the canscs
winch led t, the defeat Of the Democratic party or !"
subject inst cnndcnn ard rcproach the istru-
mant of the ou practices to which shall! call your
attention ~ il Is :, attempt awaken the public mind
10 proper sense Of the danger from those practices
Of their inevitable tendency TO subver our free inst-
,u,ans, and plunge tins country into anarchy and re-
volunn.
Without looking causes but simply at the re-
suits at the elections the present year, they are cal!
cua:cd to shake confidence in the stability OF Pn5.
lie opn,on and nave, III fact raised painful doubts and
sad forelodings in an honest and patriotic mnd,
(whera doubts existed be.ure n 10 the preserva-
ton Of our popular institutions resting the broad
basis OF general suffrage, as common right Of the
whole people, and not franchise enjoyed only BY
few
Many patriot and Democrat, who for forty years
bas strcnu,u.y coniendcd for universal suffrage, and
ardeutiv maintained the sublime doctrine OF the capa-
b!ty Of the people t'r self governmental doctrine
on which the highest destinics of our race depend
has now for the first time felt doubts 10 the sound
ness Of opinions long entertained, and which his
mos, cherished hopes reposed This IS most solemn
considera,i"n aud there no other, demands that
this subject should he investigated with more care than
is bestowed ordinary passing cvcn,s, that these
doubts may If practicable, he removed Bat let none
SUCH in mnncnt OF disappointment, permit their
doubts preponderac, and abandon their lon.-chr.
rshnd theories embrace the and selfish creed
of the Aristocracy.
But why IS il that these results have occasoned such
doubts; Because they have been extraordinary
Gu inconsistent with all former experenceso destitute
Of any adequate contradictory to the results
OF The elections of the preceding year
LIT look At tins aspect of tie question moment.
The present Administrator has been distinguished BY
one great measure, affecting not only the financial in
t-reSis If the Government but The whole policy of the
country in relation Ia rs monetary afa'rs the sys-
TEN &c credit and the commercial and manufacturing
business of the nation This grew out of the
general suspension of the banks IN May, io31, winch
not only day deprecated the whole currency OF tn"
country, but deprived the Treasury Of every dollar q"
the public revenue, amounting tn twcnty.eight mn
lions then on depostc in The banks. We say deprived
the Treasury Of every dar brcausc they refused to
pay dllar IN the constitutional currency, and the laws
admitted of the of no other THIS measure was
officially proposed and submitted to Congress at the
extra session called in September, lea7 and from that
time has been extensively and deliberately discussed nj
every session of Congress, and has Termed the princ
pa topic Of discussion the public press. IL again
recommended al the tw" succeeding sessions of that.
Congress; aud al all Of them, majority IN the House
o! Representatives we're opposed To It.
The clectinns The Twenty-sixtl Congress took
place in 1889, when this measure was not only the
leading one but almost the only one before the co,in
try In various hearings il formed the background
of political discussion, and the elections were held
pecally and almost exclusively with reference 10 it.
After a warm and spirited contest the result was favo-
rable to the Administration in seventeen out OF twenty
SIX States and decided majority of members
turned favorable IL it, 1t consequently passed both
Houses and received the sanction Of the Executive on
the fourth of July. The period from the time the law
went into effect To the commencement Of the elections,
was too Limited to afford fair trial Of the measure;
but suite ent 10 prove that the evils which It's OPP
poneuls had charged upon il had no foundation what
ever. On the contrary, It's influence so far as IT had
time to operate, favorable, and the country was
fast recovering from the depression which the second
suspension of the Banks had brought upon il. Under
these circumstances the elections o the present year
have taken place, the results of winch well known
And without attending 10 the causes which have con-
troled them, they certainly calculated to produce
the most painful convictions oi the instability OF public
opinion They would seem to force upon the mind the
belief that settled policy could ever be pursued un-
der our system. IL great measure, which has been
adopted By minority 81 the representatives of the peo-
pie, after beng three years before the country, and
having been examined and discussed in all bearings
can he condemned the next year, before il has been
tried, and when nothing has occurred to give it
aspect It would seem to Indicate such capriciousnesS
in public opinion to destroy all confidence in any
measure policy that may BE- adopted
II is due the people, therefore, that tie causes
winch have produced such inconsistent results should
be probed the bottom, that they may not b. unustIy
subjected The charge Of childish caprciousncss OF OPT
mon which does not belong 10 their character.
The people must BE- defended from this undeseryed
reproach They have not changed their opinions III
cgad TO the policy of the Administration during the
pas, year. They have not condemned in $40 n inca
lcl,t vad h,
The results of the elections; much larger vote in
all Of the States has been given for the Admnisra-
ton in lr4D, than it received in l-3p.
How, then, il may be asked. have the results oethe
elections of the present been brought about To
give brief, bui hope satisfactory answer 10 this
question, present purpose.
We answer IL by saying that these extraordinary re-
suits have been produced by the introduction of two
elements INTO The elections of the present year
MONEY and FRAUD. In speaking nj money, We do not
mean wealth IN the hands oil individuals corpora
lions, nor even the oppressive and tyrannical use
made of il TO lntmdac, cocrcc, and control the votes
of individuals THIS * Influence winch has been
exrr,cd on this occasion, To greater sx,en, than
usual vet it belongs 10 our system, and has ALWAYS
had To be encountered by The Democracy 1t is the
natural aud IL ayodabie Influence ct wealth. We
mean money raised and expended 70 purchase The SER
vices and votes of Aud in speaking of Frauds
as a new element ia elections, we not To br
understood intimaing the opinion, that election
frauds have now, for the first time been prac,,scd
What we mean IL, that there has never before been
SYSTEM of fraud planned, matnred, and carried out
the whole country Money, also, has been raised
aud expended elections, but before so large
scale 10 spread lis corrup;ing Influence over the
whole Union These things have been practsed in our
cities, but never before has there been system of
fraud and corruption carried into all the States extend
ing every village, and polung in greater or less
degree the ballot box in every precinct A system OF
frauds planned and carried the whole country,
with organized corps of agents differs much from
isolated "f fraud in elections, pracsed by knavsh
the plumber Of nation by conqucrlng
army dues from the rohbng of his purse or his
" atch on the highway And the raising of large
sum Of money whether j, comes from the banks To-
or domestic capitalists TO be expended for cleo
tioneerng purposes throughout the whole Union, diff
ss as widely from the practices, which in some places