Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1843-11-07
THE LETTER

THE LETTER.
Calls are multiplying upon US, like fel'on upon ossa,
for MIR Van Buren's letter, TO which we have again
recently alluded. Since our last paper, We have
been invoked by the Petersburg lnteliigencer. the
Norfolk Herald, the Washington Spectator, the Fred
ericksburg Arena, &c, &c. 1t is in vain, that we
tell these and other Editors, that we have long
since published the substance Of the lelier-that we
have even published the gist OF II, ztrbatim It Ltera
tim = that il excited almost as great an interest several
months ago. as il does now-that The wings OF the
State Of N. Y. attempted to make capital oi II IN their
election for members of Congress and that IL formed a
distinct feature in one Of the Wing Circular Addresses
which was issued from the Head Quarters in the City
of n. Y. Nothing will satisfy the hue and cry OF the pub
lie press, but the letter itself. One portion OF the press
demands il, from an IMPRESSION that MIR. Van buren mas
gone too far against The Tariff; another portion desires
10 have IT, under the hope that he has not gone lar
enough. Both sides are threatening to ORA" uniaVcF-
able differences from our s,lence-and hn'h sides arc
hoping to make some capital against the Little Mag
clan. Some Of the Editors are beginning to suspect
there is no such letter in existence and others are m
sinua.ing n charge of forgery against ourselves. lhey
cry ol for "Tae Letier-The Letter with almost as
much fay, AS Oihello demanded the handkerchief OF
poor Desdemona.
ssThe handkerchief,
There's magic in the web of it,"
Fortunately for us. we are better off than was the
suspected wife. The handkerchief was stolen from
her by The Vaccinations of lugo-but the letter Is now
before US
We have had amusement enough out OF the matter
We have sufficiently tonlal,zed the curiosity oil me
pack-and the letter itself must at last see The light.
We are sorry, that it is so laconic, however s'gnihcant
it may be. II goes the whole against the present Ia
riff law. 1t is literally nahum in paroo-b but the ella
morous ~yelpers, from the National lnteiligencer down
to the lowest Tray of the Wing pack, have forgotten
the extract we have long since made from it-and that
extract is really the whole cist of 'the Letter! the
Letter. The Baltimore American is the only one
of the whole Wing Press, which has had "circumspec
ton" enough TO recollect the circumslance-ior, on
Tuesday last, it quoted the sentence in the following
paragraph:
"The a n.uagc of Mr. Van Buren in this letter, as quoted by
the ENQUIRER, runs in these words: 81 have n no time or any
mn Of me- last session.. as we'll in respect Ia the principle upon
{ which il is founded, as toits Details With this spirit, says the
ENQUIRER, we hope the next Congress will a. cmble ana ACT"
The quotation from the original letter is literally cor
rect-saving only that the word "act' has some how
or other dropt out in the process of republication.
We, therefore, publish "the letter. ('that letter. as
some of the editors have more emphatically called it)-
but as we have said, it was not originally addressed to
ourselves-but "sent TO us by n frisnd, and addressed TO
him by Mr. Van Bur n" If we stake the respons,bI
lily Of publishing il, without asking the consest Of
Mr.. Van Buren, or his correspondent, IN Virginia, We
hope they will excuse US. But, because We have not
obtained, nor even asked the permission of our cor
respondent, we think it our duty TO suppress has name.
Yet in every other respect, we give the document pre-
cisely, in the following words and figures:
"ALsAsY, Feb. 2e, 1s43.
"My Dear Sir Il thank you very kindly for your
friendly letter. | have at no time, nor any where
hesi,sted 10 express my decided disapprobation of the
Tariff Act of the last session, as we'll in respect to the
principle upon which II is founded, as to lis details
In good time you will have my views in respect 10 that
and other subjects before the public. In the mean
time, believe me TO be,
"very sincerely,
"Your friend and obi servant,
an. VAN BUREN,"
IT,. x.,Iv - .ba Indian, Committee Is. we Drasume
the paper 10 which MIR. Van Buren, refers-and as We
said al The time we published that reply, this letter,
short bnt significant as il is, sheds a clear l~ishtuPon The
doctrines Of THAT.