Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1844-03-08
ADDRESS
Of HE Democratic Ceatrai Committee.
TO THE PEOPLE OF VIRGINIA!

lr,Rr FISH,
| Fellow. Citizens In the circumstances which
have transpred since the adjournment OF the Demo
cratic State Convention Will be found our apology Tor
addressing you at this time. The recent dsvelopf-
ment of their designs made by the leaders of the self
STYLED Wing Party is calculated TO sar,e every re nd
of free Government, matter what may be his poll
tcal designation, or his preference tor men ne os-
closures now plainly exhibited, OF the nsdlous
arts by which they haze endeavored, and are stl en-
deayornr to accomplish these designs, must excite the
serious apprchensions CT every candid and reiectn5
mind Their success verify believe, WI! no'o only
sap the foundations of own glorious institutions
but If effected by such means, must shake tie conn
dence OF mankind in the whole scheme Of seif-goVerh-
ment These designs require our attentive CONSIDER
alton. These articles demand exposure ana deserve
the ,eprobaton OF every lover OF sincerity and candof
Selected by portion of you amongst those VINO nave
been particularly charged 10 watch the movements
of our political adversaries, and to connteract the'r
mannuvres we should fail in our duty to you, and TO
our common country, lf did not endeavor 10 warn
you against these dangerous assaults upon your ioer-
ties and morals and 10 the sentneis OF freedom
throughout the borders of our State, to vigilance ahc
activity.
Every one must see and every candid man must ad-
nit that the leaders of this so-ca!led Wing party, IN
this State, have entirely abandoned the GROUNDS iiry
assumed 10 occupy in the last Presidential campaign.
Their late State Convention claminc to speak III Tie
name ol the whole party, has ayowed their cdvocacy
Of measures which il is admitted they were not pre-
pared II sustain in -}9-l0; and has proclaimed their
adherence to principles, which, 1t Is oovIons to all,
thew did not then dare 10 Whisper and WHICH, On
the contrary they then deemed it polite to disclam,
if not TO denaunce Is this doubted by any one: Let
him look their Address OF S40, and contrast IL with
that of 1914. In the first they "eommenc Gen. iar-
rson' uhen their candidate for the Presidency 'to
YOU rs Rcpubiican in principle and practice. And
10 prove him SUCH they quote his own declarations
that he deems himself ia Republican of what IS com
monty called the old JeterscnIan school, because he
denies "to the General Government the exercise OF any
power bat what expressly gwen II by the Consul
tuition or what is essentially necesSGry to carry the pow
ers expressly gwen into eiiect-5ecause he believes
,hat the charter given 10 the Bank Of the States
was unc0nstitatjonai-t beng not one o: those mea
sures TO carry any OF the expressly granted
powers into elec; and because he beiieyed I'm the
tendency of large public debt TO sap the Foundations
of the Constitution BY creating a monled Arisiocracy.
They at that time, in effect declared that Gen iiarr
son and those who supported him. Virginia at eas,
were "anti- Bank, an-lnternal Improvement, and
anti Tariff and averred that lmputaons To the con
trary could only come from venerable demag1sues'
and "ther younger and more innocent dupes In lhe''
last address of lS4l after e1hortng you mot 10 De
misled" by the name of "RrrrRLrcAS, which they
sought 50 earnestly TO assume IN lclo nor 'hat Oh
"FKpERALIsT, which they then struggled so nara %
avoid but TO which they seem no longer 10 enter
tain any very serious objection, (and when, as they
are Justly entitled TO il, shall hereafter apply TO
them) they strangely make known 10 you, lhat
"the principal fruit OF the victory OF loio is The Ia
riff of '42"-that they had been "foed in tetr JUS
expectations Of having cur currency placed on IT'S
formfr footing" which they subsequently say could
only be done By a Bank Of the United States; and
that they have been ''boled in their hopes of DIS
tributon of the Public Lands their new pro-
iect (of which not word is found in their Ad-
dress of lS40,) for eiectng internal improvements
by the instrumental'ty of the General Government
Anti Tariff anti Bank, and ant-ln'erna Improvement
in 1889 and 40-in favor of protective Tari't, Ma
tona Bank and of Distribution in l-l3 and "A; the
change of their assumed position is Obvious and com
piete If more needed, would point to thu
confessions of their principal organ this State, the
Richmond Whg in It's late extraordinary structures on
the still extraordinary disclosures OF one oil then
Wing Electors of 1910. But repeat, the change o.
their assumed position stands confessed 1.-THE decla
raons Of their principles and opinions in $40, were
indeed sincere, them the space of three years these
Federal leaders have utterly inverted their whole sys
tenn OF politics; for, they now recommend TO you a
constitutional and wise almost every practical mea
sure of Government which they then opposed as un
constitutional or unwise. Surely, such an exhibition o.
q political somerset, by all the leaders Of party al
once, and in short time, never before ex'
hbited in the history of politics, and could only hoo
its parallel, if any where, in the stIl-ranitIng OF
whole equestrian corps. In the most favorable iieh.
in which it can be viewed, 1t argues snch want OIL
foresight and sagacIty. OF prudence ana w's'on 10
should deprive them o! all claim to confidence
in their ability and OF every pretension 10 Statesman
ship. Would you, felIOw-czens be willing to TEL,
low the lead of politicians, coniessedy SO weak ana So
vacatlng'
But, the declarations of their principles and
opinions in 1S4O sinccre9 This question is forced upon
u.s. not only by the extraordinary disclosures recently
made by one Of their Wing Electors At that tune, ana
of their abest champions on the hoor OF Con
gress but also by their own strange a'o"es III 'ns''
late address To say that they rere sincere would be-
as we have shown, TO pay but very poor compliment
70 their talents and abilities, and should ourselves
he wanting in candor impute 10 them so greata de-
iciency in either But it would be more II would
he to contradict, the assertions of Mr. Newton Their
Elector and Representative, whom we know too well
to doubt, and who has borne testimony to the fact
that the disasters which have befailen the WING
Party, aud cast bight orer the prosperity Of the
try has resulted in great measure from the want Of
candor and frmness in avowlng and maintaining then
principles, especially in Virginia. and who adjured
their late Convention not TO repeat these Ter
rors of ,le4O, which have been The fruitful source
of all their woes" But it would be stu more
1t would be TO dsbelieye their present avow
ais For, how could the "Tariff of AZ be "ths
principal fruit of the victory" achieved by them in
ls4O, iflhey and General Harrison, whom they made